Shediac

Shediac
Shediac
	Town
	Entrance to the town
; Seal	; Coat of arms
	Nickname(s): Lobster Capital of the World
	Motto: "In Unum Ad Summum" (Latin); "Together Toward The Heights
	Shediac
	Coordinates: 46°13′10″N 64°32′39″W / 46.2195°N 64.54403°W
Country	Canada
Province	New Brunswick
County	Westmorland County
Parish	Shédiac Parish
Founded	18th century
Incorporated	1903
Government
• Type	Town Council
• Mayor	Jacques LeBlanc
• Governing Body	Shediac Town Council
Area
• Total	11.97 km2 (4.62 sq mi)
• Parish	238.47 km2 (92.07 sq mi)
Elevation	Sea Level to 33 m (0 to 108.3 ft)
Population (2011); From Statistics Canada
• Total	6,053
• Density	484.4/km2 (1,255/sq mi)
Time zone	Atlantic (AST) (UTC-4)
• Summer (DST)	ADT (UTC-3)
Canadian Postal code	E4P
Area code(s)	506
Telephone Exchange	312 351 530 531 532 533
NTS Map	021I02
GNBC Code	DACUC
Website	http://www.shediac.org

Shediac (2011 population: 6,053) is a Canadian town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick. The town is known as the "Lobster Capital of the World" and hosts an annual festival every July which promotes its ties to lobster fishing. At the western entrance to the town is a 90-tonne sculpture called (perhaps inaccurately) The World's Largest Lobster.^[1]

Geography[edit]

Shediac is situated primarily on Route 133 around Shediac Bay, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait.

Lobster sculpture

The town is located southwest and adjacent to the community of Pointe-du-Chêne which features Parlee Beach Provincial Park as well as the Pointe-du-Chêne wharf which was once the eastern terminus of the European and North American Railway as well as a stopover after 1939 for Pan-Am's trans-Atlantic "clipper" air service that featured large seaplanes. Imperial Airways flying boat service to Foynes, Ireland also used the facilities.

History[edit]

Hundreds of years ago, the Mi'kmaq encampment of "Es-ed-ei-ik" was one of the major camps in southeast New Brunswick. The Mi'kmaq word "Es-ed-ei-ik" which means "running far in" (in reference to the tide, which has a long range over the shallow, sandy beaches) eventually transformed into Gédaique.

Acadians first arrived at Shediac in 1749 as a result of the Acadian Exodus from peninsular Nova Scotia. ^[2] During the French and Indian War, French officer Charles Deschamps de Boishebert made his headquarters at both Shediac and Cocagne, New Brunswick. In the autumn of 1755, Boishebert established himself on the south shore of Cocagne Bay, a place known as Boishebert's Camp. The following year, Boishebert moved to Miramichi, New Brunswick, specifically to Beaubears Island.^[3] After the war, Acadians returned to the region in 1767.

Today many Francophone residents use the spelling Shédiac; however, the town's name upon its incorporation did not feature an accented "e", and correspondingly the official geographic name for the community is Shediac.

Shediac Bay Yacht Club[edit]

Shediac Bay Yacht Club is on the Register of 'Canada's Historic Places' for being the location of a local wharf for nearly a century. The previous Shediac Bay Yacht Club House was designed by Roméo Savoie. ^[4]

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1901	1,075	—
1911	1,442	+34.1%
1921	1,973	+36.8%
1931	1,883	−4.6%
1941	2,147	+14.0%
1951	2,010	−6.4%
1961	2,159	+7.4%
1981	4,289	+98.7%
1986	4,370	+1.9%
1991	4,343	−0.6%
1996	4,664	+7.4%
2001	4,892	+4.9%
2006	5,497	+12.4%
2011	6,053	+10.1%

Religious make-up (2001)

Religion	Population	Pct (%)
Catholic	4,070	88.29%
Protestant	320	6.94%
Christian N.I.E.	15	0.32%
Buddhist	10	0.22%
Eastern religions	10	0.22%
No religious affiliation	195	4.23%

Income (2006)

Income type	By CAD
Per capita income	$22,563
Median Household Income	$46,413
Median Family Income	$56,142

Mother tongue language (2006)

Language	Population	Pct (%)
French	3,780	73.18%
English	1,230	23.81%
English and French	75	1.45%
Other languages	75	1.45%

Notable people[edit]

Georges-Antoine Belcourt (1803–1874), missionary
Edna May Williston Best (1880–1923), feminist
Emile Duprée (1936 - ), former professional wrestler and promoter
René Duprée (1983 - ), current professional wrestler, former WWE wrestler, son of Émile Duprée
Gord Gallant (1950 - ), professional hockey player
Placide Gaudet (1850–1930), journalist, historian
Daniel Lionel Hanington (1835–1909), former Premier of New Brunswick
Samuel Lee (1756–1805), judge, politician
Pascal Poirier (1852–1933), writer, lawyer, senator
Jean George Robichaud (1883–1969), politician
Ferdinand Joseph Robidoux (1875–1962), lawyer, politician
Albert James Smith (1822–1883), former Premier of New Brunswick
Elsie Wayne (1932 - ), politician
John Clarence Webster (1862–1950), physician
Rosa Laricchiuta (1974 - ), professional singer