Quispamsis

History

The region was initially inhabited by the Wolastoqiyik First Nation, who were members of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The name "Quispamsis" was derived from the Wolastoqey language, signifying "little lake in the woods," possibly referring specifically to the present-day Ritchie Lake. 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. 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 the Frank McKenna's Liberals targeting six geographic areas: Edmunston, Campbellton, Dalhousie, Miramichi, Moncton, and Saint John. In each instance, a panel composed of local representatives and expert consulting staff made specific recommendations for each urban-centred region. 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, and Rothesay) plus the local service district of the Parish of Rothesay would be consolidated into one new municipality. The Town of Grand Bay and…