N.B. news: Premier draws criticism for homelessness comments [Video]

The site formerly home to a tent encampment on Waterloo Street in Saint John, N.B., is no more.

The small parking lot which once housed around a dozen tents has been cleared away to make room for the shipping container shelters where 14 people now reside. The site is overseen by Fresh Start, a non-profit organization who works with the city’s homeless community.

It has been a difficult week for the homeless population in Saint John after a tent fire on Monday that claimed the lives of two unidentified individuals. Police say it could be weeks before their identities will be released due to the ongoing investigation.

During question period on Tuesday, Premier Blaine Higgs suggested a new law that he first brought up in his throne speech from this past fall called the Compassionate Intervention Act. The legislation would, in extreme cases, empower judges and hearing officers to order treatment for severe substance users with a compassionate approach.

“Some …