New to Fredericton?

Welcome to our beautiful city! We are so happy to have you. We understand it can be difficult to adjust when moving to a new city- so we've created this page to provide some valuable information to help make your transition as smooth as possible whether you're moving from a different town, province, or country!

Government

In Canada, 3 levels of government have distinct areas of responsibility for the health and safety of our citizens.

Federal: Canada is divided into 338 districts, known as ridings. New Brunswick has 10 ridings, each represented by a Member of Parliament (MP), elected every four years. You can find details about which riding you live in and who your MP is by viewing the List of Current Constituencies.

At a high level, the federal government is responsible for:

Immigration
Canada Pension Plan
Employment Insurance Benefits
Old Age Security
Criminal Law
Income Taxes
Regulations affecting industries that are national or international

Provincial: The Government of New Brunswick is elected every four years with 49 provincial ridings. Elected officials are known as Members of the Legislative Assembly, or MLA's. As the Capital of New Brunswick, Fredericton has the Legislature Building at 706 Queen Street, and many provincial departments are located here. You can find out which provincial riding you live in, and the name of your MLA by visiting the Legislative Assembly website.

Main areas of responsibility for the Provincial Government include:

Education
Health & Medicine
Labour Standards
Family Law
Social Services
Housing
Property Tax Assessment and Collection
Building and Maintaining Provincially owned roads and highways

^{Legislature Building. 706 Queen Street, Fredericton}

Municipal: The City of Fredericton is a municipal government, with elected Mayor & Council that serve for a four-year term. City Council consists of elected representatives from different areas of the city, known as wards. There are 12 wards currently represented, you can find out which you reside in and who your Councillor is by viewing our ward map.

Main areas of responsibility for Municipal Government include:

Water and Sewer Services
Recreation
Street Construction & Maintenance (plowing, filling potholes, etc.)
Fire and Police Protection
Land Use Planning & Zoning
Building Inspections
Garbage and Waste Removal
Public Transit
Animal Control

City Hall. 397 Queen Street, Fredericton

School and School Transportation

New Brunswick has two school systems managed by the Provincial Department of Education. Schools in Fredericton are part of the Anglophone West and Francophone South districts. Unless you apply for an exception, students attend the public school for which your address is zoned, in either English or French depending upon your family's needs and preferences. There are no publicly operated speciality high schools, but there are a few small private schools. You can find more information about public schools and zoning on the Provincial School Directory.

The school year starts in early September and runs until mid-June, with breaks at Christmas for two weeks and one week in March each year. Children start public school in Kindergarten of the year they turn 5 years old, and attend grades 1 through 12 after that.

Transportation to schools is offered via school bus for all students who live over 2km from their zoned schools. This information is available at The Anglophone West District page as well as the Francophone South District page.

Healthcare

To access healthcare in New Brunswick, a valid Medicare card is required. This can be obtained by contacting Service New Brunswick. Primary healthcare is provided by a family doctor or a general practitioner (GP). If you do not have a family doctor, you can find more information about how to be matched with one on the GNB website. Emergency services, as well as most speciality services, are available at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital, as well as the nearby Oromocto Public Hospital, about a 20 minute drive from Fredericton.

Shopping Districts

Fredericton has both locally owned shops and restaurants along with major chain stores and brands. The following areas of the city have the highest concentration of retail businesses:

Uptown Area: The area commonly known as “uptown” includes Prospect Street, intersected by Hanwell Road, Smythe Street and Regent Street. This area of the city is not incorporated as an organized business district, but includes lots of individual businesses as well as strip and enclosed malls. You will find a large concentration of fast-food restaurants and car dealerships intermixed with retail, sit-down restaurants and service-related businesses.

Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues

Services for New Canadians

The Fredericton Multicultural Association is an excellent resource to help with many aspects of getting settled in the city. Visit their website to see the services and information they offer.

Ignite Fredericton is a business organization that offers many services to newcomers, including workshops, information guides and more.

The Fredericton Chamber of Commerce works with established businesses in Fredericton and provides advocacy and excellent networking opportunities.

English Second Language Classes: To access a complete list of all institutions providing language training in Fredericton, use the following key words in your online search engine. Keywords: “Fredericton Language Training”. Institutions such as the University of New Brunswick – College of Extended Learning, the New Brunswick Community College network, and the Fredericton Multicultural Association are a good place to start.

Business Groups & Services

Markets

Recreation Opportunities

Volunteer Opportunities

Have Fun!