New anti-trespassing bill in N.B. considered a ‘necessary step’ by some

Downtown Moncton business owner Shawn Arseneault has had to deal with trespassers twice over the past month.

He owns a small engineering firm that he runs out of the first floor of his house in the east end.

In early October, he had a tense confrontation with two people one of his employees found sleeping on the porch.

On Tuesday, he said a woman allegedly tried to break into the property, leaving his employees to wait over an hour for bylaw enforcement officers to arrive.

“She got verbally aggressive and threatening toward our staff member,” he said in an interview on Friday.

He said she left before bylaw enforcement and the RCMP arrived.

“It was a scary incident to say the least,” he said.

Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce CEO John Wishart said Arseneault is not alone in dealing with trespassers.

“I talk to scores of business owners every week who tell me stories like Shawn Arseneault’s where he’s confronted by somebody on his premises multiple times,” Wishart said.

Public Safety Minister Kris Austin said he heard from many frustrated business owners that they need better resources to deal with trespassing.

“When you look at a lot of the urban areas, downtown areas, a lot of the property owners are frustrated. Businesses are frustrated,” Austin said, when speaking to reporters on Tuesday.

“Because police don’t have the clarity of legislation to issue citations, or to be able to do what needs to be done to get these people off the property.”

He introduced a bill to legislature that would give police and bylaw officers the power to arrest trespassers, by clarifying the existing legislation.

“We need to ensure that the law is clear so that the enforcement can be done when needed,” Austin said.

Arseneault thinks the legislation will be a small step in the right direction.

“I don’t see this accomplishing a whole lot, but I do think it’s a necessary step, still,” he said.

Wishart said while the legislation is a response to a real problem, he didn’t think it was an effective way to deal with the multifaceted issue.

“I think in a province with a billion dollar surplus, I think we can afford to spend more on affordable housing and mental health … that’s how we’re going to get beyond trespassing in business doorways,” Wishart said.

Arseneault echoed the call for more investment into resources like affordable housing and mental health supports.

Kevin Arseneau, the Green Party’s social justice critic,  expressed some concerns about the bill on Tuesday, saying law enforcement was not always the appropriate way to deal with a trespasser.

“What we need is multifaceted teams, which include social workers, which include psychologists and law enforcement,” he said.

Liberal public safety critic Jacques LeBlanc said his party needed more time to review the proposed legislation and consult with stakeholders before making any comment.