Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, is a quaint village nestled in Hants County, in the heart of Canada's Nova Scotia province. As of 2021, this charming community is home to 411 residents. The village's name, Shubenacadie, originates from the Mi'kmaw word Sipekne'katik, meaning "place abounding in groundnuts" or "place where the wapato grows." This region, historically known as the Sipekne'katik region, once covered a vast stretch of central Nova Scotia.
The history of Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, dates back to 1699 when Father Louis-Pierre Thury attempted to gather the Mi'kmaq of Peninsular Nova Scotia into a single settlement around Shubenacadie. However, it wasn't until the Dummer's War between 1722–1725 that a permanent mission was established in Shubenacadie by Antoine Gaulin, a Quebec-born missionary.
The Shubenacadie mission, dedicated to Saint Anne, symbolizes the spirit of accommodation between the French and the Mi'kmaq. The mission served as a military base during Dummer's War and King George's War, and was a staging point for Mi'kmaw warriors during Father Le Loutre's War. However, by October 1755, during the French and Indian War, the mission appears to have been destroyed.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Shubenacadie part A had a population of 401 living in 176 of its 191 total private dwellings. Shubenacadie part B had a population of 10 living in 6 of its 7 total private dwellings.
Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, is known for its connection to the Minas Basin via the Shubenacadie River, which experiences a tidal bore on each incoming high tide. The area is recognized for having the world's highest tides. Visitors can hire boats and guides to travel the tidal bore up the Shubenacadie River during the summer months.
The Shubenacadie Wildlife Park, operated by the provincial Department of Natural Resources, houses animals native to Nova Scotia, including black bears and moose, as well as several non-native species. The community also boasts a small museum, the Tinsmith Museum and Craft Shop, and the Atlantic Motorsport Park, one of North America's only full-time road racing tracks operated entirely by volunteers.
Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, was the location of the Shubenacadie Indian Residential School, the only Indian residential school in Atlantic Canada. Operated from 1923 to 1967 by two Roman Catholic orders, the school building was destroyed in a fire in 1986. Nora Bernard, a Mi'kmaw activist and former student of the school, later initiated the largest class action lawsuit in Canadian history, seeking compensation for an estimated 79,000 former students of the Canadian Indian residential school system.
