St. Mary's Band or St. Mary's
First Nation () is one of six
Wolastoqiyik
The Wolastoqiyik, (, also known as the Maliseet or Malecite () are an Algonquian-speaking First Nation of the Wabanaki Confederacy. They are the Indigenous people of the Wolastoq ( Saint John River) valley and its tributaries. Their terri ...
or
Maliseet
The Wolastoqiyik, (, also known as the Maliseet or Malecite () are an Algonquian-speaking First Nation of the Wabanaki Confederacy. They are the Indigenous people of the Wolastoq ( Saint John River) valley and its tributaries. Their terri ...
Nations on the
Saint John River in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
.
The St. Mary's Band lands comprise two reserves (Saint Mary's # 24, 1 ha; Devon # 30, 131.5 ha). The Saint Mary's reserve, established in 1867, lies on the northeast bank of the
Saint John River, opposite downtown
Fredericton
Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River (Bay of Fundy), Saint John River, ...
. A second, larger reserve, purchased in 1929, lies 3 km
NNE of the St. Mary's reservation. Land acquisitions in 2002 expanded the reserve lands to 308 ha before the acquisition of the Howe Street connector, and the former MacLeans Motorsports property on Union Street in 2017 and 2024 respectively. Roughly half the members of the St. Mary's First Nation reside on the reserve lands.
[,]
, St. Mary's First Nation, retrieved September 7, 2008.[, Geographical Names of Canada, retrieved September 7, 2008.]
The founding of the 1867 Reserve is attributed to
Gabriel Acquin, a Maliseet hunter, guide and interpreter.
The community operates several economic development ventures, including St. Mary's Retail Sales and St. Mary's Entertainment Centre and is the largest local employer in Fredericton North. In May 2024, St. Mary's Retail Sales announced the closure of St. Mary's Supermarket, effective June 31, 2024, citing the loss of the Wolastoqey tax-revenue sharing agreements and anti-competitive business practices from larger retailers as the reason for expected losses exceeding $1 million.
References
External links
Saint Mary's First Nation website
Wolastoqiyik
Communities in York County, New Brunswick
Greater Fredericton
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