FAQs: Red Zones
- 200 metre buffer around schools, childcare centres, afterschool programs, special needs centres, Green Zones, and crisis care facilities
- 100 metre buffer around playgrounds and splash pads
- 30 metre buffer around sports fields, parks, highways, and railways
- 5 metre buffer around the Harbour Passage walkway
- A minimum of 3 meters between tents.
- No more than 5 tents can be in a cluster.
- A minimum of 50 meters between clusters.
- Sites must be kept clean and orderly.
- Structures that pose a fire hazard, such as temporary wooden structures are not permitted.
- Provide safe and clean housing alternatives
- Make it easier for outreach teams and service providers to connect people to supports
- Increase safety and security for residents
- Reduce litter, debris, and hazards caused by scattered encampments
- Free up community spaces for public use
- Stage One – Starting September 9, 2025– The City and its partners will start to spread awareness of Red Zones and Yellow Zones with the public, especially with individuals experiencing homelessness.
- Stage Two – September 23 to October 5, 2025 – A trained multidisciplinary team of outreach, health care, and city staff will start formally assisting individuals in higher risk Red Zone areas to relocate. After being notified, individuals would have approximately two additional weeks to find other living arrangements, which could include moving to a Yellow Zone, Emergency Shelter, or other transitional housing as available.
- Stage Three - October 6 to October 17, 2025 – Same as Stage Two, except the focus will now include all other areas of Red Zones.
Q: What is the goal of the Housing for All policy?
A: The City of Saint John is committed to working with partners to reduce the impacts of homelessness by using smart strategies and coordination that treat people with compassion and dignity. The Housing for All strategy creates safe, supported places that help people transition from encampments into housing.
Q: Is the Housing for All policy an attempt to hide encampments?
A: No. The City of Saint John recognizes that residents without housing deserve more attention from all levels of government, not less.
Q: Why are Red Zones needed?
A: Red Zones protect sensitive places in our city, such as schools, playgrounds, and crisis care facilities. These areas need to stay safe and accessible for everyone, especially children and vulnerable residents. Red Zones also help guide people to safer spaces like Green Zones where services and support are available.
Q: What is a Red Zone?
A: Red Zones are areas where tents, encampments, or temporary shelters will not be permitted. These include schools, daycares, early learning centres, licensed afterschool programs, special needs centres, crisis care facilities, emergency shelters, playgrounds, splash pads, sports fields, designated parks, provincially designated highways, railways, Harbour Passage, cemeteries, and Green Zones.
Q: What are the criteria for Red Zone areas?
A: Red Zones also include:
Q: What is a Yellow Zone?
A: Yellow Zones are areas of the city that are not Red or Green Zones. Individuals may set up tents on private properties in Yellow Zones with the consent of the property owner. The City has many vacant properties all throughout Yellow Zones that will be available for people to tent at if they have no other housing solution. Outreach teams will ensure that individuals experiencing homelessness are aware of the locations of Red and Yellow Zones.
Q: Why are Yellow Zones needed?
A: Yellow Zones are a temporary emergency response to the housing crisis. They are not a permanent solution. They will be phased out as more housing and institutional supports are provided by the Province.
Q: Are there rules or criteria for Yellow Zones?
A: Yes, there are minimum standards for Yellow Zones, including:
Q: If my property is considered a Yellow Zone, does this mean that people can tent in my yard?
A: No. Individuals experiencing homelessness can only tent on a private property in a Yellow Zone if they have the permission of the landowner.
Q: What is a Green Zone?
A: Green Zones are City approved temporary transitional housing sites. They are safer and more sanitary than unsanctioned encampments, and they connect people to services and supports. Green Zones are stepping stones to permanent housing.
Q: What are the benefits of Green Zones?
A: Green Zones:
Q: What has the City done so far?
A: The City has already opened Neighbourly Homes on Egbert Street, where people are living safely with on-site services. Work is underway on the Thorne Avenue Green Zone, which will add 27 units by December. Somerset Acres is another new and important transitional housing option already serving residents. The City is also doubling the number of outreach staff available so they can support individuals experiencing homelessness, help those tenting Yellow Zones, and support with relocation from Red Zones.
Q: How does this respect people’s human rights?
A: Canadian courts have ruled that people cannot be removed from tents or encampments unless safe alternatives are available. By creating Green and Yellow Zones and working with the Province to increase emergency shelter beds, Saint John is offering real alternatives while protecting community spaces.
Q: How will people be treated when asked to leave a Red Zone?
A: People will always be treated with compassion, dignity, and respect. Outreach teams will work with individuals to create a plan, help them move, connect them with services, and assist them with relocating if requested. The vast majority of people relocate voluntarily with support.
Q: What happens if someone refuses to move from a Red Zone?
A: Outreach staff will visit and offer help first. If after the three-stage process the person has not moved, a multidisciplinary team, that may include bylaw officers or the police, may become involved. If the location is a higher risk – such as a school yard – relocation will take place much faster. The process always starts with compassion, support, and voluntary relocation.
Q: When is the City going to implement the Red Zones:
A: In three Stages:
The City’s goal is that no tents, encampments, or temporary shelters will remain in Red Zones after October 31, 2025. Relocations after that date will happen as needed.
Q: What happens if Green Zones are full?
A: If Green Zones are full, individuals will be directed to an available emergency shelter bed or other transitional housing as they are available. Yellow Zones provide an additional option until more housing options become available.
Q: Who is responsible for homelessness services?
A: The Province of New Brunswick funds and delivers most homelessness services, including housing subsidies, mental health care, and addiction treatment.
Q: Why is the City involved?
A: Homelessness affects everyone in Saint John. The City is working to make sure our community is safe, respectful, and aligned with court rulings on housing rights. Saint John is not trying to handle homelessness alone. The City is pressing for broader action from the Province, including more mental health and addiction services, stronger care institutions, and more public safety resources.
Q: How is this being funded?
A: The City has received funding from the Province of New Brunswick and the Government of Canada to support the Housing for All strategy. This funding helps pay for outreach teams, green zones, and other supports.
Q: Why doesn’t the City just enforce its bylaws?
A: Across Canada, municipalities have learned that giving tickets to people without housing does not solve homelessness. The focus is on providing safe alternatives, not punishment – housing, not handcuffs. The City will be monitoring Red Zones to ensure there are no tents there and Yellow Zones to ensure sites meet the minimum standards.
Q: How are encampments managed in other places?
A: All municipalities approach their response to homelessness in a variety of ways. Cities can manage encampments by setting rules for where they can be located, limiting their size or duration, and providing supports based on their situation and what works best for their community. As a pilot, the City is working with the Province and community agencies to identify areas where the unhoused can erect tents within the city limits.
Q: Who funds the Outreach Support Teams?
A: Outreach teams are funded through agreements with the Province of New Brunswick’s Department of Social Development.
Q: Will this make homelessness disappear?
A: Not overnight. Housing for All is about making homelessness rare, brief, and not repeated. This means more housing, more services, and stronger partnerships with all levels of government and front-line agencies.
Q: How can residents and businesses help?
A: Support local agencies that provide housing, food, and outreach. You can volunteer, donate, or show kindness to those in need. The City also invites residents to share feedback through Shape Your City Saint John.