Public safety top issue for incoming Saint John council

The Saint John City Hall is pictured. (Avery MacRae/CTV News Atlantic)

Avenue B Harm Reduction is located at the heart of Waterloo Street in Saint John, N.B.

Each day the, not-for-profit group sees dozens of housed and unhoused people who admit their feeling of safety on Saint John’s streets isn’t as secure as it once was.

“There’s a lot of concern for sure,” says Avenue B executive director Laura MacNeil. “It’s just that we try to frame them in like a human-centered design way, where we are not making the folks the problem. The problem is the systemic gaps.”

MacNeil says the situation around public safety is much more complex than it once was. She says people are trying to navigate homelessness, trauma, poverty, grief, substance use, mental health challenges and an increasingly toxic drug supply.

With a new city council, mixed with familiar and fresh faces, set to be sworn in on June 1, MacNeil is confident they will continue to carry out models that have seen some success, like the Housing for All strategy.

“Sometimes practical solutions are not glamorous,” says MacNeil. “But there are things like garbage disposal, public washrooms, more safe sharps disposal and other supported spaces for folks who are in crisis. We have a lot of folks and it’s a cry for help, it’s not necessarily a public safety issue sometimes with what we’re seeing.”

She is hopeful the new council will listen closely to frontline organizers before making decisions that affect them and their clientele.

The city also has recently introduced a new Community Safety Services (CSS) team to respond to calls that may not require a uniformed police officer.

Alex Coffin, owner Alex and Lily’s Shoes & Swimwear on the corner of King’s Square, says he has noticed the different public safety perception since the CSS began patrols.

“I do feel like when I do visit other cities that we do have a very safe uptown here in Saint John,” says Coffin, noting he has had a window broken, and also had his business broken into in the past.

“The visibility of the security that they’ve hired has been good. If services can improve in the Waterloo area, that’s fantastic, and of course the small modular homes that they’re talking about has made a big difference.”

Eric Savoie is the councillor-elect for Ward 3, which has seen the bulk of public safety concerns. He is looking forward to continuing building on the city’s existing programs, while also bringing fresh ideas to the table.

Savoie says the overall public safety topic was the top concern he heard from residents during his campaign. He says Saint John residents want a city that is working with other level of governments and front-line organizations to help those who are struggling.

“Fredericton has a good model in my view,” says Savoie. “They have an integrated action plan across a range of domains, and there’s people bringing updates to city council and updates to the community.”

Savoie says whatever the city does to continue address public safety concerns, it must be done in a way that helps the public understand the reasoning behind any decisions.

“There’s a number of new councilors going to be around the horseshoe,” Savoie says. “I think we heard loud and clear that [residents] want a city council that hears citizens’ concerns and takes bold action to make the changes that we need to continue to move forward and improve the city.”

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.