Belle-Baie was incorporated on January 1, 2023, via the amalgamation of the former town of
Beresford and the former villages of
Nigadoo,
Petit-Rocher and
Pointe-Verte as well as the concurrent annexation of adjacent unincorporated areas. The adjacent unincorporated areas included the former
local service districts of
Dunlop,
Laplante,
Madran,
Robertville,
Petit-Rocher-Nord,
Petit-Rocher-Sud and
Tremblay, and portions of the local service districts of
Bathurst,
Beresford and
North Tetagouche. The new town's name was initially announced as , but after negative reaction from the residents the transition committee withdrew the name and proposed Belle-Baie instead. The town's language policy for news releases was to be reviewed after some residents complained they were in French only. About 85 per cent of the residents are francophone, 11 percent are anglophone and four percent identify as both. The bilingual rate is 68 percent. Census Canada has not issued information for the new municipality, but these numbers are based on Census 2021 of the municipalities that now form Belle-Baie. When the town was formed, it was designated as French speaking by the transition committee. == Geography ==