New Brunswick·NewIntegrity commissioner Charles Murray said he looked at financial details and spoke with David Hickey, the minister responsible for housing, before determining that his relationship with a non-profit does not violate the Members Conflict of Interest Act.Minister David Hickey has rented an office to a Saint John outreach organization for the last several yearsSilas Brown · CBC News · Posted: Oct 20, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoHousing Minister David Hickey has been landlord to a Saint John anti-poverty organization for several years now. (Chad Ingraham/CBC)New Brunswick’s integrity commissioner says there is no legal violation of ethics rules in the landlord-tenant relationship of the province’s housing minister and a Saint John-based organization that does homelessness outreach. Housing Minister David Hickey confirmed this week that Fresh Start has rented offices from him for the last several years, since before he entered provincial politics. WATCH | Housing minister’s role as landlord for housing non-profit not a conflict, watchdog finds:No ethics breach with minister acting as landlord to anti-poverty organizationThe New Brunswick integrity commissioner, Charles Murray, says Housing Minister David Hickey isn’t breaking any rules by acting as landlord to Fresh Start, but he should avoid a perception of favouritism. Integrity commissioner Charles Murray said he looked at the financial details of the agreement and spoke with Hickey before determining that the relationship does not violate the Members Conflict of Interest Act.“I, looking at it as a whole, did not think that there was a conflict in the continuation of that relationship,” Murray said. “I did caution the minister that he may need to recuse himself from discussions which will directly relate to the future finances of that particular organization.” However, Murray said that perception of bias or conflict is still important to consider, even though that falls outside of his role as commissioner. “There are two ways of measuring that. One would have to do with the requirements of the Act, which I feel the minister has done. The other … is in terms of the public optics. I can’t advise the minister on that. That’s not my place to do so.”“But I do caution all members in these situations that what they should seek to do always is to embrace the full spirit of the Act and not merely to comply with the letter of the Act. And that they should be aware that just because the Commissioner is OK with something doesn’t mean questions won’t be asked in the public sphere.”New Brunswick’s ethics watchdog Charles Murray says perception is often as important as following the letter of the act. (Ed Hunter/CBC)Hickey, who served on Saint John city council prior to winning a Saint John seat in the legislature last year, said he has been careful since joining cabinet to make sure that he doesn’t put himself in any situations that would put him in conflict. “I have a really open dialogue with the integrity commissioner,” he said.“If there is ever point where he feels that he feels that that conversation needs to be had further, then I will do whatever it takes to make sure that it never compromises the work that we do because we cannot let that stuff get in the way of the really, really important work that New Brunswickers are expecting us to do.”Fresh Start is a Saint John based anti-poverty organization working on the frontlines of the homelessness crisis in the city. Hickey, in his role as housing minister, does sit on a recently created ministerial taskforce on homelessness, which also includes the ministers of social development, justice and public safety, local government and mental health and addictions. Hickey said that he hasn’t found himself in conflict while serving in that role over the past month.“Fresh Start is a local organization offering outreach service in Saint John,” he said. “So do I talk specifically about them? Rarely.“If they ever came up. It is absolutely at the front of my mind on something. Like I said, it will never compromise the work that we are doing.”It’s not uncommon for MLAs to be landlords or own property other than their primary residence. Murray said there are some in the current legislature who own rental properties.All disclosures are posted publicly on the legislature’s website, although the list for MLAs elected in last year’s election has yet to be posted. “Members have these relationships which preexist their political involvement and that those relationships don’t necessarily have to be disrupted,” Murray said.“The key part in my mind is on the other half, which is to say, is the minister, in the conduct of his duties, doing something differently now than he would do otherwise? That’s to me the real issue, not necessarily the continuation of the ongoing relationship of landlord and tenant.”When reviewing the disclosures required by each MLA and in follow up interviews, Murray says he will look to make sure lawmakers who own property aren’t using their position to charge exorbitant rates, or cut deals far below market value. Hickey told reporters that the rent for Fresh Start has stayed the same for years at $2,000 a month, including utilities and four parking spots. But Murray will consider factors beyond the purely financial as well, he said.“When I see an agreement like this, one of the questions I asked myself is, is it in the public interest that this relationship be discontinued?” Murray said. “And in this particular case, I did not see that there was a compelling public interest in evicting that particular client.“I don’t think that would serve the public interest.”ABOUT THE AUTHORSilas Brown is a Fredericton-based video journalist. You can reach him at silas.brown@cbc.ca.
Integrity commissioner clears N.B. housing minister of ethics breach
