May 10th St. Stephen Council Discusses Solutions To Problems Caused By Homeless Encampment

During a recent Municipal District of St. Stephen council meeting, the main topic of discussion for council was the issue of homelessness and the use of public spaces for camping, particularly the Elm Street Nature Park. Council acknowledged the urgent need to address the immediate issues of trash and fire in the park. Council is also considering a proposal to provide a specific location for homeless individuals to camp but is struggling to find an alternative location.

Council discussed the issue of finding suitable locations for the homeless population. They suggested creating a set of criteria, including proximity to schools and amenities, and meeting with key players to discuss the issue. They acknowledged that there was no quick solution to the problem and that they needed to support those handling it.

Fire chief Sean Morton acknowledged that fires were being used by the homeless population to keep warm, but this posed a risk due to the dry brush and difficult-to-access trails in the area.

"You chase them and they go further into the woods, and then it gets to the point where we're not even capable of getting in to put the fires out because they're 4000 yards beyond where I can do anything," said Morton. "This is one of the dilemmas. So I can't control that. This is why I'm asking for a better solution."

The council concluded the discussion of homelessness by deciding to let town staff get to work and come back with potential solutions.

Several other topics were discussed, including the decommissioning of the Milltown generating station and the pool deck refurbishment. Council discussed the issue of redundant emergency alert systems and agreed that advocacy was needed to push for a single system. 

The Downtown St. Stephen committee also presented their strategic plan, which focuses on four main areas: customer attraction, beautification of space, member engagement, and stakeholder alignment. The retiree employment agency, Kaleidoscope, which matches retirees with businesses that need their skills, also presented.