Welcoming Amalgamated Areas into Fredericton’s Municipal Plan

About the Project

In 2021, the Government of New Brunswick announced the Local Governance Reform (LGR) project, with the goal of improving and modernizing the governance structure in the province, and taking steps towards more consistent land-use planning across New Brunswick. As part of this process, several boundaries were re-drawn, resulting in a reduction of governance entities, from 340 to 89 (77 local governments and 12 rural districts).

For Fredericton, the LGR process resulted in municipal boundaries being expanded in 2023, welcoming approximately 4,500 new residents to the city. The expanded boundaries include communities in parts of Douglas, Killarney, Pepper Creek and Estey’s Bridge, as well as the Fredericton International Airport and the Fredericton Region Solid Waste facility.

While these communities are now part of Fredericton, the nine planning documents and land-use regulations that existed before the boundary changes have continued to apply. This project will bring those documents together under Fredericton's planning framework and create a more coordinated approach to land-use planning across the municipality.

The project aims to ensure that planning decisions reflect the needs, opportunities, and unique characteristics of Fredericton’s neighbourhoods. Aligning policies and regulations will help guide the use, development, and conservation of land over time. The result will be a clear and consistent vision for the municipality's present and future. The integration of the land-use documents has also been mandated by the Province, to be completed no later than January 2028.

The current plans for the amalgamated areas include:

• Douglas Planning Area Rural Plan Regulation – Community Planning Act (2004)
• Noonan Lower St Mary’s Planning Area Rural Plan Regulation – Community Planning Act (2012)
• Hanwell Rural Plan (2022)
• Estey’s Bridge - Planning Area Rural Plan Regulation – Community Planning Act (2022)
• Kingsclear Planning Area Rural Plan Regulation – Community Planning Act (2006)
• Lincoln Local Service District Rural Plan Regulation – Community Planning Act (2012)
• Nashwaak Valley Planning Area Rural Plan Regulation – Community Planning Act (2008)
• Rusagonis-Waasis Planning Area Rural Plan Regulation - Community Planning Act (2014)
• New Maryland Parish Planning Area Rural Plan Regulation - Community Planning Act (2005)

Get Involved:

Your local knowledge and perspective are incredibly important to this project!

Community engagement will be an essential part of the process, providing opportunities for residents across Fredericton to share ideas, ask questions, and help shape policies that reflect local needs and priorities.

Sign up to receive project updates and visit the project website regularly to learn about upcoming engagement opportunities and project milestones.

More details about community engagement opportunities to come in early September 2026.