Belledune, New Brunswick

Belledune (2006 population: 1,711) is a Canadian village in Gloucester County, New Brunswick.

Located on Chaleur Bay, the village was amalgamated in 1994 with the community of Jacquet River. Belledune's population meets the requirements for "Town" status under the Municipalities Act of the Province of New Brunswick but it has not requested a change in municipal status.

The village was first settled by Francois Guitard in 1799, and settlers from the Miramichi Valley moved to Belledune after the 1825 Great Miramichi Fire.

Belledune underwent unprecedented development during the cold war (1960's) when a major regional port was built to service various industries on the north shore of New Brunswick. The first major industrial projects at the port included a lead and zinc smelter and fertilizer plant, built in support of the lead and zinc mines opened south of Bathurst during the 1950s. NB Power opened the Belledune Generating Station, a coal-fired thermal generating station, at the port in 1993. A soil remediation plant was built by Bennett Environmental in 2005-2006 however its future is uncertain. The high concentration of heavy industries has led to health concerns regarding emissions in the area.

External links

* [http://www.belledune.com Village of Belledune]