Tantramar, New Brunswick

Last updated

Tantramar
Town
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Canada New Brunswick location map 2.svg
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Tantramar
Location within New Brunswick
Coordinates: 45°54′00″N64°22′00″W / 45.90000°N 64.36667°W / 45.90000; -64.36667
CountryCanada
Province New Brunswick
County Westmorland
Regional service commission Southeast
IncorporatedJanuary 1, 2023
Population14,545 (2023)
Federal electoral district Beauséjour
Provincial electoral district Memramcook-Tantramar
Government
  TypeTown council
  MayorAndrew Black
  MP Dominic LeBlanc (L)
  MLA Megan Mitton Green Party of New Brunswick
Elevation
Sea level to 32 m (0 to 105 ft)
Time zone UTC-4 (AST)
  Summer (DST) UTC-3 (ADT)
Postal code(s)
E4L
Area code 506
Telephone Exchange360, 364, 536, 540, 939, 940

Tantramar is a town in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. It was formed through the 2023 New Brunswick local governance reforms.

Contents

History

Tantramar was incorporated on January 1, 2023 via the amalgamation of the former town of Sackville and the former village of Dorchester as well as the concurrent annexation of adjacent unincorporated areas. [1]

The name Tantramar is derived from the Acadian French tintamarre, meaning 'din' or 'racket', a reference to the noisy flocks of birds which feed there in the marshes.

Geography

Tantramar is on the Isthmus of Chignecto, which connects the Nova Scotia peninsula with North America. It is on the Tantramar River, which empties into Chignecto Bay, a sub-basin of the Bay of Fundy. Tantramar is at a low elevation above sea level. Prominent ridges rise above the marshes, namely the Fort Lawrence Ridge, the Aulac Ridge, the Sackville Ridge, and the Memramcook Ridge. Tantramar is surrounded by the Tantramar Marshes, once a tidal saltmarsh. The marshes are an important stopover for migrating birds. The marsh soil consists of silts deposited by centuries of tidal flooding. Drainage is poor and there are slow-moving meandering rivers, shallow lakes, bogs, and intertidal zones.

Infrastructure

The earliest post road followed the route of the present day High Marsh Road. The Trans-Canada Highway (as it is now known) ran straight through the town until a bypass was built in 1962. The provincial border at the Missaguash River bridge is the dividing line between Nova Scotia Highway 104-Nova Scotia Trunk 2 and New Brunswick Highway 2. This highway forms one of the two main surface transportation links between the two provinces. The Mount Whatley Road runs between Mt. Whatley, New Brunswick and Fort Lawrence, Nova Scotia. CN Rail's mainline between Halifax and Montreal runs through Tantramar, parallel to the Trans-Canada Highway. The Sackville railway station, still in active use with Via Rail, is designated a national historic place.

The Sackville Memorial Hospital serves the region, as well as the Community Health Centre which houses several physicians, an optometrist, a dentist, and a pharmacy. It is one of the few that are not government-run. [2]

The Tantramar Veterans Memorial Civic Centre, a recreational facility and arena, opened in 2003. [3] The arena can seat over 750 spectators [4] and is the home rink for the Mount Allison University women's hockey team.

Economy

Some of the main employers are a Moneris Solutions call centre, Russel Metals, Sackville Memorial Hospital, and Mount Allison University.

Another main employer today is the Correctional Service of Canada, which operates a prison complex now comprising the medium-security (once maximum-security) Dorchester Penitentiary, and the minimum-security Westmorland Institution.

Many residents commute to work in the nearby town of Amherst or the cities of Moncton and Dieppe.

A recent influx of residents is creating a new demand for Tantramar.

Tourism is centred on the historic and natural features of the area. One of Tantramar's most historic buildings houses the Keillor House Museum. The annual shorebird migration to the mud flats of nearby Johnson's Mills is celebrated by an oversize model of a semi-palmated sandpiper situated in Dorchester square.

Another tourist attraction is the conversion of the Dorchester Jail to a successful bed and breakfast where you can spend a night in a real jail cell. Opened in 2017, it’s one of the Maritimes highest rated adventure Airbnb’s listed. It’s the sight of the last double hanging in New Brunswick, where the Bannister brothers were hanged and buried at the jail.

Arts and culture

Landmarks

Education

Public schooling, run by Anglophone East School District, includes a pre-school, the Salem Elementary School, Marshview Middle School, Dorchester Consolidated School, and Tantramar Regional High School. Tantramar is also home to Mount Allison University.

Media

Newspapers/Periodicals

Radio [24]

Notable people

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Allison University</span> Liberal arts university in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada

Mount Allison University is a Canadian primarily undergraduate liberal arts university located in Sackville, New Brunswick, founded in 1839.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westmorland County, New Brunswick</span> County in New Brunswick, Canada

Westmorland County is a county in New Brunswick, a province of Canada. It is in the south-eastern part of the province. It contains the fast-growing commercial centre of Moncton and its northern and eastern suburbs. Also located in the county are the university town of Sackville and the local tourist destination of Shediac.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sackville, New Brunswick</span> Place in New Brunswick, Canada

Sackville is a former town in southeastern New Brunswick, Canada. It held town status prior to 2023 and is now part of the town of Tantramar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorchester, New Brunswick</span> Place in New Brunswick, Canada

Dorchester is a community in Westmorland County, New Brunswick, Canada. The community became part of the new town of Tantramar in the 2023 New Brunswick local governance reform. Originally incorporated as a town in 1911, it was converted to a village in 1966. By 1825 it had been named for Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester, an 18th-century Governor-General of the old Province of Quebec, but prior to that was called Botsford.

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The Isthmus of Chignecto is an isthmus bordering the Maritime provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia that connects the Nova Scotia peninsula with North America.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tantramar Heritage Trust</span> Organization

The Tantramar Heritage Trust is a non-profit charity that promotes the preservation of heritage buildings, artefacts and lands in an area of south-east New Brunswick along the Nova Scotia border known as the "Tantramar". This region, which is centred on Sackville, New Brunswick and Amherst, Nova Scotia is characterised by an ecologically significant coastal lowland known as the Tantramar Marshes, which encompasses the Tintamarre National Wildlife Area.

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Aulac is a Canadian community in Westmorland County, New Brunswick. As of January 1, 2023 it is part of the Municipality of Tantramar which consists of the former town of Sackville, Village of Dorchester, Pointe de Bute and other rural communities. It is located between the former college town of Sackville and the provincial border with Nova Scotia.

Fort Lawrence is a Canadian rural community located on the Isthmus of Chignecto in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, which is named after Fort Lawrence.

The Captain George Anderson House, also called the Octagonal House, is an octagon house now located in Sackville, New Brunswick. It was built in 1855 by Captain George Anderson, a mariner and shipbuilder. It was later deeded to his father, Captain Titus Anderson and stayed in the Anderson family until 1901. It was used for many years by a foundry company as a storage facility, but was kept in good repair.

Mount Whatley is a community in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, located in Westmorland County on New Brunswick Highway 16. Mount Whatley is situated upon the Aulac Ridge, a prominent rise running west–east across the Tantramar Marshes on the Isthmus of Chignecto,on the shore of the Missaguash River which forms the southern part of the inter-provincial boundary with Nova Scotia.The community is linked by a small bridge to Fort Lawrence Nova Scotia.

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This is a bibliography of notable works on New Brunswick, Canada.

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References

  1. "Local Governments Establishment Regulation – Local Governance Act". Government of New Brunswick. August 30, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  2. "The Community Health Centre". Sackville Memorial Hospital Foundation. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  3. "Tantramar Veterans Memorial Civic Centre | Town of Sackville". Town of Sackville. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  4. Town website arena bio Archived 2011-08-28 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Owens Art Gallery". Mount Allison University. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  6. "About Us" . Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  7. "2008 Cultural Capitals of Canada". Canadian Heritage. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  8. "Sackville Arts Wall | Town of Sackville Official Website". Town of Sackville. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  9. "Centres". Atlantis. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  10. "Sappyfest Is Atlantic Canada's Best Kept Secret Music Festival". www.vice.com. August 11, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  11. "Gone But Not Forgotten: Sackville Methodist/United Church". Tantramar Heritage Trust.
  12. "Covered Bridges". Transportation & infrastructure. NB Government. October 12, 2011. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  13. "Cranewoodonmain - About". Cranewood. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  14. "HistoricPlaces.ca - HistoricPlaces.ca". www.historicplaces.ca. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  15. "Mount Allison University's 2 well-known swans die". CBC.ca. March 19, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  16. "Tantramar Heritage Trust : Boultenhouse Heritage Centre". heritage.tantramar.com. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  17. "HistoricPlaces.ca - HistoricPlaces.ca". www.historicplaces.ca. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  18. Weldon, Tori (April 12, 2021). "A century-long run comes to a close for Sackville Harness shop". CBC.ca. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  19. "Historic Sites: 20th Century: Vogue Cinema". heritage.tantramar.com. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  20. Weldon, Tori. "Tallest building on Sackville skyline is now a huge freezer". CBC. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  21. Miller, Geordie. "From 14-Storey Berry Freezer to Public Video-Art Venue". Canadian Art. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  22. "History Fort Beauséjour – Fort Cumberland National Historic Site". Government of Canada. November 21, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  23. "About Us". The Argosy. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  24. "Collection – Owens Art Gallery" . Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  25. "About Us". CHMA. Retrieved November 2, 2012.