Tidal bore unveiling pieces of Moncton’s shipbuilding history

MONCTON, N.B. – The Petitcodiac’s tidal bore is revealing relics from the city of Moncton’s shipbuilding past.

The tidal bore has been gaining strength since the river’s causeway gates opened in April, 2010. Now the river is washing silt away from old wharves.

Timbers used on the wharves are sticking out from the muddy riverbank unveiling what were once a central part of the city’s shipbuilding past.

The industry flourished in the early to mid 1800’s.

View image in full screen

Georges Brun is a river watcher for the Petitcodiac Riverkeeper. The conservation group is committed to protecting and restoring the river to its original state.

Brun says the bore has been naturally unearthing the wharves.

“When it first began there were only a few sticks of timber that were showing,” he said. “Within just the last year it had creeped up within the banks to 3-5 feet and again this year its progressed even more.”

The timbers are also catching the city’s attention. Councillor Paulette Theriault says the wharves are a special part of Moncton’s history.

“It’s something we are concerned about because it’s part of what the river looked like at one point,” she said. “The city has put forward a committee that’s called the riverfront development committee and these issues should be discussed by this committee.”