Grand Lake Area

About the Grand Lake Area

The Grand Lake Area is a mostly rural part of New Brunswick, approximately 50 kilometres northeast of Fredericton. Given the community’s proximity to Grand Lake, the area is a popular destination with vacationers during the summer months.

Included in the Grand Lake Area are the communities of Cambridge, Cambridge-Narrows, Canning, Chipman, Cumberland Bay, Douglas Harbour, Gaspereau Forks, Jemseg, Mill Cove, Minto, Northfield, Ripples, Sheffield, Waterborough, Youngs Cove, and Lakeville Corner.

The population of the Grand Lake Area is 9,273 (2011) and has a shrinking population with a decrease of 7% between 2006 and 2011, comprising a large population of residents over the age of 85 with a low birth rate and high death rate. Once prosperous due to the coal mining and railway industries, the community is no longer the hub of industry it once was, and many residents are required to commute to other communities for employment. The median household income in the community is $44,262 (2011) and 21% of people in the Grand Lake area live in low income, limiting the population’s ability to access fresh foods, childcare and enrollment in recreational activities.

Data shows the community has elevated rates of chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure/hypertension, adult overweight/obesity, arthritis, chronic pain, depression, heart disease, cancer, COPD, and gastric reflux (GERD).

Primary health care services in the Grand Lake Area are provided through Horizon’s Queens North Community Health Centre (QNCHC), Chipman Health Centre, and private physician offices.

Some of our community partners include: