Enough is Enough Coalition

Concerns about crime in downtown Moncton are growing among residents and business owners.

Members of the Enough is Enough Coalition brought those concerns to city council during a Feb. 2 meeting, saying safety issues are affecting homes, businesses and the city’s reputation.

Impact on residents and businesses

Property owner Patrick Gillespie told councillors his company recorded 65 security interventions across its downtown buildings in December.

He said security spending has risen from about $9,600 in 2023 to roughly $171,000 last year, not including repairs for break‑ins and vandalism.

Gillespie said some of his newer residential buildings, which were fully leased before construction was finished, now sit at about 30 per cent vacancy.

He read from a departing tenant’s letter describing repeated break‑ins in the parking garage and storage areas, saying the experience “left us feeling unsafe in our own home.”

Coalition member Jo‑Anne Philips, who operates short‑term rentals and wellness programs downtown, said crime against her properties and guests has increased sharply.

She told council that one of her homes on Cameron Street was hit for copper theft, costing about $58,000, and thieves returned the next day.

Philips said she has had to call police to that property five times and that tenants cannot safely receive mail because it is often stolen.

She described watching someone take a package from a tenant’s porch and said she was later told the camera footage was not clear enough for charges.

“There are so many individuals … that won’t sign the petition because they’re afraid we’re not going to have visitors to this city,” she said.

Philips said nurses staying in her rentals have asked for escorts to their vehicles because they are afraid to walk outside.

She told councillors the coalition wants the city, the province and the RCMP to work together on what it describes as visible and coordinated enforcement, including a task force on downtown crime.

She also pointed to a previous 21‑point action plan on crime, saying it was never fully acted on.

Mike Randall, who helped develop that plan, told council the recommendations were agreed to by the city, the RCMP and other partners.

He said he does not know why the plan was not carried out. Randall also said open‑air drug use remains common downtown and that RCMP leadership has acknowledged they do not have enough officers to manage it

Council and RCMP response

Councillor Bryan Butler, a former police officer, said the region had 178 officers in 1998 for a population of about 90,000.

He said the region now has 177 budgeted officers despite the population roughly doubling.

Butler also said the city approved funding for 17 new RCMP officers last year, but none of the positions were filled.

He told the coalition the city has no operational control over RCMP deployment and cannot direct where officers are assigned.

The Codiac Regional RCMP issued a public statement responding to concerns raised at the meeting.

In the statement, Superintendent Benoit Jolette said public data shows property crime has remained stable and that recent statistics and the Crime Severity Index reflect improvement.

“While policing challenges remain, and continued attention is required, the most recent data does not support claims of worsening property crime trends,” Jolette said.

He also said all RCMP‑assigned items in the region’s action plan have been completed and that staffing decisions must follow evidence‑based indicators set by municipal partners.

The coalition said it plans to continue gathering signatures and will survey all municipal candidates ahead of this year’s election on whether they will make crime their top priority.