HEADING DOWN THE WRONG PATH

Welcome to tent city.

Over here you will see our transient and homeless population bathing
in the St. John River.

If you look behind those trees, you'll probably see things usually
done behind closed doors.

To the right are a couple of known drug dealers trying to make a sale or two.

And if you come back in a little while, you will probably see the
result of one of those sales - a discarded needle partially hidden by
garbage or brush.

Finally, to make your tour complete, return after dark to see a party
in full swing.

We can only hope it doesn't come to that - tourists taking a
leisurely stroll on our beautiful trail system and stumbling upon the
activities listed above.

But it is quite likely, because right now any one of us can wander
down along the riverbank behind the Delta Hotel and Government House
and see the same things.

Tent city has re-opened for another year.

Its inhabitants include couch surfers who live here year round and
are taking advantage of the good weather; shelter residents who've
grown tired of the no alcohol-no drugs rule; transients just passing
through; drug dealers; addicts and people with mental health issues.

While they're not a large group, together they make quite a mess - a
dangerous mix of bodily fluids, needles, garbage, cooking fires and
broken glass.

A committee of officials and property owners has been meeting to
figure out a solution, but there are issues they must keep in mind.

One must be careful of environmental rules that protect brush near
riverbanks, thereby providing cover for those up to no good.

There are several different property owners - at least two levels of
government, plus private and corporate owners - and because the
riverbank is sometimes under water, there is a question of who owns what.

Then there is the court case in Victoria, B.C. that makes eviction a
little trickier. In October, the British Columbia Supreme Court ruled
it was unconstitutional for the city to prohibit the homeless from
pitching tents in city parks to protect themselves from the weather
when the shelters were full.

No one in Fredericton who qualifies would be turned away from the
shelter, so this B.C. case shouldn't keep the police from being able
to evict, but it does give them reason to be legally cautious.

Police Chief Barry MacKnight has said the police presence in tent
city is "highly visible and very frequent," which we appreciate,
because it is the key to solving the problem.

According to Brian Duplessis, who runs the two homeless shelters,
dealing with the illegal activity - selling and doing drugs - is the
first step in reducing the population of tent city. We agree. If it
were too difficult or dangerous to sell and take drugs there, most of
the residents would move on.

We'll never get rid of the transient tenter just passing through, and
we could probably live with that. It is drug activity that draws
people there and brings out the worst in them.

It can't go on as is, because it is a safety hazard for walkers,
which includes young and old, residents and tourists.

And everyone should feel safe taking a walk in this city.