Humanity Project feels unfairly targeted by fire officials' demands

A Moncton homeless advocate feels the city's fire marshal is unfairly targeting his organization with unnecessary bureaucratic demands and diverting his attention from keeping people off the streets and feeding them.

The Humanity Project, a group that helps feed, clothe and shelter people in need, runs its programming out of space leased inside the former Moncton Curling Association building on LutzStreet.

The group has been operating in the building since the end of December.

Charles Burrell, who runs the Humanity Project, took to social media recently to complain that fire inspectors had been in the building 15 times in the last few months.

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In those 15 visits, Burrell said they kept demanding new changes and improvements.

He said he understands there are safety concerns in the aging building, but said the red tape is interfering with his focus feeding people and keeping them off the streets.

"I feel like, yeah they're necessary things but they were necessary10 years ago." Burrell said.

"Some of it's quite expensive like a new staircase, that's like $10,000 when we're trying to feed 150 people a night."

Charles LeBlanc, a division chief with the Moncton Fire Department's fire prevention unit, said the building has been subject to several inspections in recent months.

"I'm not sure about 15 times, but we have been on site numerous times to ensure that what we were doing was proper." LeBlanc said.

"On one of our last inspections we actually indeed brought the chief provincial inspector with us."

LeBlanc said the inspector agreed with the orders being made by the local firefighters.

Added burden on group

But Burrell said it's an added burden for the organization, which doesn't take government funding to help provide its services.

"Just trying to provide to people, while you're constantly running around trying to fix things that should have been fixed and are long overdue but some of the things were just ridiculous and then the list shrunk from 18 things to 10. And these are the 10 things we have to do."

That list of required changes includes fixing sprinkler system deficiencies, replacing the exterior exit stairway and clearing basement and ground floor levels of all debris and storage.

Burrell said he's talking to local companies to help with some of the fixes.

Chris McSheffrey, the owner of McSheffrey Industries, an industrial and commercial machinery company, said he's willing to help with the exterior stairway, because it's a "worthwhile cause."

The division fire chief said Burrell's organization's goal is commendable but he isn't willing to look past important safety issues.

"Every time we go to bed at night, myself or my inspectors, we have to ensure and feel comfortable that the 100-plus people that go through that property everyday are safe." he said.

The Humanity Project's Burrell said the group will fundraise to try to correct some of the problems detailed by the inspectors.

"The solution is just to get through it, overcome it and keep going and that's what we plan on doing." said Burrell.

"The alternative of us stopping or giving up is people are going to be sleeping on the street and going without food and clothing and shelter and that's not something that any of us are willing to accept."