New Brunswick's Unique Administrative System

The Canadian province of New Brunswick has 15 counties according to the Territorial Divisions Act of New Brunswick. In 1784, New Brunswick was separated from Nova Scotia and established as its own colony. The following year, the colony was divided into eight counties: Charlotte, Kings, Northumberland, Queens, Saint John, Sunbury, Westmorland, and York. County municipalities ceased to function in 1966, and their councils were dissolved. However, these counties continue to define regional communities and are used as census divisions.

New Brunswick's 15 counties

The Canadian province of New Brunswick has 15 counties according to the Territorial Divisions Act of New Brunswick. In 1784, New Brunswick was separated from Nova Scotia and established as its own colony. The following year, the colony was divided into eight counties: Charlotte, Kings, Northumberland, Queens, Saint John, Sunbury, Westmorland, and York.

Albert County was formed from Westmorland, Kent County from the southern part of Northumberland, Gloucester from the northeast of Northumberland, and Restigouche, which was formed along the river of the same name from Northumberland and York. Victoria and Carleton Counties were also carved out of York, while Madawaska was separated from Victoria in 1873.

County municipalities ceased to function in 1966, and their councils were dissolved. However, they continue to be used as census divisions and are important for registration and residents' sense of place. They are also used to define regional communities and appear on some maps.

County municipalities ceased to function in 1966

The Canadian province of New Brunswick has 15 counties, according to the Territorial Divisions Act of New Brunswick. These counties continue to define a regional community, even though they are former counties.

In 1966, the county municipalities ceased to function and their councils were dissolved. This was due to the reorganization of local government legislation contained in the Robichaud government's reforms, collectively called the New Brunswick Equal Opportunity program.

The reforms were a response to the situation in the 1960s, where the province was a patchwork of incorporated cities, towns, villages, local improvement districts, and local administrative commissions. Under this system, many public services, including healthcare, social services, and education, were provided by county governments. Underfunded poor counties were stuck in a "perpetual cycle of poverty".

The reforms eliminated county governments and led to the centralization of many of their powers. No other form of regional local government replaced the counties. Instead, many small village municipalities were created, with the surrounding predominantly rural areas remaining unincorporated.

Counties are divided into civil parishes

The Canadian province of New Brunswick has 15 counties as per the Territorial Divisions Act of New Brunswick. In 1784, New Brunswick was established as its own colony, separating from Nova Scotia. The following year, the colony was divided into eight counties: Charlotte, Kings, Northumberland, Queens, Saint John, Sunbury, Westmorland, and York.

Counties are further divided into civil parishes, which are usually encountered as census districts. These civil parishes are different from ecclesiastical parishes and are not associated with the Church. Civil parishes are typically administered by parish councils, which are responsible for various local tasks such as maintaining allotments, parks, playgrounds, pavements, and litter collection. Parish councils also act as a channel for local opinion to be conveyed to larger local government bodies.

In the context of New Brunswick, civil parishes are used along with counties for real estate registration and census divisions. They are an integral part of the Province's cultural fabric, with most citizens being aware of the county they reside in.

County lines were strategically drawn to align with watersheds

The Canadian province of New Brunswick has 15 counties as outlined in the Territorial Divisions Act of New Brunswick. In 1784, the British divided Nova Scotia at the Chignecto Isthmus, naming the west and north portion New Brunswick. In the following year, the new colony was divided into eight counties: Charlotte, Kings, Northumberland, Queens, Saint John, Sunbury, Westmorland, and York.

The county lines were strategically drawn to align with the watersheds, a logical decision given that New Brunswick's settlements were developed along waterways. The counties could also be divided into three groups: the Bay of Fundy, the Saint John River, and the North Shore. The West Fundy Watershed, for example, feeds Passamaquoddy Bay and the Fundy Isles from the edge of the Saint John watershed to the southwest. It provides drinking water to 6 of New Brunswick's 15 counties.

County boundary changes and maps

The Canadian province of New Brunswick has 15 counties according to the Territorial Divisions Act of New Brunswick. These counties are former county municipalities that ceased to function in 1966 due to the New Brunswick Equal Opportunity program reforms. However, they continue to be significant to the province's cultural fabric and are used as census divisions.

1759

In 1759, the territory of what is now New Brunswick was part of the colony of Nova Scotia and was separated into counties for the first time. All territory north of Kings County, including present-day New Brunswick, was established as Cumberland County.

1765

On April 30, 1765, the Saint John River valley was separated from Cumberland County and established as Sunbury County.

1770

On May 24, 1770, a boundary was established between Cumberland and Sunbury Counties. Sunbury County's western boundary started at the head of the St. Croix River and overlapped with a portion of Maine's territory.

1784

In June 1784, New Brunswick became a separate colony from Nova Scotia.

1785

The new colony of New Brunswick was divided into eight counties: Charlotte, Kings, Northumberland, Queens, Saint John (or St. John), Sunbury, Westmorland, and York.

1786

The first session of the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly was held in January 1786, where they passed an act to establish and confirm the boundaries of the counties. The council relied on two maps by Joseph Frederick Wallet DesBarres from 1780 as a reference for the new boundaries.

1873

Over time, new counties were carved out of the original eight. Albert County was created from Westmorland, Kent County from the southern part of Northumberland, Gloucester from the northeast of Northumberland, and Restigouche from Northumberland and York. Victoria and Carleton Counties were also formed from York. Madawaska County was separated from Victoria County in 1873.

Maps

Several maps are available that show the county boundaries of New Brunswick at different points in time. The Provincial Archives of New Brunswick (PANB) provides maps of the counties as of 1786, 1827, 1832, 1838, 1845, 1850, and 1873 to the present.

Additionally, the following maps and gazetteers can be useful in understanding the county boundaries and changes over time:

• John Lovell's Canadian Dominion Directory for 1871 provides the township and county of each community as of that year.
• Terence Punch's Genealogist's Handbook for Atlantic Canada Research includes a historical overview of the province and a county outline map with creation dates and parent counties.
• "Map Showing the Electoral Divisions of the Dominion of Canada," Illustrated Atlas of the Dominion of Canada, contains maps corresponding to the 1881 census for Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.
• Maps of Acadia (including New Brunswick) from 1604-1755 and a map for 1860 define boundaries over time.
• The Electoral Atlas of the Dominion of Canada from 1894 has maps showing electoral districts matching the 1901 census.
• Gazetteer of Canada, New Brunswick, 1956 provides modern and historical place names and locations approved by the Canadian Board on Geographic Names.
• Alan Rayburn's Geographical Names of New Brunswick, 1975, gives the location and meaning of over 15,000 place names in the province.
• William B. Hamilton's Place Names of Atlantic Canada, 1996, contains over 2,000 place names in New Brunswick and surrounding provinces, including origin, meaning, and historical highlights.
• Marc A. Schindler's Administrative Atlas of Canada, 1988, includes maps of 1991 township, county, and district boundaries, along with a gazetteer of major towns.

Furthermore, the New Brunswick GenWeb Project provides links to County GenWeb pages with maps showing civil parishes, and the Association of Canadian Map Libraries and Archives offers historic maps with downloadable replicas.

Frequently asked questions