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 Chiac (or ''Chiak'', ''Chi’aq''), is a Creole variety of Acadian French spoken mostly in southeastern New Brunswick, Canada. Chiac is often characterized and distinguished from other forms of Acadian French by its borrowings from English, ...

, a well-known French

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 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 sh ...

. 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 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 so ...

. 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 Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...

'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 Foynes (; ) is a town and major port in County Limerick in the midwest of Ireland, located at the edge of hilly land on the southern bank of the Shannon Estuary. The population of the town was 520 as of the 2016 census. Foynes's role as seap ...

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 nor ...

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 ...

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 Cocagne () is a Canadian community, formerly part of an eponymous local service district (LSD) and later incorporated rural community, in Kent County, New Brunswick. History It was named after Cockaigne, a mythical paradise in medieval Fr ...

. 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 Miramichi () is the largest city in northern New Brunswick, Canada. It is situated at the mouth of the Miramichi River where it enters Miramichi Bay. The Miramichi Valley is the second longest valley in New Brunswick, after the Saint John Ri ...

, specifically to

Beaubears Island Beaubears Island (french: Île Boishébert) is an island at the confluence of the Northwest Miramichi and Southwest Miramichi Rivers near Miramichi, New Brunswick. The island is most famous for being the site of an Acadian refugee camp during t ...

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

Today many

francophones French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the la ...

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.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population 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 (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 wrestler currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah where he is a former two-time GHC Tag ...

(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 Daniel Lionel Hanington (June 27, 1835 – May 5, 1909) was a New Brunswick, Canada politician and jurist. He was born at Shediac, New Brunswick, the son of Daniel Hanington, and was educated there and at Mount Allison Academy in Sackvill ...

(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 (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 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. Poli ...

(1932–2016), politician * John Clarence Webster (1862–1950), physician, historian

Sister city

Breaux Bridge, Louisiana Breaux Bridge (;Jack A. Reynolds. "Breaux Bridge" entry i"Louisiana Placenames of Romance Origin."LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses #7852. 1942. p. 77. french: Pont-Breaux; frc, Pont-(de)-Breaux ) is a small city in St. Martin Parish, Louis ...

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