St. Stephen Confronts Housing, Health Care and River Pollution

A recent St. Stephen edition of Your Town Matters on CHCO-TV put the July Committee of the Whole meeting under the spotlight, with discussion centring on some of the most pressing challenges facing the border community: homelessness linked to a housing shortage, access to primary care, and concerns about pollution in the St. Croix River.

One of the key items was a Community Safety Survey, launched in response to growing concerns about homelessness and public security. Results from the survey will inform a new Community Wellness Plan, aimed at securing federal support through Project Upstream—a program designed to address social problems before they escalate.

Councillors welcomed the effort but voiced caution, noting that without stronger provincial and federal involvement, the municipality may struggle to carry the plan forward.

Health care also took a central role in the meeting. St. Stephen is slated to receive a collaborative care clinic within the next 18 months as part of a provincial strategy to improve access to primary care. Recruitment has already begun, with a social worker and a respiratory therapist hired, but many residents remain without family doctors. The province has promised that by 2029, every New Brunswicker will be connected to a team-based care model, ensuring continuity even when individual physicians are absent.

Environmental concerns rounded out the agenda. Councillor Brian Cornish raised long-standing complaints about a brown substance and unpleasant odours in the St. Croix River. While some dismissed the reports as anecdotal, council moved to create a subcommittee to investigate. Cornish, who has been outspoken on the issue for the past year, continues to press for answers on the cause of the river’s discolouration and smell.