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Quispamsis

Coordinates: 45°25′56″N 65°56′46″W / 45.43216°N 65.94621°W / 45.43216; -65.94621
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(Redirected from Quispamsis, New Brunswick)
For the electoral district, see Quispamsis (electoral district).

Quispamsis
Town
Quispamsis Town Hall
Quispamsis Town Hall
Flag of Quispamsis
Flag
Official seal of Quispamsis
Seal
Coat of arms of Quispamsis
Coat of arms
Nickname: 
Quispam
Motto(s): 
"Quispamsis Floreat"  (Latin)
"Quispamsis Flourish"
Quispamsis is located in New Brunswick
Quispamsis
Quispamsis
Coordinates: 45°25′56″N 65°56′46″W / 45.43216°N 65.94621°W / 45.43216; -65.94621
CountryCanada
ProvinceNew Brunswick
CountyKings County
ParishRothesay Parish
First settledc. 1783
Incorporated (village)1966
Incorporated (town)December 22, 1982
Electoral Districts
Federal
Fundy Royal
ProvincialQuispamsis
Government
 • TypeTown Council
 • MayorLibby O'Hara
 • Councillors
List of Members
  • Mary L. Schryer
  • Emil Olsen
  • Kerrie Luck
  • Kirk Miller
  • Mike Edward Biggar
  • Beth Thompson
  • Noah Donovan
 • MPRob Moore (Con.)
 • MLAAaron Kennedy (Lib)
Area
[1]
 • Land56.97 km2 (22.00 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[1]
 • Total
18,768
 • Density329.4/km2 (853/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Quispammer, Pammer
Time zoneUTC-4 (AST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-3 (ADT)
Canadian postal code
E2E, E2G, E2S
Area code506
Telephone Exchanges847, 848, 849
NTS Map021H05
GNBC CodeDAVTW
Websitequispamsis.ca

Quispamsis (/kwɪs.pæm.sɪs/,[a] sometimes shortened to Quispam /kwɪsˈpæm/) is a suburban town located in Kings County, New Brunswick, Canada. Located within Saint John's metropolitan area, it borders the town of Rothesay to form the Kennebecasis Valley and is located along the lower Kennebecasis River. As of 2021, the population of Quispamsis was 18,768.[1]

History

[edit]
See also: History of New Brunswick and List of historic places in Kings County, New Brunswick

The region was initially inhabited by the Maliseet First Nation, who were members of the Wabanaki Confederacy.[2] The name "Quispamsis" was derived from the Maliseet language, signifying "little lake in the woods," possibly referring specifically to the present-day Ritchie Lake.[3] Around 1783, Acadians, British pre-Loyalists and Loyalists settled in the area, with many individuals receiving land grants along the Kennebecasis and Hammond Rivers.

In December 1982, Quispamsis' application for town status was accepted by the province; it was New Brunswick's largest village at the time.[4]

Amalgamation

[edit]
Quispamsis water tower

Following the December 1992 release of a government discussion paper entitled "Strengthening Municipal Government in New Brunswick's Urban Centres", a series of localized feasibility studies were commissioned by the Frank McKenna's Liberals targeting six geographic areas: Edmunston, Campbellton, Dalhousie, Miramichi, Moncton, and Saint John. In each instance, a panel composed of local representatives and expert consulting staff made specific recommendations for each urban-centred region.[5] The report for the Greater Saint John area, "A Community of Communities: Creating a stronger future" - often referred to simply as the Cormier Report - offered two potential solutions to the Province for consolidating the many municipalities in Greater Saint John, neither of which was ultimately adopted by government.

Option one offered by the Cormier Report was to create three communities with regionalization of some services. Under this option, the six Kennebecasis Valley communities (East Riverside-Kinghurst, Fairvale, Gondola Point, Quispamsis, Renforth, and Rothesay) plus the local service district of the Parish of Rothesay would be consolidated into one new municipality. The Town of Grand Bay and various unincorporated areas around Saint John would also be consolidated into the City of Saint John to form the second new municipality. The third municipality in this scenario would be Westfield, which would remain separate because it was more rural and less populated.[6] In this scenario, many services including water and sewerage, planning, and economic development would be regionalized across the three municipalities.

The second option offered by Cormier was a full consolidation of eight of the existing communities into one new city. In this scenario, only Westfield would remain a separate municipality.[7] Full consolidation was unpopular among residents outside the City of Saint John. Suburban residents stated generally that they were pleased with their communities as they were and that they liked their lower tax rates. As Cormier summarized it, residents "perceive Saint John as an expensive, poorly managed bureaucracy that does not serve its citizens well. They fear loss of control, loss of services, and loss of neighbourhood friendliness and sense of community."[8]

Ultimately, neither of the two options was implemented. Rather, the provincial government chose to proceed with partial consolidations and opted to legislate cost sharing for five specific regional facilities.[9] Quispamsis amalgamated on January 1, 1998 with the nearby communities of Gondola Point and Wells to form the present town, covering an area of 60 km2 and bordering the town of Rothesay to the southwest with the Hammond River along its northeastern boundary.

Occasional discussion about the possibility of further amalgamating Rothesay with Quispamsis has not proceeded beyond the discussion phase,[10] though the two municipalities do collaborate extensively to share services and facilities.[11] Notably, both towns' boundaries were also left largely unaltered by the 2023 New Brunswick local governance reform.[12]

Demographics

[edit]

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Quispamsis had a population of 18,768 living in 6,855 of its 6,985 total private dwellings, a change of 2.9% from its 2016 population of 18,245. With a land area of 56.97 km2 (22.00 sq mi), it had a population density of 329.4/km2 (853.2/sq mi) in 2021.[13]

Historical population
YearPop.±%
19816,022—    
19867,185+19.3%
19918,446+17.6%
19968,839+4.7%
YearPop.±%
200113,757+55.6%
200615,239+10.8%
201117,886+17.4%
201618,245+2.0%
Source: Statistic Canada[14][15]
Panethnic groups in the Town of Quispamsis (2001−2021)
Panethnic group 2021[16] 2016[17] 2011[18] 2006[19] 2001[20]
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
European[b] 17,170 92.94% 17,095 95.21% 16,780 95.07% 14,980 98.29% 13,455 97.85%
East Asian[c] 490 2.65% 315 1.75% 305 1.73% 40 0.26% 40 0.29%
Indigenous 275 1.49% 240 1.34% 195 1.1% 45 0.3% 70 0.51%
African 230 1.24% 150 0.84% 170 0.96% 45 0.3% 95 0.69%
South Asian 125 0.68% 50 0.28% 90 0.51% 55 0.36% 45 0.33%
Southeast Asian[d] 75 0.41% 20 0.11% 30 0.17% 20 0.13% 0 0%
Latin American 30 0.16% 20 0.11% 40 0.23% 50 0.33% 30 0.22%
Middle Eastern[e] 10 0.05% 45 0.25% 50 0.28% 10 0.07% 20 0.15%
Other/multiracial[f] 75 0.41% 35 0.19% 0 0% 0 0% 20 0.15%
Total responses 18,475 98.44% 17,955 98.41% 17,650 98.38% 15,240 100.01% 13,750 99.95%
Total population 18,768 100% 18,245 100% 17,941 100% 15,239 100% 13,757 100%
Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses

Parks

[edit]

There are a number of recreational parks in the area. Parks open at dawn and closed at dusk. Parks include:

Arts and Culture Park (12 Landing Court) – includes walking trails, WiFi, picnic/chess tables, benches, stage and mezzanine. During the summer months there are outdoor movies and music free of charge and ice skating during the winter months.

Hammond River Park (28 Reynar Drive) – includes 40 acres, a fire pit, barbecue, picnic tables, hiking trails and a log cabin which is available for rent.

Off Leash Park (222 Vincent Road) – fenced-in area, trails and benches. This is an area for dog owners to let their dog run free.[citation needed]

Meenan's Cove Park (199 Model Farm Road) – includes picnic tables, barbecues, beach, boat dock, playground, ball field, walking trails and beach volleyball courts.

Ritchie Lake Park (Cedar Grove Drive) – includes picnic tables, beach and walking trails.

Quispamsis Qplex (20 Randy Jones Way) - includes two soccer fields, a baseball field, tennis courts, an arena, a swimming pool and a playground as well as many varied walking trails.

Gondola Point Beach - Gondola Point Beach is a supervised freshwater beach with changing rooms and picnic areas. It is situated on a sandbar overlooking the Kennebecasis River at the entrance to the Gondola Point Cable Ferry service in Quispamsis. In the summer of 2014 there was a section on the beach fenced off for a "dog beach".[citation needed]

Transport

[edit]

The Gondola Point Ferry, linking Quispamsis with the Kingston Peninsula, was originally installed by William Pitt and is the first underwater cable ferry in the world.[citation needed]

The COMEX bus service run by Saint John Transit runs through the Kennebecasis Valley and shuttles commuters from Quispamsis to Saint John every day, Mondays to Fridays. There are a few "park and ride" locations for commuters to leave their car for the day to take the bus into Saint John and along with other standing bus stops along the way.[21]

Education

[edit]

Quispamsis has a number of schools from grades K-12, these schools are:

School Grades
Quispamsis Elementary School K-5
Lakefield Elementary School K-5
Chris Saunders Memorial Elementary School K-5
École des Pionniers K-5
Origins Academy K-5
Valley Christian Academy K-12
Quispamsis Middle School 6-8
Kennebecasis Valley High School 9-12

Notable people

[edit]
  • Randy Jones - Former professional ice hockey player who played eight seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, Tampa Bay Lightning and Winnipeg Jets.
  • Blaine Higgs - Politician and 34th Premier of New Brunswick

See also

[edit]

Notes

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  1. ^ The name is traditionally pronounced with a weak stress on any syllable, on the first and the third syllables, or on all syllables; the pronunciation with a strong stress on the second syllable is a recent development and is found mostly in those who have never visited the town.
  2. ^ Statistic includes all persons that did not make up part of a visible minority or an indigenous identity.
  3. ^ Statistic includes total responses of "Chinese", "Korean", and "Japanese" under visible minority section on census.
  4. ^ Statistic includes total responses of "Filipino" and "Southeast Asian" under visible minority section on census.
  5. ^ Statistic includes total responses of "West Asian" and "Arab" under visible minority section on census.
  6. ^ Statistic includes total responses of "Visible minority, n.i.e." and "Multiple visible minorities" under visible minority section on census.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Profile table". Statistics Canada. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  2. ^ "About Quispamsis". Quispamsis. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  3. ^ "Quispamsis". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca.
  4. ^ "Village To Become Town". The Daily Gleaner. December 29, 1982. p. 3. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  5. ^ Finn, Jean-Guy (2008). Building Stronger Local Governments and Regions: An Action Plan for the Future of Local Governance in New Brunswick. Report of the Commissioner on the Future of Local Governance (PDF). New Brunswick. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-55471-179-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. ^ Cormier, E. F. (Skip) (1997). A Community of Communities: Creating a Stronger Future. Local Government Options for the Greater Saint John Area. New Brunswick: Department of Municipalities, Culture, and Housing. pp. 21–22.
  7. ^ Cormier, E. F. (Skip) (1997). A Community of Communities: Creating a Stronger Future. Local Government Options for the Greater Saint John Area. New Brunswick: Department of Municipalities, Culture, and Housing. p. 23.
  8. ^ E. F. (Skip), Cormier (1997). A Community of Communities: Creating a Stronger Future. Local Government Options for the Greater Saint John Area. New Brunswick: Department of Municipalities, Housing, and Culture. pp. 70–71.
  9. ^ Finn, Jean-Guy (2008). Building Stronger Local Governments and Regions: An Action Plan for the Future of Local Governance in New Brunswick. Report of the Commissioner on the Future of Local Governance (PDF). New Brunswick. p. 88. ISBN 978-1-55471-179-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  10. ^ "2 southern N.B. towns consider amalgamation". CBC.ca. January 3, 2008. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
  11. ^ Mcguire, Peter (September 18, 2010). "Time for the valley to take the plunge?". Telegraph-Journal. telegraphjournal.com. p. B1. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
  12. ^ Working together for vibrant and sustainable communities: White Paper (PDF). Fredericton, New Brunswick: Province of New Brunswick. 2021. p. 54. ISBN 978-1-4605-2957-7.
  13. ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), New Brunswick". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  14. ^ "Community highlights for Quispamsis". Community Profiles, 2006 Census. Statistics Canada. Retrieved September 21, 2008.
  15. ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census: Quispamsis, New Brunswick". Statistics Canada. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  16. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (October 26, 2022). "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  17. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (October 27, 2021). "Census Profile, 2016 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  18. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (November 27, 2015). "NHS Profile". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  19. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (August 20, 2019). "2006 Community Profiles". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  20. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (July 2, 2019). "2001 Community Profiles". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  21. ^ "Public Transit". Town of Quispamsis. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
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