Tantramar, New Brunswick Explained

Tantramar
Settlement Type:Town
Pushpin Map:New Brunswick
Pushpin Label Position:left
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within New Brunswick
Pushpin Mapsize:250
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Canada
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:New Brunswick
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Westmorland
Subdivision Type3:Regional service commission
Subdivision Name3:Southeast
Seat Type:Federal electoral district
Seat:Beauséjour
Parts Type:Provincial electoral district
Parts:Memramcook-Tantramar
Government Type:Town council
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Andrew Black
Leader Title1:MP
Leader Name1:Dominic LeBlanc (L)
Leader Title2:MLA
Leader Name2:Megan Mitton Green Party of New Brunswick
Established Title:Incorporated
Established Date:January 1, 2023
Established Title2:Population
Established Date2:14,545 (2023)
Timezone:AST
Utc Offset:-4
Timezone Dst:ADT
Utc Offset Dst:-3
Coordinates:45.9°N -64.3667°W
Elevation M:Sea level to 32
Elevation Ft:0 to 105
Postal Code Type:Postal code(s)
Postal Code:E4L
Area Code:506
Blank Name:Telephone Exchange
Blank Info:360, 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.

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[23]

Notable people

See main article: List of people from Westmorland County, New Brunswick.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Local Governments Establishment Regulation – Local Governance Act . Government of New Brunswick . January 15, 2023 . August 30, 2022.
  2. Web site: The Community Health Centre. Sackville Memorial Hospital Foundation. 2 November 2012.
  3. News: Tantramar Veterans Memorial Civic Centre Town of Sackville. Town of Sackville. en-US. 2017-01-17.
  4. http://www.sackville.com/community/tantramar_veterans_memorial_civic_centre/ Town website arena bio
  5. Web site: Owens Art Gallery. Mount Allison University. 2 November 2012.
  6. Web site: About Us. 2 November 2012.
  7. Web site: 2008 Cultural Capitals of Canada. Canadian Heritage. 2 November 2012.
  8. Web site: Sackville Arts Wall Town of Sackville Official Website. 2022-02-20. Town of Sackville. en-US.
  9. Web site: Centres. 2022-02-10. Atlantis. en-US.
  10. Web site: Sappyfest Is Atlantic Canada's Best Kept Secret Music Festival. 2022-02-14. www.vice.com. August 11, 2014 . en.
  11. Web site: Covered Bridges. Transportation & infrastructure. October 12, 2011 . NB Government. 8 May 2017.
  12. Web site: Cranewoodonmain - About. 2021-11-09. Cranewood.
  13. Web site: HistoricPlaces.ca - HistoricPlaces.ca. 2022-02-19. www.historicplaces.ca.
  14. News: March 19, 2015. Mount Allison University's 2 well-known swans die. CBC.ca. February 19, 2022.
  15. Web site: Tantramar Heritage Trust : Boultenhouse Heritage Centre. heritage.tantramar.com. 2018-11-29.
  16. Web site: HistoricPlaces.ca - HistoricPlaces.ca. 2022-02-20. www.historicplaces.ca.
  17. News: Weldon. Tori. April 12, 2021. A century-long run comes to a close for Sackville Harness shop. CBC.ca. February 19, 2022.
  18. Web site: Historic Sites: 20th Century: Vogue Cinema. heritage.tantramar.com. 2018-11-29.
  19. Web site: Weldon . Tori . Tallest building on Sackville skyline is now a huge freezer . CBC . 2 July 2019.
  20. Web site: Miller. Geordie. From 14-Storey Berry Freezer to Public Video-Art Venue. 2022-02-10. Canadian Art. en-US.
  21. Web site: History Fort Beauséjour – Fort Cumberland National Historic Site . January 22, 2024 . Government of Canada. November 21, 2022 .
  22. Web site: About Us. The Argosy. 2 November 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121106101730/http://argosy.mta.ca/index.php?q=content%2Fabout-argosy. 6 November 2012.
  23. Web site: Collection – Owens Art Gallery . 2022-03-30 . en-US.
  24. Web site: About Us. CHMA. 2 November 2012.