Shediac (official in both languages; ''Shédiac'' is colloquial French) is a heavily

Acadian The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the de ...

town in Westmorland County,

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

. The town is home to the famous

Parlee Beach Parlee Beach Provincial Park is a provincial park located in Pointe-du-Chêne, New Brunswick, Canada. Geography Parlee Beach Provincial Park is located in eastern Westmorland County fronting the Northumberland Strait on the northeast side of P ...

and is known as the "Lobster Capital of the World". It hosts an annual festival every July which promotes its ties to

lobster Lobsters are a family (biology), family (Nephropidae, Synonym (taxonomy), synonym Homaridae) of marine crustaceans. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Three of their five pairs of legs ...

fishing. At the western entrance to the town is a 90-ton sculpture called ''

The World's Largest Lobster ''The World's Largest Lobster'' (french: Le plus grand homard du monde) is a concrete and reinforced steel statue in Shediac, New Brunswick, Canada sculpted by Canadian artist Winston Bronnum. The statue is 11 metres long and 5 metres tall, weigh ...

''. It is believed that chiac, a well-known

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

accent, was named after Shediac.

Etymology

Shediac was originally called La Batture. Its name was later changed to Shediac in reference to its position at the basin of the Shediac River. The name "Shediac" itself is derived from the Micmac word ''Esedeiik'', which means "which comes from far away", possibly in reference to the Shediac Bay or the current of the

Petitcodiac river The Petitcodiac River is a river in south-eastern New Brunswick, Canada. Referred to as the "chocolate river" by local tourist businesses, it is characterized by its brown mud floor and brown waters. The river has a meander length of and is lo ...

Geography

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

Northumberland Strait The Northumberland Strait (French: ''détroit de Northumberland'') is a strait in the southern part of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in eastern Canada. The strait is formed by Prince Edward Island and the gulf's eastern, southern, and western sho ...

. Its topography is relatively flat and its soil is mostly composed of sedimentary rocks dating from the Pennsylvanian. Shediac enjoys a

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing som ...

. The town is located southwest and adjacent to the community of Pointe-du-Chêne, once the eastern terminus of the European and North American Railway as well as a stopover for Pan-Am's transatlantic "clipper" air service featuring large seaplanes. Imperial Airways' flying boat service to Foynes in Ireland also used the facilities.

History

Hundreds of years ago, the

Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the northe ...

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 The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the des ...

first arrived at Shediac in 1751 as a result of the

Acadian Exodus The Acadian Exodus (also known as the Acadian migration) happened during Father Le Loutre's War (1749–1755) and involved almost half of the total Acadian population of Nova Scotia deciding to relocate to French controlled territories. The thr ...

from peninsular

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

. During the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

, 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. After the war, Acadians returned to the region in 1767. World's Largest Lobster (statue)

Today many francophones 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

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 Roméo Savoie (March 9, 1928 – October 14, 2023) was a Canadian postwar and contemporary artist. One of the first abstract painters in Eastern Canada, the artist's body of work includes more than 4,000 paintings, 50 buildings, six poetry antho ...

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

, Shediac had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. Income (2015) Mother tongue (2016)

Notable people

Georges-Antoine Belcourt Georges-Antoine Belcourt (April 22, 1803 – May 31, 1874), also George Antoine Bellecourt, was a French Canadian Roman Catholic diocesan priest and missionary. Born in Baie-du-Febvre, Quebec, Belcourt was ordained in 1827. He established mission ...

(1803–1874), missionary *

Edna May Williston Best Edna May Williston Best (Sexton) (June 25, 1880 – December 14, 1923) was a social activist and war worker born in Shediac, New Brunswick and died in Halifax, Nova Scotia. May Best was orphaned at an early age and raised by family in Boston. ...

(1880–1923), feminist *

Emile Duprée Emile Duprée (born Emile Goguen on October 20, 1936) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler and promoter. He is also the father of former WWE wrestler René Duprée, and lives in Pointe-du-Chêne, New Brunswick. Early life Goguen was bor ...

(1936 – ), former professional wrestler and promoter *

René Duprée René Emile Goguen (born December 15, 1983), better known by his ring name René Duprée (; ja, レネ・デュプリ, Rene Dyupuri) is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah where he is a ...

(1983 – ), professional wrestler, former

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

wrestler, son of Émile Dupree *

Muriel McQueen Fergusson Muriel McQueen Fergusson, (May 26, 1899 – April 11, 1997) was a Canadians, Canadian activist, judge and politician. Fergusson served in the Senate of Canada and the first woman Speaker of the Senate of Canada, Speaker of the Senate. She is ...

(1899–1987), Canadian senator *

Gord Gallant Gordon Gallant (born October 27, 1950) is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 273 games in the World Hockey Association. He played for the Quebec Nordiques, Minnesota Fighting Saints The Minnesota Fighting Saints was the name ...

(1950 – ), professional hockey player *

Placide Gaudet Placide Gaudet (November 19, 1850 – November 9, 1930) was a Canadian historian, educator, genealogist and journalist. He signed his name as Placide P. Gaudet. Gaudet is noted for his research into the history and genealogy of the Acadian pe ...

(1850–1930), journalist, historian * Daniel Lionel Hanington (1835–1909), former Premier of New Brunswick *

Rosa Laricchiuta Rosa Laricchiuta (born February 26, 1974) is a Canadian singer-songwriter born in Montreal, Quebec. She started singing in a karaoke bar in Montreal in the 2000s. A music agent noticed Rosa's talent and hired her to sing in 5 Stars Hotels and Cas ...

(1974 – ), professional singer *

Joseph E. Leblanc Joseph E. LeBlanc (May 28, 1916 – May 23, 1979) was a Canadian politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1952 to 1974 as member of the Liberal party. References

1916 births 1979 deaths New Brunswick Libera ...

(born 1916), politician * Samuel Lee (1756–1805), judge, politician *

Anna Malenfant Anna Malenfant (October 16, 1902 – June 15, 1988) was a Canadian singer, educator and composer. Early years and career She was born in Shediac, New Brunswick. Malenfant began her career with a performance of ''The Mikado''in Moncton. Sh ...

(1905–1988), singer, educator and composer * Edward R. McDonald (1872–1952), lawyer, politician, mayor, inventor of the Crossword Game, 1926 *

Olivier-Maximin Melanson Olivier-Maximin Melanson (July 2, 1854 – July 7, 1926) was an Acadian businessman and politician in the New Brunswick, Province of New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Westmorland County, New Brunswick, Westmorland County in the Legislati ...

(1854–1926), Acadian businessman and politician *

A. P. Paterson Alexander Pierce Paterson (June 17, 1870 – January 1, 1957) was a Canadian politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick A legislature is an deliberative assembly, assembly with the authority to make laws for a Po ...

(1870–1957), politician *

Scott Pellerin Scott Jaque-Frederick Pellerin (born January 9, 1970) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played in the National Hockey League between 1992 and 2004. Pellerin is currently a NHL scout with the Arizona Coyotes as of 9/28/21. ...

(b. 1970), former professional hockey player *

Pascal Poirier Pascal Poirier (February 15, 1852 – September 25, 1933) was a Canadian author, lawyer, and the all-time longest-serving Senator. Born in Shediac, New Brunswick, in a big family, he attended College Saint Joseph in Memramcook, New Brunswick ...

(1852–1933), writer, lawyer, senator * Jean George Robichaud (1883–1969), politician * Ferdinand-Joseph Robidoux (1875–1962), lawyer, politician *

Wes Sheridan Wesley J. Sheridan (born 20 January 1960) is a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Kensington-Malpeque in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island from 2007 to 2015. He was a member of the Liberal Party. A nati ...

, Canadian politician *

Albert James Smith Sir Albert James Smith (March 12, 1822 – June 30, 1883) was a New Brunswick politician and opponent of Canadian confederation. Smith's grandfather was a United Empire Loyalist who left Massachusetts to settle in New Brunswick after the Am ...

(1822–1883), former Premier of New Brunswick *

Ernest A. Smith Ernest Albert Smith (June 20, 1864 – June 1, 1952) was a dentist, merchant and political figure in New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Westmorland County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1916 to 1920 as a Liberal member. ...

(1864 – ?), Canadian politician *

Elsie Wayne Elsie Eleanore Wayne (née Fairweather; April 20, 1932 – August 23, 2016) was a Canadian politician who served as a Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament for Saint John from 1993 to 2004. She was born in Shediac, New Brunswick. Politi ...

(1932–2016), politician *

John Clarence Webster John Clarence Webster (21 October 1863 – 16 March 1950) was a Canadian-born physician pioneering in Obstetrics and gynaecology who in retirement had a second career as an historian, specializing in the history of his native New Brunswick ...

(1862–1950), physician, historian

Sister city

* Breaux Bridge, Louisiana since 1970Clément Cormier, « Les Acadiens de la Louisiane et nous », Les Cahiers, Société historique acadienne, vol. 17, no 1, janvier-mars 1986, p. 13

Bordering communities

External links

Greater Shediac Area website
{{Authority control Populated coastal places in Canada Towns in New Brunswick Lighthouses in New Brunswick Populated places established in the 18th century