Shediac, N.B., seeks to balance rapid growth with small town character

Shediac, N.B., is looking to balance its rapid growth with its small town charm.

As condominium and apartment developments continue to spring up across Shediac, N.B., a conversation is emerging about managing rapid growth while maintaining the town’s unique character.

“If you look over the last 20-something years, the population has more than doubled, which is kind of impressive growth. Since the pandemic, we’ve seen a lot of growth, mind you, all of Southeast Brunswick has seen a lot. When you look at Greater Moncton, even outskirts, we benefit from that, but we have something that Greater Moncton can’t offer, we have the lovely shore right next to us” says Mayor Roger Caissie.

Shediac recently gained a completed structure in the downtown core that features commercial space.

“A new building signifies growth,” Caissie said. “And without growth, a municipality will struggle financially. Businesses are seeing more traffic, more clients, especially during the off seasons. We’re seeing that sustained growth that will fuel our businesses.”

Sam Belliveau, who opened a gym in Shediac 15 months ago with her partner, Max, echoes the positive sentiment.

“We came here, and it’s bilingual. It is a little bit more quiet during winter, but I think that’s what really makes you appreciate the downtime,” she says. “It’s kind of like a mini-city. It’s growing so fast and in such a beautiful way because I feel people that come here are very at peace with having the ocean right here in your backyard and having a lot of friendly faces, a lot of local places as well.”

One retired couple, who requested anonymity, relocated from Newfoundland to Shediac two years ago and expressed concerns about the pace of development.

“I think we were drawn to it because it was a small town, had a small-town feel,” they said. “And now with the major infrastructure developments and what I would call poor planning and lack of infrastructure to support its growth… it’s still struggling with those things. For that reason, we just decided to move to another small town that actually has that and has a better plan.”

Caissie remains optimistic, highlighting the diversification of the community.

“We used to see a lot of folks in the northern part of the province coming down; that’s essentially gone. And since the new migration is international migration, you’re seeing a lot of different cultures… More diversity is a good thing, it can’t be bad,” he explains.

Caissie points to infrastructure improvements as evidence of the town’s ability to manage its growth.

“We tore up Main Street twice coming into town, but we’re done… that stuff that had needed to be done for the last 15 to 20 years… it’s allowed us to invest in our community and we’ll be able to continue to invest in our community in order to make everybody’s lives better.”

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