Haut-Madawaska
Haut-Madawaska is a town in the New Brunswick Panhandle, Canada, formed by amalgamating the previous incorporated rural community of the same name with the village of Lac Baker. The town includes the former incorporated villages of Lac Baker, Baker-Brook, Clair, Saint-François-de-Madawaska and Saint-Hilaire.
Revised census figures for the new town have not been released; 2021 figures are for the rural community.
History
In a 2016 plebiscite, the residents of five local service districts, part of a sixth local service district and four villages voted 493 to 299 in favour of incorporating a new rural community under the name of Haut-Madawaska. The incorporation took effect July 1, 2017. The plebiscite was the second in as many years. In 2015, a similar plebiscite was held that also included a fifth village, Lac Baker. The residents of all communities involved voted in favour of incorporation as a rural community with the exception of Lac Baker's residents, thereby defeating the proposal. As a result of the 2023 New Brunswick local governance reform, Lac Baker was amalgamated with the rest of Haut-Madawaska in 2023.Economy
The region's economy is focused on two industry sectors with some of the main players outlined below:1) Food industry
- Groupe Westco
- Sunnymel
- Les Industries Corriveau
- JD Irving Hardwoods
- Waska
- JMN Enterprises
- Fiready
- Canusa Cedar