Fredericton businesses say they have ‘compassion fatigue’ citing break-ins, open drug use

Fredericton council approved a homeless shelter to remain at the New Brunswick Exhibition grounds.

A building at the back of the Fredericton exhibition grounds will continue to be a temporary homeless shelter this winter, after a vote by the city’s planning advisory committee.

Known as the Winner’s Lounge, the building provided shelter for 285 people so far this year, including new Canadians, Indigenous people and veterans.

But there were some who petitioned against it remaining at the site, and the committee only gave the shelter the green light to continue at the location until April of 2026.

“We know full well that we’re a challenge in the community. We’re a challenge for people who are becoming, what we classify in our business, as compassion fatigued. We know that,” Warren Maddox, executive director of The Shelters, told the committee.

That compassion fatigue is something a number of property and business owners have reported feeling – both concerned about people’s wellbeing, but also about their own safety and the safety of their property.

Many business owners in the downtown say they see consistent open drug-use, people trespassing and damage to their property.

The shelter does have security 24/7.

And Maddox says there are some people who choose not to get help from the shelters, and a few property owners who spoke to CTV News acknowledged those are likely the people causing many of the issues they’re experiencing.

“The Fredericton exhibition grounds is not where our permanent home will be for this space. But we do need a bit of runway to be able to finalize what our plans as an organization will be. And how we can reimagine the world of the shelters and how we can keep people engaged, how we can move them along,” Maddox told the committee.

In an email to CTV News, he said the organization has been searching for an appropriate, permanent space for 18 months. The not-for-profit is now looking into the possibility of reimagining their current men’s shelter space, from dorm style, to a more supportive living space with a housing focus.

Mayor Kate Rogers recognizes the fatigue, and says the Fredericton Community Safety Task Force – which released 47 recommendations earlier this year to try and find solutions to these issues – is working on it.

“I feel there’s a lot of compassion in the city. And I also feel that there are a lot of folks that are frustrated that we continue to be setting up emergency shelters as opposed to finding real solutions,” she said. “We see this as a way to solution-find and to move out of that place of just frustration and try to get something done so that this isn’t our reality.”

‘I’ve had to call on overdoses’

CTV News spoke to several business owners about what they’re seeing and experiencing. All mentioned break-ins, a lot of yelling and open drug-use.

They also all said they want to see people get the help that they need.

While no one wanted to speak on the record Friday, one employee was willing to share what they often see, and experience.

“I’ve found them inside a dumpster, sleeping on a hot day, which is extremely dangerous in case the garbage truck comes and, you know, you get emptied into a garbage truck,” the employee told CTV Atlantic. “I’ve had to call on overdoses. I’ve had people overdose on the sidewalk, I’ve seen it and had to call an ambulance and an ambulance comes and you’re not sure if they’re going to make it.”

They also said they have to keep their front door locked – and buzz customers inside. They didn’t want their name to be shared for fear of putting the business in harms way.

Adam Peabody, executive director at Downtown Fredericton Inc., says the community is encouraged by recent commitments by the province as part of the Community Safety Task Force, like the construction of ‘200 ultra-low-barrier transitional housing units.’

“Action items led by the City of Fredericton, such as foot patrols by the Fredericton Police Force and 24/7 patrol expansion of the Community Safety Services Unit, have begun to make a positive impact for downtown businesses,” he said. “Addressing public safety requires a multi-faceted approach involving all levels of government.”

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