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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 ...
town in Westmorland County,
New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic Canad ...
. The town is home to the famous Parlee Beach 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 (Nephropidae, 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 have claws, including the first pair, ...
fishing. At the western entrance to the town is a 90-ton sculpture called '' The World's Largest Lobster''. 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 Accent may refer to: Speech and language * Accent (sociolinguistics), way of pronunciation particular to a speaker or group of speakers * Accent (phonetics), prominence given to a particular syllable in a word, or a word in a phrase ** Pitch ac ...
, 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.


Geography

Shediac is situated primarily on Route 133 around Shediac Bay, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait. Its topography is relatively flat and its soil is mostly composed of sedimentary rocks dating from the
Pennsylvanian Pennsylvanian may refer to: * A person or thing from Pennsylvania * Pennsylvanian (geology) The Pennsylvanian ( , also known as Upper Carboniferous or Late Carboniferous) is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy, ICS geologic timesca ...
. Shediac enjoys a continental climate. 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 Imperial Airways was the early British commercial long-range airline, operating from 1924 to 1939 and principally serving the British Empire routes to Union of South Africa, South Africa, British India, India, Australia and the Far East, inclu ...
' flying boat service to Foynes in Ireland also used the facilities.


History

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 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 th ...
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 En ...
. 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 st ...
, 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. 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, 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 (1803–1874), missionary * Edna May Williston Best (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 (1983 – ), professional wrestler, former WWE wrestler, son of Émile Dupree *
Muriel McQueen Fergusson Muriel McQueen Fergusson, (May 26, 1899 – April 11, 1997) was a Canadian activist, judge and politician. Fergusson served in the Senate of Canada and the first woman Speaker of the Senate. She is known for a long career of advocating for ...
(1899–1987), Canadian senator * Gord Gallant (1950 – ), professional hockey player * Placide Gaudet (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 (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. S ...
(1905–1988), singer, educator and composer * Edward R. McDonald (1872–1952), lawyer, politician, mayor, inventor of the Crossword Game, 1926 * Olivier-Maximin Melanson (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 9/2 ...
(b. 1970), former professional hockey player * Pascal Poirier (1852–1933), writer, lawyer, senator *
Jean George Robichaud Jean George Robichaud (July 26, 1883 – August 6, 1969) was a fish merchant and political figure in New Brunswick. He represented Gloucester County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1917 to 1922 and Gloucester in the House o ...
(1883–1969), politician *
Ferdinand-Joseph Robidoux Ferdinand-Joseph Robidoux (October 17, 1875 – June 17, 1962) was a lawyer and political figure of Acadian descent in New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Kent in the House of Commons of Canada from 1911 to 1917 as a Conservative. He was bo ...
(1875–1962), lawyer, politician * Wes Sheridan, Canadian politician * Albert James Smith (1822–1883), former Premier of New Brunswick * Ernest A. Smith (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. Poli ...
(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


See also

* List of lighthouses in New Brunswick * List of communities in New Brunswick * Media in Moncton *
Greater Moncton Greater Moncton () is a census metropolitan area comprising Moncton, Riverview, and Dieppe in New Brunswick, Canada. Population Greater Moncton has a population of 157,717 (2021). Migration is mostly from other areas of New Brunswick (especia ...
* Greater Shediac *


References


Further reading


Webster. A History of Shediac. 1928
* Belliveau, John Edward (2003) ''Running Far In: The Story of Shediac''. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Nimbus Publishing Ltd,


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