A fire on June 17 brings pressure to deal with the continuing crisis of people without homes in St. Stephen. The fire destroyed the officially vacant older wooden apartment building at 80 Union St. Neighbour David Whittingham saw flames on the porch at about 9:30 p.m. "It was going up the side of the building and into the attic when we got here," a few minutes later, St. Stephen Fire Chief Sean Morton said at the scene.
      "Because of the state of the building we didn't put anybody inside. It was an exterior attack only," Morton said. St. Stephen's new aerial truck poured water from above while an excavator pulled down the still burning structure, piling debris on the ground where two firefighters with hoses doused the growing pile to make sure the fire was out.
      Morton estimated that 25 firefighters fought the blaze at the height of it, including some from Calais who brought a fire engine and rescue truck. There were no injuries, and Morton says the aerial truck likely saved neighbouring homes. "Without that, it would have been a lot worse," he said at the scene, adding, "No damage to anything around, that's a direct result of that [the aerial truck] right there."
      Now, with the debris hauled away and the cellar filled, a building lot remains, running along Union from the corners of Rushton to Cove streets. The provincial fire marshal and the RCMP are cooperating on the investigation. Sgt. Scott Mackenzie describes the fire as "suspicious" and encourages anyone with information to contact the RCMP or Crimestoppers.
      This property and two others, at 9 Schoodic St. and 181 King St., all three owned by Starshine Properties, were scheduled to go for bids at public auction to satisfy mortgages on June 26. The auction, though, was postponed until July 10. This fire and the sale came just ahead of the regular monthly meeting of St. Stephen Municipal District Council, which was set for 6 p.m. on June 26 at the Garcelon Civic Center. With the continuing conundrum of people living in the woods or other inadequate places while residential properties sit vacant, these recent developments should provide grist for the June council meeting.
      The authorities closed 9 Schoodic Street under the provincial Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods program in 2022, responding to complaints from citizens. The old building at 80 Union St. had been officially vacant for past months, with the electricity disconnected. In the past, the RCMP came to know both of these addresses quite well. Concerned citizens organized public meetings. Local authorities had trouble contacting Starshine Properties and its owner, Annette Penkala of Alberta, who bought about 20 properties in St. Stephen in 2020 and 2021.
      It was officially vacant but, according to Councillor Marg Harding at a recent meeting, "The property on 80 Union St. is still being used." She added, "I go by it every day, and there is a boatload of trash on the veranda."
      The issue is "complicated," Fire Chief Morton, municipal deputy CAO responsible for public safety, responded to Harding. "I go and remove the people from that building; we know what happens. They go to another building, and we chase them out of that building and they go to another building," he said, adding, "We've got landlords that aren't landlords" and "any number of caretakers claiming to be caretakers, and who do you talk to?" Some of the buildings have legitimate tenants, too, he says.
      Morton, speaking at the fire scene, described 80 Union as "officially vacant." However, "From time to time there were people going and hiding from police or whatever, but I don't think there was anybody staying in it, unlike some of the other ones around town."
      Many people worried over the past winter and into spring what would happen when Neighbourhood Works closed its 24 hour drop in centre at 59 Union St., the former Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Church, in April. Neighbourhood Works opened the centre on December 8 after a local man died in hospital after he was found in medical distress outdoors in Milltown. At the time, estimates of the number of homeless people in St. Stephen ranged from 60 to more than 100.
      Mayor Allan MacEachern has met with Premier Blaine Higgs, and there have been other meetings, but no firm plan emerged on what to do once Neighbourhood Works closed its "temporary" drop in centre. There is still no word on what will happen this winter, either.
      MacEachern says that housing falls within provincial jurisdiction, but the municipality is ready to support plans that the government in Fredericton might announce. "The province is working on it. They're getting closer," he says in an interview, adding, "We are gong to support the province on their venture. That's all I can say."
      The provincial and municipal governments are working on the issue, Department of Social Development officer Kate Wright says. "The province has committed to supporting both transitional and public housing options for the community and is currently assessing locations for the placement of supportive housing. Homelessness is a complex issue that requires multi faceted solutions, and addressing the needs of this population requires strong collaboration between the province, municipalities and community partners to ensure the unique needs of each municipality are met," she says.
      People are living quite openly at 16 Schoodic St., another building owned by Starshine Properties, but none of the three electrical entrances seem to have meters. This property sits across the street and a few steps up the hill from 9 Schoodic St., which is also up for auction.
      People have been coming and going from another Starshine property on the upper end of Elm Street. At least one family has lived in this building as long term tenants, but only two of the four apartments seem to have electrical meters.
      Councillor Brian Cornish was talking about the two Schoodic Street addresses at a recent council meeting when he stated that "they have been sitting there a long time, so do we tear them down or let someone burn them down?"
      Municipal CAO Jeff Renaud stated at a recent council meeting that he has sought guidance from provincial officials on rules for a sanctioned campsite, which remains an option. Several councillors have raised concerns about fires at unofficial campsites.
      "There are encampments all over the place," Morton responded to Cornish, adding, "They might bed down in one spot tonight, have a little fire and move on to somewhere else." He responds to complaints, but he does not have the staff for extra patrols. Cornish said the prospect of a major conflagration "frightens" him, but Morton does not consider the risk "exceptionally heightened."
      Municipal staff do not have the time "to kind of chase around people," according to Councillor Emily Rodas, a social worker. "When you work in the addictions field, like myself, all day every day, you know how quickly people move, and it can be within every three hours, they're moving somewhere else," she stated in response comments by Cornish and Morton. She suggested that the municipality look at an app allowing people to report fires or people in their back yards easily.
      The municipal district council recently gave first reading to a proposal to rezone a vacant Main Street lot to allow the New Brunswick Housing Corporation to build a five apartment building with rent geared to 30% of income for families living on less than $59,500 a year. "It's much needed," MacEachern said, but it was stated at the meeting that there are 95 families on the waiting list for subsidized housing in St. Stephen.