New safety task force to address Fredericton crime with provincial, federal help

Fredericton hopes a new task force will get federal and provincial politicians collaborating with the city to address safety and other problems related to addiction and mental illness.

City councillors voted Monday in favour of the community safety task force, which will be jointly headed by Mayor Kate Rogers and police Chief Gary Forward and  include Fredericton-Oromocto MP Jenica Atwin, provincial government ministers, social services providers and business leaders.

Speaking after the council meeting, Rogers said the city has spent money on the installation of cameras downtown, hired more police officers and beefed up a program that involves contracting security guards to patrol the  business districts.

But despite those efforts, deeper issues related to poverty and mental illness are creating problems beyond the city's capacity to control, she said.

"And we are very aware that even through all of our policing, we're not able to get to the root causes," Rogers said.

"So the root cause of a lot of what is happening in our city needs to be addressed by all orders of government."

A response to recent feedback

Rogers said the decision to form a task force was influenced in part by what she's heard from participants in recent town hall meetings with business owners and residents about crime in the city.

Those meetings were held in the wake of a arson,vandalism and break-ins in the downtown that have put the fire department and police on high alert and added to the anxiety felt by citizens.

Rogers said she hopes the task force will give her the chance to directly appeal to federal and provincial leaders for more support for people struggling with addiction and mental illness.

Rogers and Forward also said they see a need for federal reform of the justice system to make it more difficult for certain people to be let out on bail after being charged with a crime.

"What's problematic is that police are going back again and again, having to arrest the same people with the recidivism that's taking place," Forward said.

Rogers said the task force is scheduled to meet for the first time next Monday.

Aside from Rogers, Forward and Atwin, the task force will include:

• Mike Comeau, deputy minister of justice and public safety
• Cindy Miles, social development minister
• Dr. Heather Logan, Horizon Health Network
• Anne Arseneault, Department of Health
• Morgan Peters, Fredericton Chamber of Commerce CEO 
• Adam Peabody, Downtown Fredericton Inc. executive director 
• Trina MacDonald, Business Fredericton North Inc. general manager
• Warren Maddox, Fredericton Shelters Inc. executive director
• Marcel LeBrun, founder of 12 Neighbours
• John Barrow, John Howard Society
• Marchell Coulombe, Fredericton resident
• Jennifer Boudreau, Fredericton resident
• A Sitansisk First Nation representative to be appointed by Chief Allan Polchies

With a four-month mandate, she said, she expects the task force to work quickly to come up with a series of recommended actions by all levels of government.

"One of the reasons for the short time frame of the task force is because we want to be assuring people that we're not sitting around and talking for the sake of talking," Rogers said.

"There will be a set number of meetings and there will be very clear agendas with, with outcomes."