The City of Fredericton is building a safer, healthier and more inclusive community with new measures to enhance crime prevention and enforcement along with mobile outreach services to vulnerable residents, fulfilling recent recommendations from the Mayor’s Community Safety Task Force.
“As Fredericton grows, so does our commitment to building a community where everyone feels safe, supported, and heard,” said Councillor Eric Megarity, Chair of the City’s Standing Committee on Public Safety which received a progress update on task force recommendations on Thursday, August 7. “I am pleased to see Council responding quickly and effectively to residents’ concerns by advancing key safety recommendations through investments in policing, improved trail lighting, public safety cameras, and other important initiatives.”
The Mayor’s Community Safety Task force brought together 18 representatives from government, health care, residents, non-profit organizations and business to respond to community concerns about safety. Focusing on justice, policing, mental health, addictions and homelessness, the task force proposed 47 immediate and long-term actions to address the city’s most pressing social challenges. Of those, 16 recommendations are owned by the City of Fredericton with 12 already complete or in progress.
This includes:
- Appointing a dedicated team to oversee task force recommendation implementation (complete).
- Secure federal funding for security infrastructure (complete).
- Create a 24/7 mobile outreach unit to provide health, mental health and social services to vulnerable populations (complete).
- Improve lighting on trails, transit stops and streets (in progress).
- Add cameras at transit stops (in progress).
- Increase police and security presence in business districts (in progress).
- Develop a public safety camera strategy using residential/business footage (in progress).
- Enhance Neighbourhood Watch programs (in progress).
- Promote and provide support to business and residents to implement Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) program and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design principles (CPTED) (in progress).
- Leverage the Fredericton Police Force’s Community Engagement Unity, School Resource Officers and Integrated Enforcement Unit to increase presence in high traffic areas (in progress).
- Establish a dedicated unit for petty crime to help increase presence in business improvement areas (in progress).
- Research and develop a prolific offender strategy (in progress).
“We appreciate the commitment of our community partners, including Horizon Health and the provincial government to address root causes of harm caused by homelessness, mental health and substance abuse disorders,” said Steven Hart, Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Fredericton and Chair of the Task Force’s Oversight Committee. “Working together, the Task Force has identified real solutions to improve access to supportive, affordable housing and health services, which if delivered sufficiently, will directly and positively impact our residents and businesses.”
Meanwhile, the City is investing in areas within its direct control, including community-based crime prevention, enforcement and public safety education. “We look forward to continued progress on our collective efforts to create a community where everyone feels safe and can thrive,” Hart added.
The City will provide quarterly progress updates on Community Safety Task Force recommendations through the City’s Standing Committee on Public Safety. The next update is anticipated for October 2, 2025.
More information on the Community Safety Task Force recommendations, including progress updates, and other targeted actions the City is taking to improve community safety can be found at www.fredericton.ca/community-safety.