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Quispamsis | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Quispamsis Town Hall | |
 Flag  Seal  Coat of arms | |
| Nickname: Quispam | |
| Motto: | |
  Quispamsis | |
| Coordinates:45°25′56″N65°56′46″W / 45.43216°N 65.94621°W /45.43216; -65.94621 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | New Brunswick |
| County | Kings County |
| Parish | Rothesay Parish |
| Firstsettled | c. 1783 |
| Incorporated (village) | 1966 |
| Incorporated (town) | December 22, 1982 |
| Electoral Districts Federal | Saint John-Kennebecasis |
| Provincial | Quispamsis |
| Government | |
| • Type | Town Council |
| • Mayor | Libby O'Hara |
| • Councillors | List of Members
|
| • MP | Wayne Long (LPC) |
| • MLA | Aaron Kennedy (Lib) |
| Area | |
| • Land | 56.97 km2 (22.00 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
• Total | 18,768 |
| • Density | 329.4/km2 (853/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | Quispammer, Pammer |
| Time zone | UTC-4 (AST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-3 (ADT) |
| Canadian postal code | |
| Area code | 506 |
| Telephone Exchanges | 847, 848, 849 |
| NTS Map | 021H05 |
| GNBC Code | DAVTW |
| Website | quispamsis |
Quispamsis (/kwɪs.pæm.sɪs/,[a] sometimes shortened toQuispam/kwɪsˈpæm/) is a suburban town located inKings County,New Brunswick, Canada. Located withinSaint John'smetropolitan area, it borders the town ofRothesay to form theKennebecasis Valley and is located along the lowerKennebecasis River. As of 2021, the population of Quispamsis was 18,768.[1]
The region was initially inhabited by theMaliseetFirst Nation, who were members of theWabanaki Confederacy.[2] The name "Quispamsis" was derived from theMaliseet 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]
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 theFrank McKenna's Liberals targeting six geographic areas:Edmunston,Campbellton,Dalhousie,Miramichi,Moncton, andSaint 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, andRothesay) plus thelocal service district of theParish 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 ofGondola Point andWells to form the present town, covering an area of 60 km2 and bordering the town ofRothesay to the southwest with theHammond River along its northeastern boundary.
Occasional discussion about the possibility of further amalgamatingRothesay 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 the2023 New Brunswick local governance reform.[12]
In the2021 Census of Population conducted byStatistics Canada, Quispamsis had a population of18,768 living in6,855 of its6,985 total private dwellings, a change of2.9% from its 2016 population of18,245. With a land area of 56.97 km2 (22.00 sq mi), it had a population density of329.4/km2 (853.2/sq mi) in 2021.[13]
Historical population | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Source: Statistic Canada[14][15] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | ||||||||||
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.
Homestar Off Leash Dog Park (222 Vincent Road) – fenced-in area, trails and benches. Dogs are allowed off-leash.[21]
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.
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. A section of the beach is fenced off to allow dogs off-leash.[22]
TheGondola Point Ferry, linking Quispamsis with theKingston Peninsula, was originally installed byWilliam Pitt and is the first underwatercable ferry in the world.[23]
The COMEX bus service run bySaint 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.[24]
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 |
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