Calls for compassion following fiery Moncton town hall on crime, homelessness
There were a lot of angry voices at Thursday night’s town hall meeting on crime and homelessness in Moncton.
But some wish there was more compassion for Moncton's homeless population.
Trevor Goodwin is the Senior Director of outreach services at the YMCA.
He works with hundreds of homeless people in Moncton and said many are not criminals, but some do cause havoc for the city’s residents.
“I like to remind people that even though someone is stealing something from you, or dealing with addiction or mental health, or sleeping on the streets or in a shelter, it doesn’t mean they’re not human. That they’re not someone’s mother, brother, relative. We should treat everyone with respect, empathy and dignity,” says Goodwin.
Downtown café owners Emily Flint and Isabelle Gallant both spoke at Thursday’s meeting and both showed empathy for Moncton’s homeless.
“I feel people are seeing it more as a problem, so they’re objectifying the person,” said Gallant. “They see a homeless person walking down the street and they may not wonder what they need. They may think that’s more of an eyesore for Moncton.”
Flint used to live on the streets in Edmonton and is a former addict. She feels her past experiences give her a unique perspective on the problem.
“I’ve seen both sides of criminality, struggle and frustration, so I can understand from both sides now and understand solution versus just frustration,” said Flint.
Moncton Mayor Dawn Arnold was at Thursday’s meeting and the meeting last week. She said she and members of city council will take suggestions on how to solve the issues under advisement and will be revealing an action plan in the near future.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
BREAKING McGill University seeks emergency injunction to remove pro-Palestinian encampment from campus
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.