Belle-Baie (, ) is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in the

Canadian province Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

. It was formed through the

2023 New Brunswick local governance reform Local governance reform in the Canadian province of New Brunswick was implemented on January 1, 2023. This resulted in a significant reorganization of the local government entities in the province, including a reduction in the number of entiti ...

History

Belle-Baie was incorporated on January 1, 2023, via the amalgamation of the former town of Beresford and the former villages of Nigadoo, Petit-Rocher and Pointe-Verte as well as the concurrent annexation of adjacent unincorporated areas. The adjacent unincorporated areas included the former local service districts of Dunlop, Laplante, Madran, Robertville, Petit-Rocher-Nord, Petit-Rocher-Sud and Tremblay, and portions of the local service districts of Bathurst, Beresford and North Tetagouche. The new town's name was initially announced as , but after negative reaction from the residents the transition committee withdrew the name and proposed Belle-Baie instead. The town's language policy for news releases was to be reviewed after some residents complained they were in French only. About 85 per cent of the residents are francophone, 11 percent are anglophone and four percent identify as both. The bilingual rate is 68 percent. Census Canada has not issued information for the new municipality, but these numbers are based on Census 2021 of the municipalities that now form Belle-Baie. When the town was formed, it was designated as French speaking by the transition committee.

Geography

Belle-Baie is just north of the City of Bathurst and borders both

Nepisiguit Bay Nepisiguit Bay (from the Mi’kmaq word , which means "rough water") is located in northern New Brunswick, Canada on the southern part of the Chaleur Bay ( French: Baie des Chaleurs), which extends from the Atlantic Ocean and Nepisiguit Bay is ...

and

Chaleur Bay frame, Satellite image of Chaleur Bay (NASA). Chaleur Bay is the large bay in the centre of the image; the Gulf_of_St._Lawrence.html" ;"title="Gaspé Peninsula is to the north and the Gulf of St. Lawrence">Gaspé Peninsula is to the north and t ...

Government

The community's first municipal election was held in November 2022 as part of the 2022 New Brunswick municipal elections, with former MLA

Daniel Guitard Daniel Guitard (born October 1, 1959) is a Canadians, Canadian politician who has been serving as the first mayor of Belle-Baie since 2023. Previously, he was the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick. He was first elected to the ...

selected as its first mayor.

Demographics

There is no census data on the town of Belle-Baie as the last census was 2021, prior to Belle-Baie being formed. 2021 Census data for the communities that formed Belle-Baie are below.

Attractions

One of Belle-Baie's main attractions is its beach. Renovated in the late 1990s, the beach features an observation tower overlooking the marshes, a boardwalk and change room, restroom and shower facilities. A popular tourist attraction, it is not rare to find local musicians featuring their talents at the beach on warm summer nights. Every year a carnival called "Carnaval du Siffleux" is held in Belle-Baie. Sculptures made of snow collected by ploughing parking lots are presented all around town. This is one of the many activities available to Belle-Baie residents during this carnival. However, in recent years, fewer sculptures have been seen around the time of the festival.

Notable people

* Ray Frenette - Former Premier of New Brunswick.

References

{{Subdivisions of New Brunswick, towns=yes, villages=yes, rural communities=yes, regional municipalities=yes, counties=yes, state=expanded 2023 establishments in New Brunswick 2023 New Brunswick local governance reform Communities in Gloucester County, New Brunswick Populated places established in 2023 Towns in New Brunswick