Haut-Madawaska
Town
Haut-Madawaska is located in New Brunswick
Haut-Madawaska
Haut-Madawaska
Location within New Brunswick.
Coordinates: 47°18′29″N 68°29′49″W / 47.308°N 68.497°W / 47.308; -68.497
CountryCanada
ProvinceNew Brunswick
CountyMadawaska
Rural communityJuly 1, 2017[1]
TownJanuary 1, 2023
Area
[2]
 • Land611.55 km2 (236.12 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
3,720
 • Density6.1/km2 (16/sq mi)
 • Change (2016–21)
Increase 0.2%
Time zoneUTC-4 (AST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-3 (ADT)
WebsiteOfficial website

Haut-Madawaska is a town in the New Brunswick Panhandle, Canada, formed by amalgamating the previous incorporated rural community of the same name with the village of Lac Baker.[3] The town includes the former incorporated villages of Lac Baker, Baker-Brook, Clair, Saint-François de Madawaska and Saint-Hilaire.

Revised census figures for the new town have not been released; 2021 figures are for the rural community.

History

Boundaries of Haut-Madawaska as of January 1, 2023.
Boundaries of Haut-Madawaska as of January 1, 2023.

In a 2016 plebiscite, the residents of five local service districts (the parishes of Baker Brook, Clair, Lac Baker, Saint-François, and Saint-Hilaire), part of a sixth local service district (the parish of Madawaska) and four villages (Baker Brook, Clair, Saint-François de Madawaska and Saint-Hilaire) voted 493 to 299 in favour of incorporating a new rural community under the name of Haut-Madawaska.[4] The incorporation took effect July 1, 2017.[1] The plebiscite was the second in as many years. In 2015, a similar plebiscite was held that also included a fifth village, Lac Baker. The residents of all communities involved voted in favour of incorporation as a rural community with the exception of Lac Baker's residents, thereby defeating the proposal.[5] As a result of the 2023 New Brunswick local governance reform, Lac Baker was amalgamated with the rest of Haut-Madawaska in 2023.[6]

Economy

The region's economy is focused on two industry sectors with some of the main players outlined below:

1) Food industry (Saint-François-de-Madawaska is known as the province's Chicken Capital)

  • Groupe Westco (an integrated poultry
  • Nadeau Poultry (a poultry processing plant, part of the Maple Lodge Farms company)
  • Sunnymel (a poultry processing plant, partnership between Groupe Westco and Olymel)
  • Les Industries Corriveau (a processing plant for buckwheat flour)

2) Wood products (part of the Northern New Brunswick wood products cluster)

  • JD Irving Hardwoods (a hardwood grading and kiln drying facility, part of the JD Irving Group)
  • Waska (a manufacturer of cedar shingles)
  • JMN Enterprises (a manufacturer of kitchen accessories, BBQ accessories, and hardwood components)
  • Fiready (a manufacturer of kiln dried firewood)
  • Canusa Cedar (a manufacturer of cedar shingles)

The region is known for its hardworking labor and close to full employment with recurring periods of zero or negative unemployment.[7]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Haut-Madawaska had a population of 3,720 living in 1,658 of its 1,781 total private dwellings, a change of 0.2% from its 2016 population of 3,714. With a land area of 611.55 km2 (236.12 sq mi), it had a population density of 6.1/km2 (15.8/sq mi) in 2021.[2]

Haut-Madawaska population breakdown[8]
Former municipality or
local service district		 Former
status		 Population
(2016)
Baker BrookParish275
Baker BrookVillage564
ClairParish283
ClairVillage781
Lac BakerParish5
Saint-FrançoisParish606
Saint-François de MadawaskaVillage470
Saint-HilaireParish478
Saint-HilaireVillage252
Total population — 3,714

Government

The current mayor is Jean-Pierre Ouellet (a former minister in the provincial government).

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "New Brunswick Regulation 2017-3 under the Municipalities Act". Government of New Brunswick. March 20, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "Census Profile of Haut-Madawaska, Rural community". Statistics Canada. December 6, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Local Governments Establishment Regulation – Local Governance Act". Government of New Brunswick. October 12, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Miramichi picks Adam Lordon as new mayor". CBC. November 14, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  5. ↑ "No amalgamation for Sussex area, Haut-Madawaska". CBC. November 9, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  6. ↑ Government of New Brunswick, Canada (January 31, 2022). "Maps | RSC 1". www2.gnb.ca. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Le Haut-Madawaska en recherche de main-d'œuvre".
  8. ↑ "Interim List of Changes to Municipal Boundaries, Status, and Names Up to January 1st, 2018" (PDF). Statistics Canada. November 14, 2018. pp. 23–24. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
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