The Municipal District of St. Stephen declared a local state of emergency due to a worsening homelessness crisis that is now being exascerbated by below zero temperatures. Mayor Allan MacEachern read the declaration, which was unanimously supported by council, calling on the province to take action during an emergency council meeting on Monday night.

“The Government of New Brunswick has failed its duties to provide adequate resources to house, support, and care for its citizens within the Municipal District of St. Stephen,” read Mayor MacEachern at the emergency meeting.

Mayor Allan MacEachern addressed the urgency of the crisis and the need for the municipality to declare a state of emergency, insisting that no human being should have to be subject to deplorable living conditions, exposure to illness, and the potential loss of life, with the most recent death of an unsheltered person in St. Stephen taking place at an outdoor public venue in Milltown over the weekend.

“No matter what we did, we’re doing the right thing. They’re human beings, and we’ve got to take care of them,” said MacEachern to his council. 

While the municipality estimates that there are approximately 70 homeless people living on the streets of St. Stephen, Darren Burns, who is among the unsheltered population of St. Stephen, says the number is actually over 100. On many cold nights, he gives up the bed he has made for himself inside a makeshift shelter at the Sweeney monument for another unhoused people to get some sleep and stay warm.

"There was 100 people here a month and a half ago, at least 103, I think we counted in total that were out. Husbands and wives with children. They think that if you're homeless, you're either on drugs, an alcoholic, and that's not the way it is. I've met some; it could be anybody. Like it could happen to you."

MacEachern's council has given a series of directives to the province in their state of emergency address, including the release of a portion of the $1.5 billion surplus to address the crisis. Council has specifically asked Social Development Minister Jill Green to allocate resources for the homeless population. In today's question period in the legislature, she responded.

"We are working to try to find a good location [for a mobile shelter], Mr. Speaker, but we need the community to collaborate with us. And I think we could see last night that they're not feeling very collaborative. Mr. Speaker," said Minister Green during question period, insisting there was a "not in my backyard" mentality among the St. Stephen community when it came to finding the right location for a shelter.

Liberal leader Susan Holt responded to Green by saying, "I am stunned that the minister has just gotten up and blamed the people of St. Stephen, saying that they're not taking the problem seriously. I have been hearing from the people of St. Stephen about this issue for many, many months."

"We are eager to find a location to put the trailers for the homeless shelters. We are eager to work with the community. We have trailers ready to go," responded Green.

CHCO-TV reached out to Minister Green's office for further comment and did not hear back by broadcast time.

After Monday night's emergency meeting, MacEachern says the municipality has been ready and willing to collaborate with the province for quite some time.

"We're not anywhere further ahead than we were in November, and it was enough is enough," said MacEachern to CHCO-TV. "We have to push our government to help us out and take care of their issue. And we're here to support them, but they got to take care of their issue now. We're in an emergency state right now. We are ready and willing. Power, water, sewer, and I'm sure this council would put some funding in place if they had to and do whatever we can. But we're ready. We've been ready to do that plan for quite a while now."