The nation of Canada was created by the British North America Act in 1867 with New Brunswick as one of the four original provinces. The area had been part of New France, the French empire in North America, which fell to Britain during the Seven Years War (1756-63). After the war New Brunswick was part of Nova Scotia until separated from that colony in 1784. New Brunswick has three coastlines. The north coast faces Chaleur Bay; the east coast faces the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Northumberland Strait; and the south coast faces the Bay of Fundy. The east and south coasts are separated by the narrow Isthmus of Chignecto that joins New Brunswick to Nova Scotia. This page describes the lighthouses of the north coast and the Shippagan Harbour area (which is open to both the north and east coasts). New Brunswick once had well over 100 lighthouses but modern deactivations have left it with fewer than 50 working towers. A number of the decommissioned lights survive, some of them relocated to new homes. One, the Woody Point Light, was relocated to Nova Scotia. Sadly, the province's lighthouse preservation society has disbanded. Local preservation efforts are strong in many communities but there are a number of lighthouses much in need of restoration. New Brunswick is divided into 15 counties. Although the counties lost their governmental functions in 1966 they continue to define local communities. New Brunswick is officially bilingual and about one third of its residents are French speakers. French is spoken commonly in the north of the province. Aids to navigation in Canada are maintained by the Canadian Coast Guard. In 2008 Parliament passed the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act to designate and protect historic lighthouses. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. CCG numbers are from the Atlantic Coast volume of the List of Lights, Buoys, and Fog Signals of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Admiralty numbers are from Volume H of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA numbers are from Publication 110.
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![]() Pointe à Brideau Range Rear Light, Caraquet, July 2021 ex-Google Maps photo by Louis Roy |
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Information available on lost lighthouses:
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Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Eastern Québec | South: New Brunswick East Coast
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key
Posted September 8, 2003; checked and revised March 25, 2025. Lighthouses: 23. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.