2 Moncton schools add extra security to prevent people from sleeping in doorways

Two Moncton schools will now have 12-hour security to address people seeking shelter in the doorways of the buildings. 

A recent letter sent to families of Harrison Trimble High School and Edith Cavell, a K-5 school, said the district had become aware of social media posts showing "vulnerable members of our community seeking shelter in the doorways of our schools."

"We understand that this may have raised some concerns, and we want to assure you that we are addressing the situation with care and compassion," the letter, signed by Anglophone East superintendent Randolph MacLean, said. 

The letter goes on to say that a security company was hired and will be present at both schools from Monday to Friday, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., for the foreseeable future. 

In an interview with Information Morning Moncton, MacLean said the security company will circle the exterior of the school grounds five or six times an hour and move people along if they are walking around or sleeping near the buildings.

He said there are two shelters in proximity to the schools, so during the summer, when students are not on site, the doorways have become a refuge or space for people to take cover during inclement weather. 

MacLean said the decision to put security in place was not caused by any one incident but "now that students are back, and there's a lot more traffic around the school, we want to be preventative."

CBC News requested interviews with the school principals, but a spokesperson for the school district did not allow them, saying that MacLean was the "most appropriate person" to speak on the topic since the security decision was made at a district level.

In 2021, the principal at Edith Cavell raised concerns about used needles on school grounds and people sleeping in doorways. And in 2022, two schools in Moncton's west end raised similar concerns.

This is not a new issue in Moncton. The downtown business association has said that businesses have flagged concerns over the last couple of years with theft, vandalism and people trespassing while trying to find warmth.

Patrick Richard, executive director of Downtown Moncton Centre-ville Inc., said businesses continue to see this everyday — people sleeping behind their businesses, on their doorsteps or building makeshift encampments by their dumpsters. 

He said Downtown Moncton has expanded its facade improvement grant to also include security measures, including cameras, fencing and more. 

But some businesses are starting to experience fatigue with having to report incidents on a daily basis, Richard said.

"They're starting to, you know, get tired of reporting it, but they need to continue to report these incidents to the RCMP so that they can build up cases and build up their statistics in order to better serve the downtown core."

Conrad Landry, the director of community safety for the city, said it's a daily occurrence to have reports to bylaw officers about people sleeping or resting in doorways in the downtown.

He said that 99 per cent of the time, people comply when asked to move but there is the odd time when RCMP need to be involved. 

Landry said there haven't been any reports to bylaw officers about the Harrison Trimble or Edith Cavell schools so far this school year, to his knowledge. The bylaw office was aware of the social media posts circulating the weekend before school started, but already had a plan in place.

He said the office has been meeting with the school district for the last couple of years over this issue and last year officers patrolled the schools, especially in the morning before classes. 

Those patrols will continue, said Landry, along with patrols from the security company hired by the district and RCMP.

"We have to understand that these folks … there's a reason why their lives are brought into this point. 

"They need help, they need resources, so we need to consider that. But there's still laws to be enforced," he said.

"There's a balance between what's unlawful and what's not. So we all need to work together."