November 4, 2026
Honourable David Hickey
Minister responsible for the New Brunswick Housing Corporation
Government of New Brunswick
Re: Provincial funding for increased security surrounding Lighthouse Lodge
Dear Minister Hickey:
I am writing to request immediate provincial funding for additional security officers in the area surrounding Lighthouse Lodge in the Municipal District of St. Stephen.
Your recent public acknowledgement that Lighthouse Lodge should never have been established in its current location is significant. It recognizes the concerns of the surrounding neighbourhood and the consequences of placing this facility where it now operates. That acknowledgement must now be accompanied by concrete action to mitigate the impacts on our community.
Residents and businesses in the immediate area should be able to occupy their properties, conduct their business and use public spaces safely. People experiencing homelessness, shelter employees and outreach workers are equally entitled to a safe environment. Meeting these needs requires an adequately resourced response that extends beyond the shelter’s doors.
The municipality recognizes the importance of emergency shelter and the need for lasting solutions to homelessness. However, the pursuit of supportive housing and other longer-term measures does not relieve the Province of the need to address conditions in the surrounding neighbourhood today. Our community cannot reasonably be expected to wait for future housing projects before meaningful mitigation is provided.
The provincial government’s November 2, 2026 announcement with the City of Moncton provides a timely example of provincial action to address community safety pressures. The announced community safety officer pilot includes public safety patrols, conflict resolution, trespass enforcement and referrals to social service agencies. It recognizes the need for a dedicated response to neighbourhood concerns alongside the work of police and social service providers.
We welcome that initiative. The same commitment to community safety must extend to smaller municipalities facing comparable pressures. St. Stephen’s population and financial capacity are smaller, but the impacts experienced by residents and businesses surrounding Lighthouse Lodge are no less deserving of provincial attention. Access to meaningful assistance should reflect the severity of local conditions and a municipality’s capacity to respond.
We are therefore asking you to work with the Minister of Public Safety to provide a provincially funded security response tailored to the neighbourhood surrounding Lighthouse Lodge. The Moncton initiative demonstrates that your government is prepared to support additional tools to address community safety concerns. In St. Stephen, that support must include the funding necessary to put additional personnel on the ground. Provincial authorization alone will not provide the resources our community needs.
Specifically, we request that the Government of New Brunswick fully fund an enhanced security presence dedicated to the area immediately surrounding Lighthouse Lodge. This funding should support:
- Regular, visible patrols of nearby streets, public spaces and affected properties, with property-owner consent where required;
- Coverage during evenings, overnight and other periods identified through local experience and incident reporting;
- Personnel trained in de-escalation, crisis response and working respectfully with vulnerable individuals; and
- Clear coordination with the shelter operator, the municipality and the RCMP, including procedures for reporting concerns and escalating incidents.
The service must have an explicit neighbourhood mandate. Security confined to the shelter property would not adequately respond to the concerns prompting this request. Staffing levels, patrol boundaries and hours should be established promptly with local partners and adjusted as conditions require.
We are asking the Province to fund the full incremental cost of this service, including supervision, equipment and incident reporting. These costs should not be transferred to municipal taxpayers or absorbed by reducing other municipal services. Provincial support for the shelter must include adequate resources to manage its effects on the surrounding community.
Funding should remain available while the shelter operates at this location, subject to joint reviews of neighbourhood conditions and service effectiveness. Any reduction should be based on demonstrated improvement.
Minister, your acknowledgement concerning the location creates a clear expectation of provincial leadership. Recognizing that a decision was inappropriate is meaningful only if that recognition leads to action for those living with its consequences. The municipality is prepared to work constructively with your government, but our residents and businesses need a funded response with a firm implementation date.
Please provide a written response within 15 business days confirming whether the Province will fund this enhanced security presence, identifying the provincial official responsible for implementation and proposing a date for an operational meeting with municipal representatives, the shelter operator and the RCMP.
St. Stephen remains committed to compassionate, practical solutions to homelessness. That commitment must be matched by a provincial commitment to the safety and well-being of the surrounding neighbourhood. We ask you to act without delay.
Sincerely,
Mayor Steven Backman
cc:
Hon. Susan Holt, Premier
Hon. Robert Gauvin, Minister of Public Safety
Hon. Cindy Miles, Minister of Social Development
Hon. Aaron Kennedy, Minister of Local Government
Hon. Robert McKee, Minister of Justice, Attorney General and Minister responsible for Addictions and Mental Health Services
Hon. René Legacy, Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance and Treasury Board
Kathy Bockus, MLA, Saint Croix