Fredericton man raises concerns over encampment along Saint John River

Gerald Crouse strolls through the Fredericton Rural Cemetery along Woodstock Road in Fredericton on a regular occurrence to visit his wife’s grave.

On a recent trip, the 91-year-old noticed an encampment of four-to-five tents down the Saint John Riverbank along the back of the cemetery.

“I come back three weeks later, and they pulled out and left,” Crouse says. “The mess is there now and all the money we collect, billions collected to protect the environment, and here everyone now has to spend a couple hundred dollars to clean up the mess here.”

Crouse says he has contacted both the City of Fredericton and the province about the site but was told little can be done.

“Nobody seems to care,” he said.

He says the lack of concern about the site is frustrating. While Crouse has no issues with the encampment himself, he does worry about what will happen if the site is not cleaned up before the river rises in the spring.

“That's all going to be in the river and the oceans next spring and nobody seems to give a hoot,” says Crouse. “That’s really bad, it’s so much plastic.”

In a statement, the City of Fredericton puts the responsiblity for cleanup on the owners.

“The City of Fredericton owns a small piece of land behind Pine Grove Nursing Home where there has been an issue with encampments and leftover garbage. This area has been cleaned many times. However, the piece of land along the riverbank that is directly adjacent to a nearby cemetery, is privately owned. As such, it is the responsibility of the landowner to clean up the site. In situations like this, the City works with the property owner to help connect them with the support they need by providing a list of contractors the property owner can hire to clean the site. The City of Fredericton has done so in this situation as well.”

The city added a liaison with the Fredericton Police Force has been visiting the site regularly urging people to leave the area.

They also made note while each encampment cleanup is different, a cleanup cost a minimum of $2,000.

“The City is committed to continuing its work with all orders of government, community leaders, partner agencies, and those with decision-making and funding authority outside of what the City is already mandated to do, to help address these issues and provide support to all stakeholders involved,” the statement continues. “We need to work together to advocate for change, while improving support for vulnerable populations, and housing for those in need.”

CTV Atlantic reached out to both the province and cemetery owners for more information about plans to cleanup the area before temperatures rise and are awaiting a response.

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