Dalhousie ( ) is a former town in Restigouche County, New Brunswick. It was dissolved in 2023, when it amalgamated with Charlo to form the new Town of Heron Bay. The name Dalhousie is still retained for address purposes. Heron Bay is the northernmost municipality in New Brunswick.

History

thumb|left|250px|Looking toward Restigouche River, circa 1900.

Dalhousie is the shire town of Restigouche County and dates European settlement to 1800. The Town of Dalhousie has been through some very distinct periods between its founding in 1825 and today. Prior to 1825, few showed much interest in the northern part of the province, but in that year the Great Miramichi Fire raged through central New Brunswick and into Maine, destroying the forests that were the mainstay of the province's economy. Lumbermen looked north to the great pine stands of the Nipisiguit and the Restigouche.

Dalhousie, located at the mouth of the Restigouche, began to grow. Soon it was a booming town and became the Shiretown of the newly created Restigouche County. Lumber and fishing were the main interests, although agriculture was more important in the early days than it is today.

While there are several smaller employers, the largest employer in the town currently is the Dalhousie Nursing Home.

Transportation

The community benefits from its geography by having a deep sea port, which is ice-free year round. The administration of the port was privatised in 2006, as the result of the federal government's divestiture programme.

The port is located on the south shore of the Bay of Chaleur at the mouth of the Restigouche River, and includes of land, of "waterlot," and two cargo facilities—East Bay Marine Terminal, whose chief cargo is paper, and the West Wharf, which imports petroleum and coal and exports ore concentrates. Berth depths range from . The port is located adjacent to the now-demolished pulp and paper mill. The east wharf can handle 340m vessels with maximum draught at low tide of 9.1m, and has indoor storage facilities of 1ha, while the west wharf handles vessels of up to 355m with draught 10.3m.

It is also served by the New Brunswick East Coast Railway and is located on the Highway 11 arterial highway. Via Rail Canada provides passenger train service three days per week with stops at Charlo immediately east of the town and in Campbellton to the west.

The Charlo Airport is located several kilometres east of the town for private and charter service with scheduled air service available at the Bathurst Airport.

Education

Dalhousie has two elementary schools (Académie Notre-Dame and L.E. Reinsborough), and two high schools (Dalhousie Regional High School and École Aux quatre vents).

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Dalhousie 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.

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| 1901|862

| 1911|1650

| 1921|1958

| 1931|3974

| 1941|4508

| 1951|4939

| 1961|5856

| 1971|6255

| 1981|5707

| 1986|5363

| 1991 |4775

| 1996 |4500

| 2001 |3975

| 2001A |3928

| 2006 |3676

| 2011 |3512

| 2016 |3126

| 2021 |3223

| footnote =

Religion

Christianity is the dominant religion, with the Roman Catholic Church being the largest denomination. Protestant denominations include the Anglican Church of Canada, United Church of Canada, Presbyterian Church in Canada and several evangelical groups.

Language

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!colspan="19"|Canada Census Mother Tongue - Dalhousie, New Brunswick In spite of its marine position, this climate regime is typical of New Brunswick and is manifested by vast differences in temperature between the warm summers and the cold snowy winters.

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Notable people

  • Guy Arseneault, teacher and politician
  • Joseph Cunard Barberie, politician
  • Joel Bernard, politician
  • Gordie Dwyer, hockey player and coach
  • Kate Simpson Hayes, writer
  • Charles H. LaBillois, politician and merchant
  • Allan Maher, businessman and politician
  • Marie-Jo Pelletier, alternate captain for the Buffalo Beauts
  • Linda Silas, nurse and trade unionist

See also

  • List of lighthouses in New Brunswick
  • List of communities in New Brunswick

References

  • The Town of Dalhousie website