Fredericton approves smaller shelter and council pay raise

Fredericton city council on Monday night approved a smaller overnight homeless shelter than the one used the past two winters, a 15-unit tiny-home addition for homeless residents and pay raises for the mayor and councillors.

Mayor Steve Hicks said the 25 spaces the city has lined up to get people out of the cold are a start but are not enough. “We always need more,” he told reporters after the meeting, as reported by CBC News.

Council also approved a courtyard complex of 15 tiny homes, initially, on the 12 Neighbours property on the city’s north side. The homes will serve as assisted-living sleeping units for people who would otherwise be outside. Marcel LeBrun, the founder of 12 Neighbours, told council the non-profit currently operates 96 tiny-home units in Fredericton. He said the courtyard housing is a bridge between emergency shelters and permanent supportive housing, because residents have their own lockable space and can stay all day.

The pay raise passed narrowly. An independent committee of citizens, which reviews council compensation every four years, recommended increasing the mayor’s salary by $22,973 to $104,630. It also recommended raising the deputy mayor’s pay by $11,310 to $52,310 and setting councillor pay at $40,870. The Telegraph-Journal reported the recommendations were based on a third-party comparison with similar-sized Canadian cities, which found Fredericton’s council underpaid.

Several councillors elected this spring opposed the increase. Coun. Colin Ebbett said it puts council in an awkward position to vote on compensation it will receive in the same term, and he would like the process done before each election. Coun. Kate Hunter said she could not say after four months that she deserved a raise. Coun. Greg Ericson said the previous council meant to settle the question under an independent process but ran out of time, and that waiting longer only widens the gap. Deputy Mayor Ruth Breen and councillors Jason LeJeune, Jocelyn Pike, Josh Hambrook, Blair Sullivan and Janet Moser spoke in favour.

Hicks said after the meeting that he wants the process changed to remove the awkwardness, adding that the timing is never right.

With temperatures dropping across the Maritimes, see our guide to wind chill and how fast frostbite sets in.

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Sources: CBC News New Brunswick, Oct. 28, 2026; Telegraph-Journal, Oct. 28, 2026.