Saint Croix Parish, New Brunswick

This article is about the geographic parish, former local service district, and census subdivision. For the community near McAdam, see St. Croix, New Brunswick.

Saint Croix St. Croix
Parish
Location within Charlotte County.
Country	Canada
Province	New Brunswick
County	Charlotte County
Erected	1874
Named for	St. Croix River
Area [1]
• Land	78.60 km2 (30.35 sq mi)
Population  (2021) [1]
• Total	648
• Density	8.2/km2 (21/sq mi)
• Change 2016-2021	1.4%
• Dwellings	346
Time zone	UTC-4 (AST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-3 (ADT)
Highways	Route 1 / Route 127 / Route 170 / Route 760 [2]

Saint Croix is a geographic parish in Charlotte County, New Brunswick, Canada, ^[5] straddling Route 1 to the north of the original town of Saint Andrews.

For governance purposes, all of the parish south of Route 1 is part of the post-reform town of Saint Andrews, ^[6] the Board Road area is part of the town of the Municipal District of St. Stephen, ^[6] and the remainder north of Route 1 is part of the Southwest rural district, ^[7] all of which are members of the Southwest New Brunswick Service Commission. ^[8]

Prior to the 2023 governance reform, it comprised two local service districts, ^[9] both of which were members of the Southwest New Brunswick Service Commission (SNBSC). ^[10]

The Census subdivision of the same name includes the entire parish, while the former LSD of Bayside is used as a Designated place. ^[1]

Origin of name

The parish's name comes from the St. Croix River, ^[11] which forms part of its western border.

History

Saint Croix was erected in 1874 from the northern part of Saint Andrews Parish, ^[12] including parts of Saint Andrews, Saint David, and Saint Patrick Parishes but lacking the northeastern part of modern Saint Croix.

Boundaries

Saint Croix is bounded: ^{[3] [13] [14]}

• on the east and south by a highly irregular line ^{[lower-alpha 1]} beginning about 350 metres northwesterly of the junction of Wilson Road and Route 127, then running southeasterly past Route 127 to the northwestern line of a grant to James McFarlane, then running generally southerly along the rear lines of tiers of grants along Cathcart Road, Route 760, Giles Road, Armstrongs Mill Road, Goldsmiths Stream, Eastman Lake, Bonaparte Lake, Welch Lake, and Gibson Lake to the southeastern corner of a grant to James Greenlaw, then westerly to Little Chamcook Lake, then southerly along Little Chamcook Lake and the brook to Chamcook Lake, then clockwise around Chamcook Lake to a point west of the southern end of Odell Island, then southwesterly to the rear line of grants along the St. Croix River, then southeasterly about 2.5 kilometres to a point near Edwards Corner, then southwesterly along the southeastern line of a grant to Daniel Grant to the St. Croix;
• on the west by the St. Croix River, Oak Bay, and the Waweig River to Route 170, then northerly along the rear line of Oak Bay grants just past Route 760, then easterly along the northern line of a grant to William H. Mowat, then northerly along the rear line of grants to a point about 1 kilometres past Board Road, then easterly and northeasterly along grant lines to the starting point;
• including Rickets Island.

Evolution of boundaries

Saint Croix originally included five grants in Oak Bay that are now in Saint David Parish, parts of Saint Andrews Parish west of the railway and north of Wilsons Corner, and a strip of land in southwestern Saint Patrick Parish; Giles Road, Cathcart Road, the eastern end of Armstrong Mill Road, and a few small areas along the eastern edge remained part of Saint Patrick. ^[12]

In 1881 the Oak Bay lots were transferred to Saint David and the northeastern part of modern Saint Croix was taken from Saint Patrick. ^{[15] [lower-alpha 2]}

In 1896 Ricketts Island and St. Croix Island were explicitly placed in Saint Croix Parish, ^[16] though St. Croix Island had been part of Maine for nearly a century; the St. Croix Island error was corrected in 1899. ^[17] The boundary with Saint Patrick was moved west along nearly half its length in the south. ^{[16] [lower-alpha 3]}

In 1958 the modern parish boundaries were set, losing land between the railway and the Chamcook Lakes system as well as a triangle north of Wileys Corner to Saint Andrews, gaining a triangular piece of Dumbarton Parish on the northern edge, ^{[lower-alpha 4]} and gaining several bits of Saint Patrick by changing the eastern boundary to run entirely along grant lines and natural features. ^[18]

Local service districts

Both LSDs assess for the basic LSD services of fire protection, police services, land use planning, emergency measures, and dog control. ^[19]

Saint Croix Parish

The local service district of the parish of Saint Croix originally comprised the entire parish.

The LSD was established in 1970 to assess for fire protection. ^[20] First aid and ambulance services were added in 1975. ^[21]

In 2022, the LSD assessed for only basic services. ^[19] The taxing authority was 514.00 Saint Croix.

Bayside

Bayside comprised all of the parish mainland south of Route 1. ^[9]

Bayside was established in 1985 to add community services. ^[22]

In 2022, the LSD additionally assessed for community & recreation services. ^[19] The taxing authority was 527.00 Bayside.

Communities

Communities at least partly within the parish. ^{[13] [14] [23]} italics indicate a name no longer in official use

Bartletts Mills Bayside (Lower Bayside, Upper Bayside) Edwards Corner Gilmans Corner

Roix Road Waweig Wileys Corner

Bodies of water

Bodies of water ^{[lower-alpha 5]} at least partly within the parish. ^{[13] [14] [23]} italics indicate a name no longer in official use

St. Croix River Waweig River Chamcook Stream Goldsmiths Stream

Chamcook Lake Little Chamcook Lake (Second Chamcook Lake) more than a dozen other officially named lakes

Islands

Islands at least partly within the parish. ^{[13] [14] [23]}

• Big Rock ^{[lower-alpha 6]} (in Chamcook Lake)
• Odell Island (in Chamcook Lake)
• Rickets Island (in Waweig River)

Census data

Population

Canada census – Saint Croix community profile

	2021	2016	2011
Population	648 (-1.4% from 2016)	657 (+6.7% from 2011)	616 (-8.1% from 2006)
Land area	78.60 km2 (30.35 sq mi)	78.67 km2 (30.37 sq mi)	78.77 km2 (30.41 sq mi)
Population density	8.2/km2 (21/sq mi)	8.4/km2 (22/sq mi)	7.8/km2 (20/sq mi)
Median age	52.8 (M: 52.8, F: 53.2)	48.1 (M: 49.5, F: 46.3)	45.2 (M: 45.8, F: 45.0)
Private dwellings	280 (total)	368 (total)	322 (total)
Median household income		$55,040	$45,812

References: 2021 ^[24] 2016 ^[25] 2011 ^[26] earlier ^{[27] [28]}

Historical Census Data - Saint Croix Parish, New Brunswick

Year Pop. ±% 1991 588 —     1996 657 +11.7% 2001 639 −2.7%	Year Pop. ±% 2001A 634 −0.8% 2006 670 +5.7% 2011 616 −8.1%	Year Pop. ±% 2016 657 +6.7%
(A) adjustment due to boundary change. [29] [30]

Language

Canada Census Mother Tongue - Saint Croix Parish, New Brunswick [29]
Census		Total		English				French				English & French				Other
Year		Responses		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %
2011		610		590	9.9%	96.72%		10	n/a%	1.64%		0	0.0%	0.00%		10	0.0%	1.64%
2006		665		655	5.3%	98.50%		0	100.0%	0.00%		0	0.0%	0.00%		10	n/a%	1.50%
2001		635		620	4.6%	97.64%		15	33.3%	2.36%		0	0.0%	0.00%		0	0.0%	0.00%
1996		660		650	n/a	98.48%		10	n/a	1.52%		0	n/a	0.00%		0	n/a	0.00%

See also

• List of parishes in New Brunswick

Notes

1. It's easier to look at the boundaries on a map than it is to follow a detailed description.
2. Dumbarton Parish is also mentioned in the Act but no change took place; same boundary with Dumbarton is used until 1958.
3. The new boundary line reads as if there was a clerical error replacing a reference to the old boundary with a reference to the eastern line of Saint David Parish in the north. The boundary certainly makes more sense if one assumes such an error.
4. This may have just been correcting an oversight in 1881; amendments to three others parishes in 1958 were corrections of errors or omissions.
5. Not including brooks, ponds or coves.
6. Classified as a shoal by CGNS but visible on cadastral map of the area.

References

1. "Census Profile". Statistics Canada. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
2. Atlantic Canada Back Road Atlas ISBN   978-1-55368-618-7 Pages 4, 12
3. "Chapter T-3 Territorial Division Act". Government of New Brunswick. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
4. "Chapter I-13 Interpretation Act". Government of New Brunswick. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
5. The Territorial Division Act ^[3] divides the province into 152 parishes, the cities of Saint John and Fredericton, and one town of Grand Falls. The Interpretation Act ^[4] clarifies that parishes include any local government within their borders.
6. "Southwest Regional Service Commission: RSC 10". Government of New Brunswick. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
7. "Southwest Regional Service Commission: RD 10". Government of New Brunswick. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
8. "Regions Regulation – Regional Service Delivery Act". Government of New Brunswick. 21 July 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
9. "New Brunswick Regulation 84-168 under the Municipalities Act (O.C. 84-582)". Government of New Brunswick. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
10. "Communities in each of the 12 Regional Service Commissions (RSC) / Les communautés dans chacune des 12 Commissions de services régionaux (CSR)" (PDF), Government of New Brunswick, July 2017, retrieved 1 February 2021
11. Ganong, William F. (1896). A Monograph of the Place-Nomenclature of the Province of New Brunswick. Royal Society of Canada. p. 267. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
12. "37 Vic. c. 37 An Act to establish a new Parish in the County of Charlotte.". Acts of the General Assembly of Her Majesty's Province of New Brunswick. Passed in the Months of March & April 1874. Fredericton: Government of New Brunswick. 1874. pp. 109–111. Available as a free ebook from Google Books.
13. "No. 161". Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
14. "479" (PDF). Transportation and Infrastructure. Government of New Brunswick. Retrieved 3 July 2021. Remainder of parish on mapbook 489 at same site.
15. "44 Vic. c. 31 An Act to alter the Boundary Lines of the Parish of Saint Croix, in the County of Charlotte.". Acts of the General Assembly of Her Majesty's Province of New Brunswick. Passed in the Month of March 1881. Fredericton: Government of New Brunswick. 1881. pp. 66–67. Available as a free ebook from Google Books.
16. "59 Vic. c. 8 An Act to Revise and Codify an Act to Provide for the Division of the Province into Counties, Towns and Parishes.". Acts of the General Assembly of Her Majesty's Province of New Brunswick. Passed in the Month of March, 1896. Fredericton: Government of New Brunswick. 1896. pp. 86–123. Available as a free ebook from Google Books.
17. "62 Vic. c. 33 An Act to amend an Act intituled 'An Act to revise and codify an Act to provide for the Division of the Province into Counties, Towns and Parishes,' and to better define the bounds of the Parish of Springfield and the Parish of Saint Croix.". Acts of the General Assembly of Her Majesty's Province of New Brunswick. Passed in the Months of March and April, 1899. Fredericton: Government of New Brunswick. 1899. pp. 163–164. Available as a free ebook from Google Books.
18. "7 Elizabeth II, 1958, c. 56 An Act to Amend the Territorial Division Act". Acts of the Legislature of New Brunswick Passed During the Session of 1958. Fredericton: Government of New Brunswick. 1958. pp. 117–119.
19. "2020 Local Government Statistics for New Brunswick" (PDF). Department of Environment and Local Government. p. 55. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
20. "Regulation 70–63 under the Municipalities Act (O. C. 70–385)". The Royal Gazette. 128. Fredericton: 343–344. 17 June 1970.
21. "Regulation 75–4 under the Municipalities Act (O. C. 75–33)". The Royal Gazette. 133. Fredericton: 80. 29 January 1975.
22. New Brunswick Regulation 85-103.
23. "Search the Canadian Geographical Names Database (CGNDB)". Government of Canada. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
24. "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. 4 February 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
25. "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
26. "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. 21 March 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
27. "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. 20 August 2019.
28. "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. 18 July 2021.
29. Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 census
30. "Census Profile, 2016 Census Saint Croix, Parish [Census subdivision], New Brunswick". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 30 August 2019.

45°11′24″N67°06′45″W / 45.190022°N 67.112389°W / 45.190022; -67.112389 (Saint Croix Parish, New Brunswick)