What does it mean to be in New Brunswick

Julie McDonald, Fredericton

To be in New Brunswick is to be with my family. In the year 2000, we arrived in Fredericton after a long flight from Manila.  Since then, Fredericton has been our home. Fredericton is a small yet beautiful city.

The people are friendly, they will smile and say hello. I always feel safe. I have not seen any crime committed somewhere like pickpocketing, snatching purses, theft, etc. 

I could bike to work for 35 minutes using the trailer. There are lots of bus routes to take and they are cheap. The sprawling downtown Fredericton makes a beautiful impression with its with galleries, bookstores, cafes, malls, public library and the College of Craft & Design which is the only arts and craft school here in New Brunswick.

Betty de Asis, Moncton

To live in New Brunswick where you can find the biggest lobster in the world is a great find.

Laid-back lifestyle in the countryside where everyone waves to everybody they meet is rare, something you can't find in other provinces.

Enjoying and cheering the Tim Hortons Timbits Hockey League with my four-year-old daughter who experienced the first fall on the ice rink was memorable.

It’s the only bilingual province in Canada, we have the Greater Moncton International Airport, cost of living is affordable, you have choices of property in five cities close to each other - Moncton, Bathurst, Edmunston, St. John and Miramichi. What else can you ask for?  This is my province - New Brunswick, eh?

Rosana Caballeron Harcourt N.B.

We live in a rural are 45 minutes away from Moncton city.  We love it because not only do we have fresh air, but we also have a big yard where my kids can play safely. We have nothing to worry about privacy because we have a lot of space separating us from our neighbours. We can grow our own garden and have fresh vegetables etc., we are close to the stores, school and church.

It’s a small community so we know almost everyone in the community. The people in our town are very generous and good. Everybody helps those who are in need and we can trust everyone. This is a good place to raise a family.

Maria Luisa Misa-Toyer, Fredericton

To be in New Brunswick is to embark on a drastic change in life. I immigrated here in 1997 and started working in one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers (Maclean's Magazine, October 13, 2007),  Énergie NB Power.  Ten years had passed; I still work in the same company as IT Specialist, married to a wonderful husband and now have a beautiful 2-1/2 year old daughter. We live in a nice and quiet subdivision, 10 minutes to downtown, where we work.  No major traffic.

You know how it is moving to a new location, much more to another country; it can leave us feeling isolated and vulnerable as we have left behind the pleasures, comfort and support of our circle of friendships that we have made through the years. Well, the most important thing I noticed living in New Brunswick is the fact that everybody is accepted for whom, what you are and how you look. 

The people in this province are extremely friendly and polite.  For a newcomer especially someone like me who grew up in Manila, being greeted with a ‘Hi, how are you?’ by a total stranger might make one feel uncomfortable and caught unprepared. I find this experience humorous when I was new here, I thought, why are they asking me this question?  Well, a simple “I am very well, thank you and yourself” answer will do.  Today, this response comes very naturally to me and I even initiate the question myself.  It is a nice feeling to see politeness and hospitality every single day, whether you are at work or on the street. 

I love living in New Brunswick, particularly Fredericton. If you live here, you'd be HOME!