The Multicultural Association of Charlotte County (CCMA) is a non-profit agency which provides information and services to newcomers, immigrants and refugees setting in motion successful settlement and integration in the community. Located in the Southern region of New Brunswick, they service Lepreau, Pennfield, Blacks Harbour, Grand Manan, Deer Island, St. George, Saint Andrews, Oak Bay and St. Stephen. 

Wholly funded by the federal and provincial governments, the CCMA sees some 500 people come through its doors each year. The ESL and cultural workshops that they put on help newcomers to Canada adjust to rural Canadian life. They are also in close contact with the businesses which 

Many of the newcomers move to Charlotte County for work. Situated on the Bay of Fundy, the area is home to some of the largest multinational seafood companies in the world, which farm the rich resources of the bay for export to domestic and international markets. Those companies arrange housing and training for their new workers, and it’s the role of the CCMA to help them as they acclimate to the area. 

Joan Majchrowski has been with the CCMA since 2017. Herself the daughter of Polish immigrants, she is well suited to understanding the needs of the people that she helps. This interview was done with a focus on housing in Charlotte County. Both the clients and the businesses that CCMA engages with have noticed a steep decline in available housing stock, as well as rental properties. This anecdotal data has been confirmed in a recent study released by the Southwest New Brunswick Service Commission. The study found that Charlotte County has a vacancy rate of 0.9 per cent, well below the provincial average of 2.6 per cent, with the largest municipality in the region, St. Stephen, coming in at 0.3 per cent. 

The lack of suitable housing poses a significant obstacle to economic growth in an area already facing the dual threats of an aging demographic and high taxation.