The City of Miramichi is undertaking the development of a comprehensive City Growth Plan study to guide residential, employment, and infrastructure growth over a 25-year horizon. The plan will cover its neighborhood communities.
Over the next 25 years, Miramichi is anticipated to grow. The City is working with Watson & Associates Economists Ltd. to prepare long-term population, housing, and employment forecasts. The study will provide direction on where and how residential and employment growth should occur to best benefit Miramichi.
It is important to recognize that the City’s Growth Plan is expected to be a forward-looking document, designed to proactively plan for and accommodate change over the next several decades. The study is intended to serve as a foundational document to guide decision-making and policy development specifically related to planning and growth management, housing, and long-range master planning for municipal services.
The overarching purpose of the City’s Growth Plan is to provide clear direction on where and how residential and employment growth should occur in Miramichi over the next 25 years.
The objective of this Growth Plan is to:
Establish a long-term vision of where and how population and employment growth shall occur.
Provide a clear direction for planning and policy development related to growth management, urban land needs, and long-range municipal service planning.
Maximize the positive impacts of growth while strategically managing its implications on municipal systems and natural resources. This balance is essential to achieving long-term community well-being, economic resilience, and environmental stewardship in the City of Miramichi.
Ensure financial, environmental, and socio-economic sustainability.
The City’s Growth Plan study commenced in June 2025 and expected to be completed in April 2026.
The project has four phases:
Phase 1: Project Initiation and Background Review
Phase 2: Existing Conditions and Growth Outlook
Phase 3: Growth Scenarios Development and Evaluation
Phase 4: Identification of Preferred Growth Scenario and Generalized Implementation
What is a Growth Management Study?
Growth management involves establishing a long-term vision for a broad region or municipality, including its urban communities, rural lands, and protected countryside. Planning policies aimed at influencing how and where growth or change occurs are key to the implementation of a successful study. Such planning policies are required to ensure that municipalities such as Miramichi continue to grow in a financially, environmentally, and socio-economically sustainable manner.
Over the next 25 years, Miramichi and the broader regional market are anticipated to experience population and employment growth. There are numerous economic benefits associated with population and employment growth related to economic expansion, community vibrancy, and an increasing tax base. On the other hand, new development can also create new challenges associated with infrastructure requirements, municipal service delivery, urban and needs, and environmental protection.
Ultimately, growth management policies should aim to build complete communities, enhance livability and economic prosperity, while protecting what is important to residents and local businesses. These long-term objectives emphasize the importance of measuring performance against quantitative metrics such as economic growth, as well as broader city-building indicators related to housing, neighbourhood design, transportation, environment, health, social engagement, financial sustainability, and opportunity.
