New BrunswickAfter the recent deaths of homeless people around the province, Housing Minister David Hickey is facing criticism on how fast his department is moving to address homelessness.Four homeless people in Saint John died last month, says Fresh Start ServicesOliver Pearson · CBC News · Posted: Dec 05, 2025 2:24 PM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.David Hickey, the minister responsible for the New Brunswick Housing Corporation, has been a target of criticism from PC MLAs in recent weeks. Two critics think he needs to move faster on homelessness in the province. (Chad Ingraham / CBC)Recent deaths of homeless people around the province have prompted criticism on how fast the Liberal government is moving to address homelessness.Opposition Progressive Conservative Leader Glen Savoie shared in the legislature on Thursday that a homeless person died in Saint John – among others in the province.David Hickey, the minister responsible for the New Brunswick Housing Corporation, confirmed that two people who were homeless have died in Saint John.Savoie added that the deaths happened within the last two weeks.Hickey, whose riding is Saint John Harbour, later told reporters that he knew both of the people and the struggles they faced.WATCH | The way to help people ‘in winter survive is to house them’:Two homeless deaths in last two weeks, housing minister saysHousing Minister David Hickey confirms that two homeless people died in Saint John in the last two weeks, but won’t provide more details on the deaths.He did not share the causes of death but confirmed they were separate incidents.CBC News requested information from Saint John Police Friday morning and is awaiting a response.4 deaths in past monthAccording to Melanie Vautour, the executive director of Fresh Start Services, which works to prevent and eliminate homelessness in Saint John, the city has, in the last month, “lost four individuals that were living with homelessness,” and 15 people this year.“I think that the two that were referenced [in the legislature] were individuals that specifically lost their lives actually on the street,” she said. “They died on the street.”The two most recent deaths happened within the same week, Vautour said.Generally speaking, such deaths are a mix of mostly health conditions and some overdoses, she said, noting they occur year-round, not just in cold weather.After hearing about the deaths, Savoie had criticism for Hickey, who leads a new ministerial homelessness task force.“We’ve had deaths in Miramichi, Fredericton and now Saint John. This government took a year to create a task force and has pushed back its homelessness targets by a year,” Savoie said in the legislature. “These are preventable deaths.”Official Opposition Leader Glen Savoie was critical of Housing Minister David Hickey in the legislature on Thursday. He said that homelessness has gotten worse during the Liberal government’s first year in power. (Mikael Mayer/CBC)He called on the government for less talk and more immediate action on homelessness.Hickey believes that action is happening with his task force. A homelessness strategy is supposed to be laid out before 2026 and a $7.4 million fund for housing efforts.One project on Forest Hill Road in Fredericton has received a chunk of that funding to build 24-units of transitional housing.Savoie contends that Hickey’s hometown, Saint John, has asked for money and the government hasn’t delivered.“Saint John is asking for money to be able to help relocate people. How much have you spent? And there was no answer. The only thing I can infer is that it was zero dollars,” Savoie told reporters.The head of Fresh Start Services does applaud the government’s attention to homelessness and investment into public housing, despite the issue still growing.“We don’t have enough beds and we can’t actually ever have enough beds because right now the number keeps growing,” Vautour said.Melanie Vautour, the executive director of Fresh Start Services, said there has actually been four deaths in Saint John amongst the homeless population. (Roger Cosman/CBC)She said there are 437 people experiencing homelessness in the city and 250 live with chronic homelessness, which is being unsheltered for more than six months.“We have a high number who’ve been outside for several years and so despite investing in supports and services for the unsheltered, the problem is we just don’t have enough housing,” said Vautour.In addition, there are only 127 shelter beds, she said.With cold temperatures hitting the province, Vautour said the weather poses a bigger risk to those with health conditions.More PC criticism for HickeyMiramichi East MLA Michelle Conroy also had criticism for Hickey two weeks ago, following a housing update that he shared in the legislature.“He’s very proud of the work that they’ve been doing and housing, it’s only getting worse,” Conroy said in the legislature on Nov. 21.”The housing crisis is going up and maybe this would have been different even yesterday, but last night I found out that one of our homeless has passed away,” she said.Conroy was working with the woman who died. She said she was in her late-50s and was just days away from getting a housing unit from the province.Miramichi East MLA Michelle Conroy shared an emotional message in the legislature on Nov. 21 after finding out a homeless woman in her community had died. Conroy said she had known the woman for years and that she was days away from securing housing from the province. (The Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick)Conroy added that there was another death in Fredericton around the same time.“We’ve had so many deaths here in the Miramichi and across the province from, you know, people suffering from addiction and living on the streets, and we only see it getting worse and not better,” she said.Conroy said she would like to see more wraparound services along with housing to treat addiction and mental health issues.ABOUT THE AUTHOROliver Pearson is a reporter at CBC New Brunswick. He can be reached at oliver.pearson@cbc.caWith files from Alix Villeneuve
Deaths of homeless people prompts criticism of N.B. housing minister
