Frustration boils over as Fredericton business owners meet with city, police about downtown crime
City of Fredericton says it will create a community safety task force
Close to 300 people crowded into a meeting room at Fredericton's Crowne Plaza hotel on Tuesday to share what they say are growing concerns about crime, drug use and homelessness in the city's downtown.
That's more than twice the number of businesses owners and other stakeholders who attended a similar meeting last year, according to the City of Fredericton.
The meeting came on the heels of a recent fire that destroyed a long-standing sporting-goods store on Queen Street, MacTavish's Source for Sports, which police say was set deliberately.
While Tuesday's event wasn't open to the media, many participants were eager to speak to reporters afterwards to expression their frustrations.
Adrian Butts says he's had break-ins and theft at his downtown properties. (Allyson McCormack / CBC)
Adrian Butts owns various commercial buildings in the downtown area and says he has experienced problems such as break-ins and theft.
"Just on Friday, we had one of my commercial buildings [broken into], entered and burgled, with significant damage," he said.
"One of my tenants went bankrupt because their clientele will no longer come downtown or come into the building because of an unsavoury element there. My truck was robbed two weeks ago," Butts said.
Matt Savage, owner of Savage's Bicycle Centre, says it's a daily struggle to deal with the issues in the downtown. (Allyson McCormack / CBC)
Matt Savage, owner of Savage's Bicycle Centre, said the recent fire at MacTavish's was the final straw.
"We're seeing issues of homelessness, mental health, addiction … it's a downstream issue. So there's larger issues at play here.
"But day-to-day, it's difficult. Our staff are being assaulted ... thank goodness our customers keep coming. But it's a struggle daily."
Jenn Tuttle owns The Nest Yoga and Sequoia, a natural goods store. Both are located downtown. Tuttle said they're having issues when it comes to safety, which has forced them to lock their doors on occasion.
"We're experiencing people coming into the stores and harassing our staff and making them feel quite uncomfortable. We're experiencing theft. We do have a lot of security measures in place. However, that doesn't always deter people from stealing."
Jen Tuttle owns two businesses downtown. She says she's concerned for the safety of her staff. (Allyson McCormack / CBC)
Police Chief Gary Forward said the "sheer number of business owners, employees that came out was indicative of some of the frustration that I think the business community and residents are experiencing."
In terms of policing, Forward said there's a recruitment issue that should be addressed within the next year, through a satellite of the Atlantic Police Academy.
Forward said the pilot project will allow them to train 10 to 12 new officers.
By this time next year, he said they hope to have "the people that we need in place to go after a number of the proactive programs that we have, including the school resource officers or community liaison officers and even get back to an increased area of visibility through a beat patrol or full patrols or bike patrols."
Mayor
Kate Rogers talked about expanding the work of the community safety
services unit, made up of uniformed security officers who patrol trails
and other areas. (Shane Fowler / CBC)
Mayor Kate Rogers said there was a lot of openness at the meeting and that she could "feel the concern, the frustration and the exasperation" in the room.
She said it was an opportunity for the city and police to share what they have been working on to address the problems.
This includes expanding the work of the community safety services unit, made up of uniformed security officers who patrol trails and other areas and the use of public safety cameras, Rogers said after the meeting.
She also said a new community safety task force will "bring community stakeholders together, a small group to put together a list of action items that we want movement on from other orders of government." Recommendations are expected in the spring.
Meanwhile, business owners say they look forward to any improvements.
Tuttle "would love to see Fredericton downtown in particular be a place that we feel safe again. That's what I would like to see."
Clarifications
- The City of Fredericton has clarified that the number of people at Tuesday's meeting was closer to 300.Nov 05, 2024 7:46 PM AT
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Content Deactivated
What's stopping you all from hiring Mall cops?
Terri-Lynn Bee
Very sorry this has happened to your business. This has got to stop. Intimidation by bottom feeders. I know there isn't a "one size fits all" solution, however, something has got to give. Far too much criminal activity taking place today. Here in Fredericton and well beyond. There is no deterrent to commit crime in Canada, as our laws lean toward to the offenders, not the victims affected. Slaps on the wrist isn't a thing any longer. JMHO
Lou Bell
Somewhere along the line , and if the staus quo continues or gets worse ( Liberals and Greens push for more safe injection sites ) , then there'll no longer be a downtown where legit businesses can operate . Illegal pot stores and safe injection sites will be the order of the day. And we taxpayers will be forced to foot the bill for all the collateral damage .
Lorelei Stott
those poppies I don't think I like them, I'm more old school I think, some things should perhaps just stay humble not fluffy IMO anyway
stephen magee
People will need to stand and defend what they own because if you think the cops or want to be politicians will help good luck with that Deer Island had it under control after the burned beat and put the lowlife off the island.
Lou Bell
From what the Mayor is saying , status quo . And you know what the definition is of one who keeps repeating the same mistakes over and over without making any changes .
Terri-Lynn Bee
Reply to Lou Bell
That's sounds close to the definition of insanity. "Doing the same thing over & over, expecting a different result." Laws & penalties need an overhaul. Gotta start somewhere.
SarahRose Werner
Reply to Terri-Lynn Bee
Who's going to enforce these laws and penalties if there aren't enough police officers?
Lou Bell
The Liberals and Greens want more safe injection sites , much like what happened in Vancouver . Continued until businesses put the pressure on the city to smarten up and do the job they were elected to do .
Lou Bell
When is this mayor going to step up , take responsibility for what's happening in her city , and do something about it . Blaming anything and everything on others , and especially the provincial government is ridiculous . She complained because other places in NB were getting all the Doctors and her city wasn't . Total incompetence in doing the job she was elected for .
Lorelei Stott
our future got a little brighter last night in north america, hoping for a trickle effect of tough on crime
hs fisher
Reply to Lorelei Stott
nothing has changed here
Tom Gordon
I think the city should have police officers walking the beat downtown daily.
SarahRose Werner
Reply to Tom Gordon
What police officers? According to the article, the city is still waiting for the officers to be trained.
Tom Gordon
Reply to SarahRose Werner
The City of Fredericton does already have a police force and are trained. The 10-12 new officers to be hired are not the issue.
Ronald Miller
Once Poilievre is elected the homeless and drug problems will be gone.
hs fisher
Reply to Ronald Miller
not even close
Ronald Miller
This is an issue from coast to coast and the only way to fix it is to remove who is running our country, that election can't come soon enough.
Ronald Miller
This is not new news. Charles Leblanc (a close friend of mine) has been raising the alarms on this issue for a while now.
Ronald Miller
Reply to Ronald Miller
Bobby, didn't enough people make fun of you yesterday, you are back for more today. You keep on shining.
Tom
Businesses should just say screw the downtown, move to other locations as shop owners will never be afforded safety and security for themselves or their customers. The Police are just a few blocks away from ALL downtown locations so what are they doing? There are too many bleeding hearts that say garbage like "the punishment suits the crime". There is no punishment and that is the crime!
Terri-Lynn Bee
Reply to Tom
Exactly 💯 no one is deterred from doing the unthinkable as a matter of fact. Scary. What a train wreck Canada's become.
Dave Kliveland
Shut down the river stone enablers.
Dennis Atchison
The Great Gatherings of 2012, 2014 and 2016 all offered integrated systemic solutions to this challenge ... and yet no one in position of authority and action (municipal government, business community) participated in the process, or integrated the solutions created. So ... nice to see the community coming together ... but it is over ten years later and so much could have happened in the interim to have avoided this moment in time. So it goes ... though it makes me (and others) sad. And even before the Great Gatherings, the Community Group on Homelessness in around 2008 or so offered their solutions, with a spokesperson from Calgary invited to share how their City solved much of their homeless problem (called the Inverted Model ... spend 60 to 80K on housing and supports saves 180 to 220K in municipal expenses). Again, solutions not integrated into the Municipal Plan or Council policy/actions. So it goes ... but there should be no surprises by this point in time.
MR Cain
A good start bringing the business community together to work on the safety task force.
Sarah Brown
Reply to MR Cain
A good start is to charge the culprits for the thefts, vandalism, property damage and illicit drug use
MR Cain
Reply to Sarah Brown
The punishment suits the crime. Not sure about illicit drug use.
Fred Dee
Reply to MR Cain
need to deal with the crime.... zero tolerance for drug usage!!
MR Cain
Reply to Fred Dee
Any ideas? Should we arrest them, put them in jail? How long should they stay? Then what? A little more thought please.
Dennis Atchison
Reply to Fred Dee
Does this include ALL drug usage ... like the cocaine problem which never makes the news??? Other drugs which do not make the news?
Tom
Reply to MR Cain
Of course they should be arrested and put in jail. To the best of my knowledge vagrancy is still a crime, along with theft and arson and the list goes on.
Ronald Miller
Reply to Dennis Atchison
Lock'em up. That Minto jail can't be built fast enough in my opinion
MR Cain
Reply to Tom
Vagrancy is no longer a crime in Canada, as it was removed from the Criminal Code in 2019. The Supreme Court of Canada struck down the legislation in 1994, finding it to be too broad and a violation of personal liberties.
So, how long should they be incarcerated on the taxpayer's dime? When they have served their time, what then?
Drug-related problems cost of doing business in downtown Fredericton, store owners say
Fredericton police say calls for service have gone up in the past year
Business owners in downtown Fredericton say they are increasingly frustrated with a rise in break-ins, theft, vandalism, open drug use, litter and damage to their properties.
Those concerns will be the focus of an upcoming invitation-only meeting with the Fredericton Police Force on Nov. 5.
Adam Peabody, executive director of Downtown Fredericton Inc, which represents the business community, said the instances of theft, vandalism and harassment have trended "from an irritant to an area of significant concern."
And, he said, "We can say anecdotally … that it seems to be fuelled in large part by drug use and addictions."
Gary Forward, who took over as police chief in September, said police have seen a 30 to 40 per cent increase in socio-economic-related calls in the past year, related to living rough, drug addiction and wellness checks
Fredericton
Police Chief, Gary Forward says police often get calls about unwanted
individuals, property damage, theft and drug use, and he understands the
frustration businesses feel. (Submitted by Sonya Gilks)
Drugs such as fentanyl and crystal meth are having a "significant impact" on the community because of "their highly addictive nature," along with the low cost and increased availability, he said.
"Those three things are catastrophic when it comes to invading and impacting the community, especially with something like a drug addiction."
Businesses compassionate, but also frustrated
Mike Babineau owns and operates several Fredericton restaurants, including three in the downtown. He said his staff have found people stealing from the restaurant, hiding in the washrooms and causing damage to the interior and exterior of the properties.
Mike
Babineau says he cares about people but he also has an investment to
worry about, as well as the health and safety of his employees. (Allyson McCormack / CBC)
He has increased security, lighting and staffing levels to deal with increased crime and said that there is a monetary cost, as well as an emotional one.
And while no one has been physically assaulted, staff members have been verbally assaulted "on multiple occasions."
Babineau said he always leads with compassion and he cares about people, but he also has an investment to worry about and the health and safety of his employees, who include teenagers.
According to Peabody, most downtown businesses have fewer than 10 employees, which makes it hard for them to handle what he calls the "pervasive and repetitive level of criminal activity."
"There's also a psychological impact of being concerned of how they can maintain a safe and secure environment for their customers, for their employees and operating in our community at large."
Chad
McGarity, owner of The Warehouse Barbershop, says he deals with a lot
of theft, open drug use and overdoses at his new Smythe Street location.
(Allyson McCormack / CBC)
Chad McGarity, owner of The Warehouse Barbershop, recently relocated to the bottom of Smythe Street. He said he's struggling with daytime thefts, open drug use and overdoses outside his business.
He keeps a sharps disposal container on hand and collects the waste himself. In the three months at this new location, he estimates he's picked up roughly 100 needles from his property.
McGarity said he empathizes with the people he sees on the streets. He said he often gives out money and meals and gets to know them on a personal level. But he's struggling.
The
City of Fredericton's Community Safety Services unit responds to people
loitering outside a Brunswick Street business on a recent day. (Allyson McCormack / CBC)
Asking people to move along when they're blocking the barbershop entrance can be nerve-racking.
"Of course we're very friendly because we don't want to make anybody angry, but it's our investment, our livelihood," McGarity said.
'You can't hang out anywhere'
Forward said police often get calls about unwanted individuals, property damage, theft and drug use, and he understands the frustration businesses feel.
Police responded to 64 overdoses last year, he said, and as of Oct. 1 this year, they had already responded to 76. They've also responded to more than 90 calls for syringe recovery and disposal.
But Forward said there are limitations to what his officers can do.
"I think, also, the community needs to understand that police can't arrest someone for simply being homeless or living rough, and we certainly can't arrest somebody for being addicted to drugs or possessing prescribed drugs."
Needle
covers and other garbage from drug use are a common site just a few
steps away from the sidewalk in Fredericton's downtown. (Allyson McCormack / CBC)
Chris Nason has been living rough in Fredericton for the past decade. He understands there are "a lot of bad apples in the homeless crew," but wants business owners to know there are a lot of good people who are also struggling.
Nason has always lived in Fredericton. In a former life, he had a home of his own, a wife, a son and a daughter. But for a myriad of reasons, he is now unhoused.
"I had a couple of low-rental places but they were taken away as quick and as easily as I got them."
Nason has used the men's shelter from time to time, but prefers the independence of living in the woods, where he said no one bothers him — unlike when he spends time downtown.
"You can't hang out anywhere. You stop somewhere on the street and there's about three different security companies that come around and tell you to move along. Like I say, well, 'Where do you suggest I move along to, so that you're not going to follow me down the road 5 minutes later?'"
Chris Nason says he sees new faces in the homeless community every day and wonders where they're all coming from. (Allyson McCormack / CBC)
Nason said he has seen an unbelievable increase in the number of people living on the streets.
"Every day I see new faces in town, and you wonder where they're all coming from," he said. "It seems like at least by the week, there's at least a half a dozen or dozen new people that you haven't seen before."
All of these concerns will be part of the conversation at the annual Business Community Engagement Session on Nov. 5. The meeting is in partnership with the city and Fredericton Police Force, and will include members of the Chamber of Commerce, Business Fredericton North and Downtown Fredericton Inc.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Something is bringing them here, as noted by Chris Nason, could it be one of the 4 programs set up, one being Fredericton in all of Canada giving away free drugs causing the influx of people?
Inger Nielsen
more unhoused to come unless our new housing MLA pulls a trick out of their hat like victory houses
Rich Hatfield
This can all be fixed with a $40 million pool.
Jack Bell
I'm surprised the feelings police didn't change the title from:
"Drug-related problems cost of doing business in downtown Fredericton, store owners say"
to:
"Diversity is our strength and businesses look forward to the opportunity to expand their clientele to include nomadic persons experiencing altered perception."
Mark O'Brien
Reply to Jack Bell
Perhaps you might like to ask thoe business leaders why they dont utter a statement that has nothing to do with social problems?!
Societies have many diverse social problems and needs like good child care for example. Your objection to diversity would have you sweep society's needs undeer the carpet? You only take care of one of your needs despite the diverse needs you and everyone has because of some objection to a noun? Now that you've banned pronouns and nouns will you go after verbs to reflect your own unactivity? Bad verbs! Next we'll get their accompices the adverbs!
MR Cain
Reply to Mark O'Brien
The business leaders should be collaborating on solutions and work with the cops.
Tom Gordon
Higgs had one great idea maybe the Liberals should jump on, to pass a law letting law enforcement pick people up that can't help themselves and put them in treatment centres whether they want to be there or not. Stop the giving away of free drugs. Send the homeless that are coming to Fredericton after being kicked out of other cities back to where they came from.
MR Cain
Reply to Tom Gordon
We have already gone through this and the cops don't even want anything to do with it. What do we do with the homeless that are from Fredericton? Sending people back to their place of origin does not solve the problem, just gives it to someone else.
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