Charlotte County Riding Gets New Name

A southwestern New Brunswick provincial Legislative Assembly electoral district has a new name. Charlotte-Campobello will now be known as Saint Croix. 

Government House Leader Rick Doucet says it's important that a riding name is inclusive to the area it represents.  He says three ridings, including the one he represents, Fundy-The Isles-Saint John West, had their names changed following the final report of the Electoral Boundaries Commission in 2014 to make them more representative of their regions.  Doucet says Tourism, Heritage and Culture Minister John Ames'  request for Saint Croix as a riding name better characterizes the area he represents.

Ames says electoral district names are usually geographic in nature, and are chosen to represent the community or region within the district’s boundaries. A district’s name can be changed between traditional boundary reviews to ensure the name reflects a community’s interests and identity. In this case, Ames says the Saint Croix watershed is significant to the region's history and landscape. Maine and New Brunswick share the St. Croix, which at 1620 square miles is the longest stretch of freshwater US/Canada boundary east of the Great Lakes.

Charlotte-Campobello was created as Western Charlotte in 1994 by merging the old districts of Charlotte West and St. Stephen-Milltown, except for Deer Island and Campobello Island which became part of Fundy Isles. In 2006, the district re-added Campobello Island and the name was changed from Western Charlotte to Charlotte-Campobello. In 2013, the district expanded northward adding the McAdam area.
The district includes the Town of St. Stephen and the Town of St. Andrews. 

Ames says Elections New Brunswick is preparing updates to its digital and print maps. The Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick’s website and seating plan will also be updated to reflect the new name.

.