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.[citation needed]
Haut-Madawaska | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Haut-Madawaska Location within New Brunswick. | |
| Coordinates: 47°18′29″N 68°29′49″W / 47.308°N 68.497°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | New Brunswick |
| County | Madawaska |
| Rural community | July 1, 2017[1] |
| Town | January 1, 2023 |
| Area | |
| • Land | 611.55 km2 (236.12 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | 3,720 |
| • Density | 6.1/km2 (16/sq mi) |
| • Change (2016–21) |  0.2% |
| Time zone | UTC-4 (AST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-3 (ADT) |
| Website | haut-madawaska |
Revised census figures for the new town have not been released; 2021 figures are for the rural community.
History
edit
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
editThe 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
editIn 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 Brook | Parish | 275 |
| Baker Brook | Village | 564 |
| Clair | Parish | 283 |
| Clair | Village | 781 |
| Lac Baker | Parish | 5 |
| Saint-François | Parish | 606 |
| Saint-François de Madawaska | Village | 470 |
| Saint-Hilaire | Parish | 478 |
| Saint-Hilaire | Village | 252 |
| Total population | — | 3,714 |
Government
editThe current mayor is Jean-Pierre Ouellet (a former minister in the provincial government).[citation needed]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "New Brunswick Regulation 2017-3 under the Municipalities Act". Government of New Brunswick. March 20, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Census Profile of Haut-Madawaska, Rural community". Statistics Canada. December 6, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ "Local Governments Establishment Regulation – Local Governance Act". Government of New Brunswick. October 12, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ "Miramichi picks Adam Lordon as new mayor". CBC. November 14, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
- ^ "No amalgamation for Sussex area, Haut-Madawaska". CBC. November 9, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
- ^ Government of New Brunswick, Canada (January 31, 2022). "Maps | RSC 1". www2.gnb.ca. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
- ^ "Le Haut-Madawaska en recherche de main-d'œuvre".
- ^ "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.