N.B. public advocate pitches non-profit co-ordination unit to fix social services
FREDERICTON - The public advocate of New Brunswick has proposed the establishment of a new non-profit unit to improve the coordination of the province's social services. Kelly Lamrock argues that the current system places too much emphasis on following manuals and checklists, rather than focusing on the actual improvement of vulnerable people's lives.
The proposed Non-Profit Opportunities Unit would measure success by tracking human quality-of-life outcomes, such as individuals receiving housing. Lamrock suggests that this unit would streamline grant applications for community organizations, working to connect the bureaucratic dots between government and non-government organizations.
In a report released on October 5, 2026, Lamrock criticized the Department of Social Development for being overly rule-bound in its approach to social services. He points to the deaths of a 16-year-old boy and an elderly woman as examples of systemic failures by the province's social services. Lamrock argues that investing more in preventative measures, such as programs for at-risk teenagers, can lead to long-term cost savings by reducing the number of youth entering the justice system.
Lamrock envisions a shift from crisis management to prevention, from bureaucracy to partnership, and from charity to essential services through the proposed Non-Profit Opportunities Unit.
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