Shippagan, a quaint town nestled within Shippegan Parish, Gloucester County, New Brunswick, is a Canadian gem that has retained its original English spelling. The town officially adopted the colloquial French spelling on 1 July 1981 and was significantly enlarged on 1 January 2023, when it amalgamated with Le Goulet and parts of seven local service districts.
Shippagan is situated in the northeastern part of the Acadian Peninsula. A combination bridge-causeway connects the town with Lamèque Island to the northeast. The peninsula, approximately 5 km long and at maximum 5 km wide, is bordered on the northwest by Shippagan Bay, to the north by Shippagan harbour, to the east by the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, and to the west by St Simon's Bay. The town is predominantly Francophone, with approximately 99% of the residents speaking French.
Founded in 1790 by Jean Mallet and Marie Josephte Duguay from Paspébiac, Quebec, and the Robichaux family from Bonaventure, Quebec, Shippagan was a result of the expansion of the Charles Robin Company. The town's location made it an ideal spot for fishing, its first economic product, and exporting timber from further inland. Shippagan is also home to campuses of the Université de Moncton and New Brunswick Community College. In May 2021, Shippagan made history by electing the first black mayor of any town in New Brunswick.
The name Shippagan originates from the Mi'kmaq Sepagun-chiche, which roughly translates as "Ducks' transit route". This name described the immediate region rather than the specific location of the current settlement. The name Shippagan first appeared in writing in 1656 when Ignatius of Paris, a Capucine missionary, wrote to his superiors recommending the establishment of missionary posts, one of which he called "Cibaguensi", a Latinised form of Shippagan. By the twenty-first century, the name had settled on "Town of Shippagan", which was officially reduced to "Shippagan" on September 9, 2009.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Shippagan had a population of 2,672 living in 1,197 of its 1,274 total private dwellings, a change of 3.6% from its 2016 population of 2,580. With a land area of 9.96 km2, it had a population density of 268.3/km2 in 2021.
On August 15, 2019, the town of Shippagan was granted a coat of arms by the Canadian Heraldic Authority. The announcement of the Letters Patent was made on March 28, 2020, in Volume 154, page 692 of the Canada Gazette.
