Crime on the rise within Maritime encampment sites [Video]

A pair of recent shootings near encampment sites in two Maritime cities is concerning those who work with the unhoused population that crime could be on the rise within these sites.

A man was taken to hospital with life-threating injuries following a Monday night shooting in Halifax. The incident happened near an encampment site.

This comes just days after a shooting took place at an encampment in Saint John, N.B., Saturday night. The suspect, 21-year old Rye Watt, was arrested by the Saint John Police Force Monday as a result of the incident.

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“It’s not something that we dealt with last year or even in the earlier part of this year,” says Nick Shepard, the outreach co-ordinator for Fresh Start Services in Saint John in response to the rise in violent crimes within encampments. “People are becoming more and more desperate.”

Shepard says the challenges around helping …