Belongings along the riverfront trail in Moncton (91.9 The Bend photo)
The emergency out-of-the-cold shelter at the former Assomption Boulevard fire hall closed for the winter on April 1.
Moncton deputy mayor Charles Leger told city council he has heard some homeless individuals are now setting up sites near the riverfront.
To help improve their safety, Leger believes a secure storage space is needed for those who may have all of their belongings in a shopping cart.
“It’s not necessarily just about the shopping carts. It’s about how people, first of all, are treated if indeed they are next to a shopping cart. And so there’s the first thing about giving dignity to the individuals who are homeless.”
Leger noted the downtown business community is already concerned about this season.
“We receive calls at all times of day and evening and weekends and so on. And I feel for the business owners that are starting to feel like they’re going to go through a worse summer than they went through last summer.”
In his regular update to council on Monday night, Codiac RCMP Superintendent Ron DeSilva said they are now trying to raise awareness with the homeless about a storage space.
He added police and city officials have been working together on a plan which will be put in place once a location for the site is selected.
