Saint John homeless advocates mourn death of man who had been living in an encampment

SAINT JOHN, NEW BRUNSWICK — A 58-year-old man living in a homeless encampment in Saint John, N.B., has died, leaving his community and volunteers who knew him with “a lot of sadness,” says the head of a group that helps unhoused people.

Johanne McCullough, director of Street Team Saint John, said people are mourning the death of John Surette, who was known for friendliness and for taking care of people around him.

The Saint John Police Force said Surette’s body was found in a tent near Paradise Row in the north end of the city on Saturday morning. Investigators say the circumstances of his death are not considered criminal in nature and an autopsy has been scheduled.

“We’ve been working with him for the past couple of years, and we know him well,” McCullough said. “In talking to my team about this person, the overwhelming thing that came up is how kind he was, how helpful he was; always wanting to help other members of his community and his encampment area.”

Surrette was found not far from where three people died last winter in two separate tent fires.

McCullough said she and other housing advocates are dreading the winter, which will again put unhoused people at risk of cold-related ailments like frostbite and hypothermia, as well as potential fires caused by heaters inside tents.

The Saint John Street Team provides meals and basic necessities to unhoused people in the area, and as the number of homeless people continues to grow, the group is “chronically” running out of food to give to encampment residents, McCullough said. Six nights a week, the group provides between 40 to 60 meals to people sleeping rough.

McCullough recalled a number of occasions when Surrette would give up his meal to someone else on nights when there wasn’t enough food to go around.

“These community bonds can be quite tight. People come to rely one another … There’s a lot of sadness right now.”

New Brunswick-based advocacy group Human Development Council says that as of July, there were 192 people in the Saint John area experiencing chronic homelessness.

Encampment residents are already starting to feel the chill at night, McCullough said, adding that the province must work swiftly to get people into homes before winter arrives.

New Brunswick’s Department of Justice and Public Safety did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.

— By Lyndsay Armstrong in Halifax.

The Canadian Press