The opening of a new private addiction recovery centre near Saint John is on hold, highlighting what its owners describe as a regulatory gap in the province.
Hidden Secret Recovery Centre was granted a development permit by the Town of Hampton for its eight-bed centre on Darlings Island back in early January.
Adam Beman said he and his father, Michael, started the project about two years ago after seeing a gap in the addiction field in New Brunswick.
“I’m a recovering alcoholic and addict, and I went away to a private treatment centre in Nova Scotia. I was one of the fortunate ones who had the family support that was able to send me away,” Beman said in an interview.
“But what happened over the years is the street drug issue became such a big problem that it overwhelmed our public service … so we set out on a project to provide an addiction treatment facility for the working class, I guess, to take the burden off of the public sector so they can better focus on what they’re dealing with.”
Development permit revoked
Things appeared to be going well for the Bemans, who had purchased and furnished a home on Darlings Island Road and even hired staff in advance of their scheduled opening on July 15.
But after receiving appeals from six residents who live nearby, the Assessment and Planning Appeal Tribunal ruled in early June that the development permit be revoked on two grounds — one being that the town misapplied the permit.
“Basically, they deemed that the zoning that we were under, supportive housing, there was too much gray area in terms of, is it a licensed or approved government facility?” said Beman.
“The province has taken a stance to license the profession of the counsellor instead of licensing the facility, so the decision to grant us zoning was based on that. How much more approval can you get from the Department of Health?”
During the appeal process, the town presented an email from Janique Robichaud-Savoie with the Department of Health, who said they do not license private rehab facilities in New Brunswick.
“Our expectations are that these facilities provide health care by providers that are represented by a professional association, along with an application of their ethic framework,” Robichaud-Savoie wrote.

The tribunal also ruled that the recovery centre would cause “special and unreasonable hardship” to nearby properties if the project were to go ahead. Among the “special hardships” alleged were:
- “The facility is located just 10 steps from my front door, a place where my children play and where we have raised our family for the past 12 years, is nothing short of an imposition on our lives, our safety and our well-being.”
- “Children who are used to playing and running on our properties until now be exposed to people whose background and behaviour are unpredictable.”
- “This proposed development is an infringement on our privacy, a threat to our family’s safety and a devastating blow to the value of our home.”
- “The presence of such a facility is going to diminish property values as a recovery center is perceived as undesirable neighbours due to concerns about crime rates, loitering and other social issues that might arise.”
- “The proposed development may find that homeowners will find it difficult to sell their property at market value, leading to financial loses [sic] and decreased investments in the community.”
Beman noted the only proof of anything was a report from a United States publication, which concluded that residential substance abuse treatment centres “adversely impacts the price of neighboring [sic] homes.”
Next steps being considered
“Nobody took the time to investigate what happens in Nova Scotia, what happens in Quebec, what happens in Ontario. Now we’re sitting here with a fully functioning treatment center,” he said.
“On 13 acres of secluded property, you can’t even see a neighbour from where we’re at, and that is exactly what we were looking for when we were seeking out a property is to find somewhere that is secluded, serene.”
Beman said they are considering their next steps but feels “100 per cent confident” that a resolution will be found that will allow them to open their doors.
“This whole project from the very beginning has been nothing but hurdles, and we managed to navigate it every time, so we’re more determined than ever,” he said.
“We have a lot of community support. We have way more supporters than we do naysayers, so we always are appreciative of them.”