Edmundston, New Brunswick

Edmundston (2006 population: 16,643) is a Canadian city in Madawaska County, New Brunswick.

It is located at the edge of the New Brunswick "pan handle" at the junction of the Saint John and Madawaska Rivers in the northwestern part of the province.

Edmundston is strategically situated only a few kilometres from the border with Quebec and on the border with the United States, opposite the town of Madawaska, Maine, to which it is connected by the Edmundston-Madawaska Bridge.

The city is 98 per cent francophone, the highest of all cities in the province. Edmundston is also the largest majority-francophone city in North America outside Quebec, with Clarence-Rockland, Ontario being second with 68 per cent francophones. There are higher numbers of francophones in other Canadian cities such as Ottawa (122,665), Sudbury (45,420), Toronto (34,900), Winnipeg (26,855), Moncton (20,425), Dieppe (18,565) and Timmins (17,390), although francophones are a minority group in those cities.

History

The area was at the centre of the Aroostook War over the boundary line between the U.S.A. and what was then British North America. It was because of the boundary disputes in this entire area that the francophone Brayon residents on both the Canadian and U.S. sides took to referring to the region as the Republic of Madawaska. The tradition is carried on to this day, with each mayor of Edmundston being automatically given title as the "President of the Republic of Madawaska".

Originally named Petit-Sault (Little Falls), the settlement was renamed Edmundston in 1850 after Sir Edmund Walker Head, who was Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick from 1848 to 1854 and Governor-General of Canada from 1854 to 1861.

Economy

Forestry is one of the city's major industries, with several sawmills and paper plants in the vicinity, the largest being the Fraser pulp mill. The Edmundston pulp mill is paired with a Fraser paper mill directly across the Saint John River in Madawaska, Maine, through which liquified pulp slurry is piped - the only such installation anywhere along the Canada-United States border. Sign and plastics manufacturing are also important to the city's economy.

Media

Edmundston is served by four newspapers (Le Madawaska, La République, L'Acadie Nouvelle and Info Weekend), two local radio stations (CJEM-FM, CFAI-FM) and a regional bureau of Radio-Canada.

Festivals and Tourism

Each June, Edmundston plays host to the Festival Jazz et Blues d'Edmundston (the Edmundston Jazz and Blues Festival).

Every year in August, there is a large cultural festival in Edmundston called the Foire Brayonne. The festival is one of the biggest French themed festivals held in Canada east of the province of Quebec.

Tourist attractions include Le Jardin de la Republique (Camping Ground), Fort du Petit-Sault (former British military fort during the mid-1800s), an 18 hole golf in the city (1 minute car drive out of downtown), a walkable downtown with a lot of boutiques, stores, restaurants, Bed and Breakfasts and a hotel. There is also a convention centre in downtown and the Museum of The Automobile and Madawaska Historic Museum are also interesting local attractions.

The New Brunswick Botanical Garden is located in suburban Saint-Jacques, on seven hectares with over 80,000 plants, making it the largest arboretum east of Montreal.

Notable Edmundston natives

• Maurice Bolyer (born Beaulieu), banjo player who appeared on the Tommy Hunter Show.
• Alpha Boucher, actor, mostly in Quebec.
• Camille Dubé, sports broadcaster for Radio-Canada, most notably for televised Montreal Expos games.
• Paul Gallant, creator of the Puzz-3D 3-D puzzle and founder of Wrebbit.
• Dave Hilton Sr, professional boxer who won a Canadian championship in three different weight divisions.
• Ty LaForest, Major League Baseball Player who played with the Boston Red Sox.
• Maryse Ouellet, 2003 Ms. Hawaiian Tropic Canada and Playboy model. Competed in the 2006 WWE Diva Search.
• Roland Rossignol, Former NHL player who played for the Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings in the mid-40's.
• Natasha St-Pier, singer, better known in France.
• Shawn Sawyer, Figure Skater, finished 12th overall at the XXth Winter Olympics held in Turin, Italy.
• Bernard Valcourt, former Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.
• Roch Voisine, singer, actor (Born and raised in nearby St-Basile).
• Cédrick Desjardins, hockey goaltender, plays for the Hamilton Bulldogs in the AHL.

Demographics

Notes

External links

• City of Edmundston website