Shediac, New Brunswick

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Town of Shediac
Shediac Town Hall / Hôtel de Ville
Shediac Town Hall / Hôtel de Ville
Nickname: Lobster Capital of the World / Capitale Mondiale du Homand
Motto: In unum ad summum (Together Toward the Heights)
Town of Shediac (New Brunswick)
Town of Shediac
Town of Shediac
Coordinates: 46°13′10″N 64°32′39″W / 46.2195, -64.54403
Country Canada
Province New Brunswick
County Westmorland County
Parish Shédiac
Founded 18th Century
Incorporated 1903
Government
 - Type Town Council
 - Mayor Raymond Cormier
 - Governing Body Shediac Town Council
Area
 - Total 11.97 km² (4.6 sq mi)
 - Parish 238.47 km² (92.1 sq mi)
Elevation Sea Level to 33 m (0 to 108.3 ft)
Population (2006)
From StatsCan
 - Total 5,497
 - Density 459.1/km² (1,189.1/sq mi)
 - Parish 4,801
 - Parish Density 20.1/km² (52.1/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 (2006 population: 5,497) is a Canadian town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.

Situated on Shediac Bay, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait, the town calls itself the "Lobster Capital of the World" and hosts an annual festival every July which promotes its ties to lobster fishing; the largest lobster sculpture in the world is situated at the western entrance to the town.

Lobster stocks in the Northumberland Strait have been dwindling in recent years and local restaurants are forced to import lobsters from more plentiful fishing grounds in Nova Scotia during the summer months, however they still serve the shellfish, mainly to tourists.

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" eventually transformed into Gédaique. 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. This is a source of controversy among some residents.

The town is located immediately west of Parlee Beach Provincial Park, known for its sand bars and warm water and a scenic wharf in the nearby community of Pointe-du-Chene.

Notable residents of the town include physician and historian John Clarence Webster, politician Elsie Wayne, Senator Muriel McQueen Fergusson and writer Don Hannah.

[edit] Further reading

  • J. E. Belliveau, Running Far In, a local history.

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 46°13′N 64°32′W / 46.217, -64.533 (Shediac)