At a ceremony at Magagaudavic Place in St. George, New Brunswick, the Municipality of Eastern Charlotte swore in its first council: Mayor John Craig, Councillors at-Large, David R. Hatt and Lisa McKay, Councillor for Ward 1,Terry Lee, Councillor for Ward 2, Michael Thompson, Councillor for Ward 3,Alexa Detorakis, Councillor for Ward 4, Adam R. Hatt, Councillor for Ward 5, Wayne MacQuarrie, and Councillor for Ward 6, Darrel E. Tidd.

"It's a special night here for us in Eastern Charlotte, and that's a new name we are all getting used to using," said Eastern Charlotte CAO Jason Gaudet who is currently the CAO of Town of St. George. The Town of St. George will become part of Eastern Charlotte when amalgamation takes effect in January 2023. 

Eastern Charlotte is a newly-named and created municipality that includes St. George, Blacks Harbour, Pennfield, Back Bay, Lake Utopia, and Bonnie River. Of all of the communities redefined by province-wide local governance reform, Eastern Charlotte is one of the most dramatically-changed local governments. The current Mayor of Blacks Harbour, John D. Craig has been acclaimed the first ever Mayor of Eastern Charlotte making him the first person in New Brunswick's history to be mayor of three different communities (he was also Mayor of Saint Andrews prior to being Mayor of Blacks Harbour). He will be joined by eight new councillors. 

"This is an exciting night with a very simple agenda to swear-in the new council," said Gaudet about the historic occasion of swearing in Eastern Charlotte's first council. "I'd like to acknowledge that we have our MLA for Fundy-the-Isles-Saint-John West,Andrea Anderson-Mason." The Member of Parliament for New Brunswick Southwest, John Williamson, was at the ceremony as well.