Moncton at a Crossroads: Growth, Housing and a More Inclusive Future

Moncton’s growth should make the city more affordable, connected and inclusive.

Moncton is growing, and that growth is forcing an important question: what kind of city do we want to become?

Growth by itself is neither a success nor a failure. New buildings, new residents and record investment can all be good news, but they are not the whole story. The real measure is whether the homes, neighbourhoods, transportation systems and public spaces we build make everyday life better for the people who already live here and for those who will call Moncton home in the years ahead.

That means being willing to ask harder questions. Are we building enough homes that ordinary people can actually afford? Are new neighbourhoods designed around people as well as cars? Are people with disabilities considered from the beginning rather than after the concrete is poured? And as Moncton becomes wealthier and larger, are we reducing homelessness and poverty — or simply allowing prosperity and hardship to grow side by side?

Housing is about more than the number of units

One current example is the proposal at 141 Lewisville Road. Harlow Properties is proposing a five-storey mixed-use building with commercial space on the ground floor and 32 residential units. The application requires amendments to Moncton’s Municipal Plan and zoning by-law. The City held the public presentation on September 8, and a public hearing is scheduled for October 19, 2026 at 4 p.m.

Projects like this deserve more than a simple yes-or-no debate about development. Moncton unquestionably needs housing, and adding homes in established parts of the city can be preferable to endless outward expansion. But we should still ask whether new housing is being placed where residents can reasonably reach jobs, shops, schools and services; whether streets are safe and comfortable for people walking, cycling or using mobility devices; and whether the mix of housing being built reflects the needs of a changing population.

Moncton’s own Green Development Guidelines make the connection clear. The City says that development within roughly 400 to 600 metres of a main bus line can make it easier for residents and customers to get around without driving, while concentrating density and services along transit corridors can support better transit service over time. The same guidelines encourage complementary mixed uses and stronger connections to active transportation.

That is the kind of planning we should be encouraging: more homes, yes, but homes that are part of complete communities rather than islands surrounded by parking lots and traffic.

More homes should be part of complete communities connected to transit and daily needs.

Affordability has to be part of the growth conversation

There is another uncomfortable reality. Building more housing matters, but total unit counts do not automatically solve affordability or homelessness.

The City of Moncton’s own social-issues information says rents across New Brunswick rose 34.7 percent between 2020 and 2024. It reports that Moncton’s vacancy rate, after sitting around 1.5 percent for several years, rose to 3.9 percent as of October 2025. Yet only 0.3 percent of Moncton rental units were in the $750-to-$999 range cited by the City. In other words, greater availability does not necessarily mean genuinely affordable availability.

The City’s most recent published point-in-time count, conducted November 20, 2024, identified 507 people experiencing homelessness in Moncton, including people in transitional housing or couch surfing. The City reports that 72 percent had experienced homelessness for at least half of the previous year. Those numbers should make it impossible to treat homelessness merely as a nuisance-management problem.

We need clean and safe public spaces. Residents and businesses are entitled to expect that. But lasting public safety comes from solving problems, not just moving them. Housing, mental-health services, addiction treatment, income security, supportive housing and pathways into stable employment all have to be part of the response. A city that grows richer while hundreds of people remain without secure housing has unfinished work to do.

Lasting responses to homelessness begin with housing stability, dignity and practical support.

Growth has to include transportation

Housing policy cannot be separated from transportation policy. A home may technically be affordable, but its real cost rises quickly if every adult in the household needs a vehicle to reach work, groceries, appointments or school.

That is why transit, sidewalks, cycling connections and accessible street design should be considered basic growth infrastructure rather than extras added after development occurs. The City’s own planning guidance identifies proximity to transit, pedestrian access and mixed-use development as important ingredients in reducing future transportation demand.

There is also a social dimension. The Codiac Region’s Youth and Family Connectivity Program was created after consultations identified inadequate transit access as a significant barrier to well-being. Its stated objective was to improve access to essential services, education, employment and recreation for youth and families. That is a useful reminder that transportation policy is also inclusion policy.

A reliable bus route can be an economic-development tool, an anti-poverty measure and an accessibility service all at once. For somebody who cannot drive because of disability, age, income or circumstance, transit is not a lifestyle preference. It is access to the city itself.

Accessible public transit connects residents to work, services, education and community life.

An inclusive city has to be designed intentionally

Moncton has adopted a Social Inclusion Plan and established a Social Inclusion Committee to advise Council. On September 29, 2026, the City is holding its Social Inclusion Summit at the Delta Beauséjour, bringing residents and organizations together around issues including affordable housing, accessibility, mental health, Indigenous partnership and reconciliation, newcomer experiences, food security, LGBTQ+ inclusion, anti-racism and civic participation.

Those conversations matter because inclusion is not achieved through a single program or a statement on a website. It shows up in whether a person using a wheelchair can navigate a neighbourhood independently, whether a senior can reach services without driving, whether a young family can find an attainable home, whether newcomers can participate fully in community life, and whether residents believe their voices are heard before important decisions are finalized.

Accessibility in particular has to move from being treated as a special accommodation to being treated as normal city-building. Sidewalk design, curb cuts, audible crossings, accessible transit stops, snow clearing, public buildings, parks and housing all determine who can participate independently and who is forced to rely on somebody else.

The public still has a role to play

Municipal politics can sometimes feel distant until a development appears next door or road construction changes a daily commute. But many of the decisions that most directly shape our lives are made locally: zoning, streets, parks, transit, recreation, public safety and neighbourhood development.

Moncton’s public-hearing process allows residents to submit written comments and speak before Council on qualifying planning applications. For the Lewisville Road proposal, the public hearing is October 19, and the deadline for written comments is October 15 at 1 p.m. The City also has an October 19 hearing scheduled for amendments involving the Vision Lands Secondary Plan, while an October 5 hearing will consider allowing manufactured dwellings as a permitted main use in Rural Estates areas annexed during the 2023 local-governance reform.

You do not have to oppose development to participate in a public hearing, and you do not have to support every project to believe Moncton needs more housing. Good civic participation is often about asking better questions, listening to competing needs and insisting that long-term consequences receive the same attention as immediate pressures.

A stronger Moncton is something we build together

Moncton has an opportunity that many communities would welcome. People want to live here, businesses continue to invest here, and new housing is being built. The City reported a record $477.9 million in building permits in 2025, including 1,367 new residential units — the highest number of residential units recorded in a single year.

That is real progress. But rapid growth also exposes weaknesses faster. Housing shortages become more visible. Congestion increases. Infrastructure is stretched. People who already face barriers can be left further behind.

The answer is not to stop growing. It is to become more deliberate about how we grow.

That means more housing, but also genuinely affordable and supportive housing. It means stronger transit and active transportation alongside roads. It means accessibility from the beginning rather than as a retrofit. It means treating homelessness as a housing and human problem, not simply a visibility problem. And it means treating public participation as part of good government rather than an obstacle to getting things done.

The decisions being made today will outlast the current council and probably many of us who participate in today’s debates. Buildings, streets and neighbourhoods can remain for generations. We should approach them with that same sense of responsibility.

Get involved

Follow Moncton City Council meetings and published decisions.
Review current planning applications and public-hearing deadlines.
Attend or submit comments when an issue affects your neighbourhood or the city’s future.
Take part in the September 29 Social Inclusion Summit if these issues matter to you.

Sources and further reading

CarlBainbridge.ca is about people, community and opportunity. The goal is not simply to tell you what happened at City Hall, but to make it easier to understand why local decisions matter and how residents can take part.

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