New Brunswick

New Brunswick is a beautiful province in Canada that borders Quebec, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Nova Scotia, the Bay of Fundy, and the U.S. state of Maine. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and is mostly covered in forests, with the northern part home to the Appalachian mountains. The climate here brings snowy winters and warm summers.

Many people live in cities such as Moncton, Saint John, and Fredericton. New Brunswick is special because it is the only Canadian province where both English and French are official languages, allowing people to use either language for government services. About two-thirds of the people speak English, and one-third speak French, known locally as Acadian French.

The land of New Brunswick has been home to the Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqiyik, and Passamaquoddy First Nations for generations. In 1604, the area became part of New France with the founding of Port-Royal in nearby Nova Scotia. Over time, it changed hands between France and Britain until it became a British colony in 1784, after many people loyal to Britain arrived following the American Revolution. New Brunswick joined Canada in 1867.

Today, New Brunswick’s economy includes services, construction, and natural resources. Tourism is also important, with popular spots like the Hopewell Rocks and Fundy National Park attracting visitors from around the world.

Etymology

New Brunswick was named in 1784 to honor George III, who was the King of Great Britain and the King of Ireland. Before it became New Brunswick, the area was briefly called New Ireland in April 1784. The name was changed to New Brunswick later that year when the province was officially created.

History

Main article: History of New Brunswick

Further information: Monarchy in New Brunswick § History

Indigenous societies

Main article: Indigenous peoples in New Brunswick

People have lived in New Brunswick for about 10,000 years. The land was home to three groups: the Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqiyik, and Passamaquoddy. Many place names come from their Eastern Algonquian languages.

Acadia and Nova Scotia (1604–1784)

Main articles: Acadia and New France

Europeans first explored New Brunswick in 1534. Acadia, a French colony, began in 1604. Life was hard, and the colony moved several times. The Mi’kmaq helped the French survive. Over time, French settlers built homes along rivers and coasts. Conflicts with British forces were common.

British colony of New Brunswick (1784–1867)

New Brunswick became a British colony in 1784. Many people from the United States moved there after independence. The colony grew slowly, with forests providing important resources like timber. By the mid-1800s, New Brunswick’s population increased with immigrants from Ireland and Scotland.

Canadian province (1867–present)

New Brunswick joined Canada in 1867. The economy faced challenges, but new industries developed. In the 1960s, efforts began to improve services for French-speaking people. Today, New Brunswick is officially bilingual, offering services in both English and French. The province’s flag, featuring a lion and ship, was adopted in 1965. In recent years, New Brunswick has seen changes in local government and leadership.

Geography

Main article: Geography of New Brunswick

New Brunswick is a province in Canada that is roughly square in shape. It shares borders with Quebec to the north, the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the east, the Bay of Fundy to the south, and the U.S. state of Maine to the west. The southeast corner of New Brunswick connects to Nova Scotia at the isthmus of Chignecto.

The climate in New Brunswick can be quite severe, with colder winters than in other nearby areas. It has a humid continental climate, with slightly milder winters along the coast near the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Some northern parts have a subarctic climate.

New Brunswick is mostly covered in forests, with many types of trees and plants. The province is home to animals such as bobcats, Canada lynx, black bears, moose, and white-tailed deer. Some plants, like Fiddlehead greens from the Ostrich fern, are also found there.

The land in New Brunswick has many different types of rocks and was shaped by glaciers in the past. The highest point in the province is Mount Carleton, which stands at 817 meters (2,680 feet) tall.

See also: Climate change in New Brunswick

See also: List of birds of New Brunswick

Demographics

Main articles: Demographics of New Brunswick and List of people from New Brunswick

In 2021, New Brunswick had a population of 775,610 people, which was a 3.8% increase since 2016. It is one of the smaller provinces in Canada and the third-least populated. The province has 10.9 people for every square kilometre, making it the fourth most crowded province, after Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. By September 2025, the population was estimated to be about 869,682.

New Brunswick has many people living in small towns and countryside areas. Most of the people live in three big areas in the south: Greater Moncton with 157,717 people, Greater Saint John with 130,613 people, and Greater Fredericton with 108,610 people.

Ethnicity

In 2001, the most common groups of people were British (40%), French Canadian and Acadian (31%), Irish (18%), other European (7%), First Nations (3%), and Asian Canadian (2%). People could choose more than one group.

Language

In 2021, most people spoke English (91.94%) or French (41.86%). Other languages spoken included Spanish, Arabic, Tagalog, and Hindi. Both English and French are official languages in New Brunswick, and government services are available in both languages. About two-thirds of people speak English, and one-third speak French. Recently, more people have been able to speak both languages.

Religion

According to the 2021 census, most people in New Brunswick were Christian (67.5%), while almost 30% had no religion. Other groups included Islam (1.2%), Hinduism (0.4%), and smaller numbers of people following Sikhism, Buddhism, Indigenous Spirituality, and Judaism. In 2011, most people were Christian, with many being Roman Catholic, Baptist, United Church of Canada, or Anglican.

Economy

New Brunswick's economy includes many jobs in making things and providing services. People work in factories, building, helping others, fixing things, and taking care of health. One big family, the Irving Group, owns many important businesses in the province, like farms, forests, food processing, moving things by train or truck, news, oil, and building ships.

The United States buys most of what New Brunswick makes. In 2014, almost all of the things sold to other countries, worth about $13 billion, went to the United States. The most important things sold were refined oil, seafood like lobster, paper, and sawmill products.

Primary sector

Many people in New Brunswick work in farming. They grow crops like potatoes, apples, cranberries, and maple syrup. They also raise animals like cows, chickens, and goats. New Brunswick is a big place for growing wild blueberries.

About 85 to 90% of New Brunswick is covered in forests. Forestry used to be very important but changed over time. Today, around 12,000 people work in forests, making about $437 million each year.

Mining has grown since the 1950s. Mines in New Brunswick dig up lead, zinc, copper, and potash.

Education

Main article: Education in New Brunswick

New Brunswick has public schools for children and young people, run by the provincial Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. In the 2025-2026 school year, the department cared for over 109,000 students in 295 schools. The schools are divided into seven districts, with four for English-speaking students and three for French-speaking students.

The province also has five public colleges and universities. The oldest English-language university is the University of New Brunswick. Other universities include Mount Allison University, St. Thomas University, and the Université de Moncton, which is the main French-language university in the province. There are also community colleges and some private schools and universities.

See also: List of school districts in New Brunswick

Main article: Higher education in New Brunswick

Government and politics

Government

Main article: Government of New Brunswick

New Brunswick has a government that shares power between federal and provincial levels. The federal government handles things like national defence and foreign affairs, while the provincial government takes care of areas such as health and education.

Elections happen every four years, and leaders are chosen by voting. The main political groups are the Liberal Association and the Progressive Conservative Party. There is also a smaller Green Party that has some representatives. The head of the government is called the Premier, and they lead the group with the most votes.

Politics

Main article: Politics of New Brunswick

New Brunswick has mostly been led by either the Progressive Conservative Party or the Liberal Association. Leaders, called Premiers, used to be younger when they were first elected, but this changed in 2018 when a much older leader took office.

Infrastructure

New Brunswick gets its energy from different sources. Most comes from fossil fuels, but there is also power from water, nuclear energy, and other renewable sources. The province’s main power company, NB Power, runs many power stations using these different sources.

Everyone in New Brunswick can use government-funded healthcare. They can visit doctors or hospitals with their Medicare card, whether they live in New Brunswick or another province. The healthcare system is split into two networks to serve people across the province. It’s important for people to have a family doctor, but finding one has become harder recently. There is a system called Patient Connect NB to help match people with doctors, though many are still waiting for one. Some health services, like dentists and private clinics, are not covered by the government.

Transportation

See also: Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (New Brunswick), List of New Brunswick provincial highways, and List of airports in New Brunswick

The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure looks after roads, bridges, and ferries in New Brunswick. The Trans-Canada Highway passes through the province from Edmundston to Fredericton, Moncton, and then to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

Regional public transportation

See also: Category:Transit agencies in New Brunswick

New Brunswick has several public transportation services. Four cities have their own city bus services: Fredericton Transit in Fredericton, Codiac Transpo in Moncton, Saint John Transit in Saint John, and Miramichi Transit in Miramichi. Some areas are also served by Maritime Bus, a coach service.

Ferry

Many places along the Saint John River have ferries run by the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure. These connect Greater Saint John to the Kingston Peninsula and link the mainland to islands. The province also uses Coastal Transport Limited, which runs ferries including one between Blacks Harbour and Grand Manan Island. Bay Ferries runs the MV Fundy Rose, connecting Saint John to Digby, Nova Scotia.

Rail

Via Rail operates the Ocean service from Montreal to Halifax, stopping at Campbellton, Charlo, Jacquet River, Petit Rocher, Bathurst, Miramichi, Rogersville, Moncton, and Sackville.

Canadian National Railway runs freight trains on the same route and also between Moncton and Saint John. The New Brunswick Southern Railway, part of J. D. Irving Limited, together with Eastern Maine Railway, connects Saint John to Brownville Junction, Maine.

Cities, towns, villages, counties and parishes

New Brunswick has 8 cities, 30 towns, and 21 villages, which are organized into 15 counties and 152 parishes. The counties are named Albert, Carleton, Charlotte, Gloucester, Kent, Kings, Madawaska, Northumberland, Queens, Restigouche, Saint John, Sunbury, Victoria, Westmorland, and York.

The capital city of New Brunswick is Fredericton. The biggest city by population is Moncton, and the largest city by land area is Saint John. Other cities include Dieppe, Miramichi, Edmundston, Bathurst, and Campbellton.

Culture

New Brunswick has many special places to visit, like old forts and museums. One famous museum is the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John, which has been around since 1842.

The province has talented musicians and theaters. Symphony New Brunswick and the Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada perform all over. There are also many theaters, such as Theatre New Brunswick and the Capitol theatre in Moncton.

New Brunswick is also home to beautiful art galleries. The Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton has thousands of artworks, including pieces by famous artists. Mount Allison University in Sackville has a long history of art education and its own gallery, the Owens Art Gallery, which is the oldest university art gallery in Canada. The province has many other art spaces and artists too.

New Brunswick has produced many famous writers. Julia Catherine Beckwith was Canada's first published novelist, and poet Bliss Carman was one of Canada’s earliest internationally famous writers. Antonine Maillet won an important French literary prize, and many other talented authors call New Brunswick home. The Fiddlehead, Canada’s oldest literary magazine, began at the University of New Brunswick in 1945.

Media

See also: List of television stations in New Brunswick and List of radio stations in New Brunswick

New Brunswick has four daily newspapers. Three are in English, and one is in French. The newspapers are the Telegraph-Journal in Saint John, the Times & Transcript in Moncton, The Daily Gleaner in Fredericton, and L'Acadie Nouvelle in Caraquet.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation provides television and radio for English speakers in Fredericton. Télévision de Radio-Canada is for French speakers and is based in Moncton. CTV and Global also have stations in New Brunswick. There are 34 radio stations in the province, broadcasting in English or French.