New BrunswickAfter hearing from numerous residents, a Fredericton council committee unanimously confirmed a request to let a temporary overnight homeless shelter operate for another winter.Packed meeting showcases support, concern for shelter at exhibition Sam Farley · CBC News · Posted: Oct 16, 2025 6:56 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours agoA temporary homeless shelter at the former Winner’s Lounge at the Fredericton Exhibition got the go ahead to operate there for one more winter. (Sam Farley/CBC)After hearing from numerous residents, a Fredericton council committee unanimously confirmed a request to let a temporary overnight homeless shelter operate for another winter.The temporary shelter, run by Fredericton Shelters Inc., had opened last summer at the former Winner’s Lounge building on the Exhibition Grounds. The temporary zoning approval to run the shelter was set to expire this December.But with Wednesday night’s vote at the planning advisory committee, the shelter can now continue to run until April 30, 2026.Warren Maddox, the executive director of Fredericton Homeless Shelters, said in an interview after the vote that homeless people have come to rely on the shelter. “So you’ve got a life that’s in turmoil and chaos, but you have one thing that you can hang your hat on every night at 8:00,” he said. Coun. Greg Ericson, who’s on the committee, said he supported the decision, but added that the feedback shows the challenges people in the adjacent neighbourhoods are having with the shelter. Even before the meeting began, the topic drew considerable attention from the community. The city received 27 letters expressing support for the extension and 15 letters against. There were also petitions, with hundreds of signatures, delivered to the city for both sides of the issue. Included in the letters against were letters from local businesses, including the Fredericton Intercultural Centre, which is close to the shelter’s location. Maddox told the committee that in the year it has been open, the shelter has helped 285 people, including women, Indigenous people, veterans and immigrants. Acknowledging the concerns from some residents, Maddox said, “We’re a challenge for people who are becoming what we classify in our business as compassion fatigued.”Warren Maddox, executive director of Fredericton Homeless Shelters, said the shelter helped 285 people last winter. (Shane Fowler/CBC)Maddox said the location was not intended to be permanent, “but we do need a bit of runway to be able to finalize what our plans as an organization will be.”Although city staff recommended the plan be accepted, they made clear that a better long-term site needed to be found, especially in light of the city’s recent decision to expropriate the exhibition grounds to develop. Maddox said the shelter has become something homeless people can rely on, and that two people using it have now found more permanent housing.Old lounge at Fredericton Exhibition Grounds approved for winter homeless shelter“Our successes may sometimes be slow and may seem small, but they’re incredible to the people that we help,” he said. Maddox brought Nancy Murphy, a homelessness strategist with the province’s Social Development Department, to speak. She acknowledges that emergency services do sometimes have to respond to the shelter or immediate area.“But every night, up to 33 people are kept safe, they’re kept alive, and they’re reminded of their worth and their importance in our community,” Murphy said. Rob Hartland, who runs the security company that works with the shelter, also spoke. He explained that there’s security on the grounds 24/7, with additional members inside the shelter during the overnight operating hours. “The people who we have staffed at this site are trained in de-escalation, are trained in, in communication styles that will help alleviate some of the issues,” he said.The shelter is located on the Fredericton Exhibition grounds, which the city recently decided to expropriate to develop. (Aidan Cox/CBC)Many of the people who showed up in person or wrote letters against the proposal were homeowners in the area who spoke of open drug use, mental health problems, people trespassing on their properties, and instances where they or their families felt unsafe. Those who wrote or spoke in favour mostly talked about the need to have compassion for the homeless and said without the shelter, people would only be in harm’s way when left outside. Jordan Ford, a homeowner, said there’s usually problems two or three nights every week. He said he’s had to call police several times. Fredericton council votes to expropriate N.B. Ex grounds for school, housingFord said he’s spoken with Maddox and understands there are certain people that his shelter can’t help and turn away. Ford said he believes those are the people causing issues for his family. “If if no one is taking responsibility for, kind of, this in-between ground, which is mostly adjacent to the exhibition, it’s really unsafe,” he said, calling for the city and province to find a solution. One of the speakers in favour, Frank Paul, is a retired police officer from Sitansisk First Nation who spends time delivering meals and supplies to the homeless around Fredericton.“Nobody in this room understands cold until you’ve lost your fingers or your toes to the cold,” Paul said. “They’re somebody’s daughters, sons, fathers, brothers, sisters. I always say that I love them as people.”ABOUT THE AUTHORSam Farley is a Fredericton-based reporter at CBC New Brunswick. Originally from Boston, he is a journalism graduate of the University of King’s College in Halifax. He can be reached at sam.farley@cbc.ca
Fredericton extends temporary homeless shelter for another winter
