Social Needs - Election 2024

Few issues in recent years have been as high-profile and difficult to manage for municipalities as homelessness and poverty. Moncton is no different from hundreds of other communities across Canada in confronting these social issues.

As the province’s largest city, it is also no surprise that Moncton records more homeless people on its By Names List and in the annual count of homeless individuals by the Department of Social Development. We have all seen the manifestation of homelessness and poverty on our streets – especially in our downtown core: mental health issues, severe addiction, open-air drug use, panhandling and vagrancy, vandalism, and thefts.

While there has been some increased partnership between the province and City of Moncton in recent months to deal with this issue, so much more needs to be done. The next New Brunswick government must make solving our homeless epidemic a priority from Day 1. 

Simply directing vulnerable individuals to temporary shelters without sufficient mental health and addiction services, a pathway to permanent housing, and job re-skilling is an abdication of responsibility by the province. At the same time, cities like Moncton are not equipped with the expertise or financial capacity to respond to this crisis.

We have been a national leader in responding to these challenges – in 2024 alone we spent a total of $5.1 million to address social issues – but have exhausted our capacity to help in this area. 

To date we have: 

  • increased our social grant funding to $1.2 million – a 727 per cent increase from 2014
  • offered locations to house out-of-the-cold shelters
  • approved a lease for use of the Moncton Lions Community Centre for a year-round drop-in centre
  • financially supported Rising Tide and the Humanity Project’s JOSH Project
  • spent $140,000 each year to clean up tent encampment sites
  • spent $100,000 to update our Social Inclusion Plan

What Moncton needs

1 - All persons in the homeless population and those in supportive/transitional housing be assigned primary care clinicians.

2 - A 24/7 supervised, safe stabilization centre with wrap-around services and clinical support.

3 – Changes to the judicial system to more effectively deal with chronic reoffenders who suffer from mental health and addiction issues, including action on the long-awaited Mental Health Court.

4 - Establishment of an in-patient facility in the Moncton area for acute mental health and addiction cases.

5 - Clarity on the role of the Southeast Regional Service Commission in the area of social needs.

6 - More resources for New Brunswick’s post-secondary institutions to educate and produce individuals who have the skills to work in the area of social needs.

What party leaders say

Party leaders and local candidates were invited to a Special Council Meeting on Sept. 11, 2024. Each party leader was invited to address Council and to answer questions related to the City’s four election priorities.

Below are the questions and responses for each party related to social needs.

Highlights of their review of Moncton Matters document

Green Party 

Represented by party leader David Coon, MLA for Fredericton South

  • Looking to develop a downtown community health centre in partnership with UdeM and the health authorities.
  • Committed to work with NB Housing to create critical/complex care housing with supports in the region.
  • Looking to make mental health counselling and psychotherapy free for citizens in need. 
  • Willing to increase rehabilitation beds in the area and NB although the focus should be on prevention.  
     

Liberal Party 

Represented by party leader Susan Holt, MLA for Bathurst-East-Nepisiguit-Saint-Isidore

  • Looking to recreate the mental health court in other jurisdictions.
  • Need to create mental health treatment centres so individuals can be treated now and not in five years like the current process.  There is a need to educate the staff who will be working in these centres through partnerships with post-secondary institutions.  

Progressive Conservative Party

Represented by party leader Blaine Higgs, Premier of NB and MLA for Quispamsis

  • Committed to increase mental health treatment.  
  • Do not, however, support new safe injections centres.     

Responses to questions

1. Will you commit to building an in-patient stabilization and rehab centre in Moncton for the most acute cases of mental health and addiction? 

Green: Yes.  

Liberal: Committed to have more residential treatment centres, although we are unclear about the specific type. We also wish to look at other stages in the housing spectrum beyond the treatment stage. Mental health supports are lacking in schools as well.   

Conservative: Moncton seems like a good location for it. Need to look at the data to determine location. Cost and how to fund this unclear.  

 

2. Will you commit to providing the necessary funding for in-community rehab and stabilization wrap-around services?

Green: Yes. 

Liberal: Yes.

Conservative: We can only commit to make the decisions to make it better. What that looks like is yet to be determined.  

 

3. Will you accept responsibility for the care and reduction of the number of people who are homeless in our community?  

Green: Yes, this is the provincial government’s responsibility. We also wish to decentralize this model and see staff in communities.  

Liberal: Yes, Moncton will receive one of the primary clinics identified in their election platform. We will focus on prevention. Need to create space and infrastructure for all ages to attract active lifestyles. Also looking at school food program to be in all schools and not just some.  

Conservative: Yes, but we need to work together on this. Our end goal is to reduce the number.