Labrador City
Labrador City is a town in western Labrador (part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador), near the Quebec border.[3] With a population of 7,412 as of 2021, it is the second-largest population centre in Labrador, behind Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Neighbouring Labrador City is Wabush, a smaller town with a population of approximately 1,964 as of 2021.[4] Together, the "twin towns" are known as Labrador West.
Labrador City | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 | |
 Seal  Coat of arms | |
| Motto(s): | |
  Labrador City Location of Labrador City in Labrador | |
| Coordinates: 52°57′N 66°55′W | |
| Country | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Canada |
| Province |  Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Census division | 10 |
| Settled | 1960s |
| Government | |
| • Type | Labrador City Town Council |
| • Mayor | Belinda Adams[1] |
| • MHA | Jordan Brown |
| • MP | Yvonne Jones |
| Area | |
| • Total | 38.83 km2 (14.99 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 555 m (1,821 ft) |
| Population (2021 census)[2] | |
| • Total | 7,412 |
| • Density | 186.0/km2 (482/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-4 (AST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-3 (Atlantic Daylight Saving Time) |
| Postal code span | |
| Area code | 709 |
| Highways |  Route 500 (Trans-Labrador Highway) |
| Website | www |
In the 1960s, Labrador City was founded to accommodate employees of the Iron Ore Company of Canada, and iron ore mining continues to be the primary industry in the town.
The Labrador City town motto is Kamistiatusset, a Naskapi word meaning "land of the hard-working people." The Labrador City town crest is that of a snowy owl holding a scroll atop a black spade on a mound of red earth. The symbol represents iron ore mining. The spade is flanked by two caribou. Both snowy owls and caribou are native to the Labrador City area.
Government
Belinda Adams was appointed as mayor in 2022.
Since a 2013 by-election, the federal riding of Labrador seat has been held by Yvonne Jones, a Liberal Party member,[5] while New Democrat Jordan Brown has represented Labrador West in the provincial House of Assembly since 2019.[6][7]
In 2017, MHA Graham Letto and Labrador City Mayor Wayne Button stated that the municipal governments of Labrador City and Wabush are looking into the idea of amalgamation.[8]
Economy
Labrador City was built around the rich iron ore deposits of the Labrador Trough by the Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) in the 1960s. The Carol Project is the major iron ore mining operation for the area.[9] In 2008, IOC and their parent company Rio Tinto announced they would spend $800 million to develop additional mines in the region. However, only a few months after announcing the second phase of their expansion, the project was shelved due to the economic recession and low demand for steel. With the world recovering from the economic crisis, it is believed that IOC will go ahead with their expansion in the near future.[10][11][12][13]
The town is serviced by the Wabush Airport, and the airlines flying out of the airport are Provincial Airlines, Air Inuit and Pascan Aviation. Additionally, the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway provides freight rail transportation to and from Sept-Îles. The Trans-Labrador Highway (Route 500) serves as the only road connection to Labrador City, connecting it with the rest of Labrador as well as the neighbouring province of Quebec, becoming Quebec Route 389 at the border.
The town contains an ice arena, the Labrador City Arena[14] and a ski club, the Menihek Nordic Ski Club.[15]
The main shopping centre in the town, the 22,940-square-metre (246,923 sq ft) Labrador Mall, includes a Walmart; there is also an IGA grocery store.[16] Owned by the Westcliff Group, the mall opened in 1978 and is the largest shopping mall in Labrador; it is also the only enclosed mall.[17][18][19][20]
There is a Masonic lodge in Labrador City, Lodge Anik No 1707 of the District Grand Lodge of Newfoundland and Labrador of the Grand Lodge of Scotland.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Labrador City had a population of 7,412 living in 3,070 of its 3,368 total private dwellings, a change of 2.7% from its 2016 population of 7,220. With a land area of 34.11 km2 (13.17 sq mi), it had a population density of 217.3/km2 (562.8/sq mi) in 2021.[21]
| Canada 2016 Census | Population | % of Total Population | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visible minority group Source:[22] | South Asian | 25 | 0.3% |
| Chinese | 25 | 0.3% | |
| Black | 0 | 0% | |
| Filipino | 250 | 3.5% | |
| Latin American | 0 | 0% | |
| Arab | 1 | 0% | |
| Southeast Asian | 0 | 0% | |
| West Asian | 0 | 0% | |
| Korean | 0 | 0% | |
| Japanese | 0 | 0% | |
| Other visible minority | 10 | 0.1% | |
| Mixed visible minority | 10 | 0.1% | |
| Total visible minority population | 330 | 4.6% | |
| Aboriginal group Source:[23] | First Nations | 170 | 2.4% |
| Métis | 295 | 4.1% | |
| Inuit | 125 | 1.7% | |
| Other Aboriginal | 30 | 0.4% | |
| Total Aboriginal population | 630 | 8.7% | |
| White | 6,230 | 86.3% | |
| Total population | 7,220 | 100% | |
Attractions
Climate
Wabush and Labrador City has a continental subarctic climate (Köppen: Dfc), with mild summers and severely cold winters.[24] Precipitation is heavy year round (although higher in summer) due to the strong Icelandic Low to the east driving cold, moist and unstable air onto the region. Snowfall, as is typical for the province, is very heavy for seven months each year and depths can reach as high as 218 centimetres (85.83 in). Despite its moderate latitude around the same as cities like Berlin, London, and Amsterdam, its annual mean temperature is 13 °C (23 °F) colder.
| Climate data for Wabush (Wabush Airport, normals from 1981−2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high humidex | 7.7 | 5.9 | 14.6 | 16.9 | 35.0 | 37.1 | 39.0 | 35.3 | 32.2 | 22.6 | 13.8 | 6.5 | 39.0 |
| Record high °C (°F) | 8.0 (46.4) |
6.2 (43.2) |
14.7 (58.5) |
16.8 (62.2) |
28.4 (83.1) |
33.3 (91.9) |
32.6 (90.7) |
30.6 (87.1) |
27.8 (82.0) |
21.1 (70.0) |
12.2 (54.0) |
5.6 (42.1) |
33.3 (91.9) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −16.7 (1.9) |
−14.2 (6.4) |
−6.7 (19.9) |
1.5 (34.7) |
9.6 (49.3) |
16.1 (61.0) |
19.1 (66.4) |
17.6 (63.7) |
11.8 (53.2) |
3.8 (38.8) |
−4.2 (24.4) |
−12.6 (9.3) |
2.1 (35.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −22.2 (−8.0) |
−20.6 (−5.1) |
−13.3 (8.1) |
−4.3 (24.3) |
4.0 (39.2) |
10.3 (50.5) |
13.8 (56.8) |
12.5 (54.5) |
7.6 (45.7) |
0.5 (32.9) |
−8.2 (17.2) |
−17.5 (0.5) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −27.8 (−18.0) |
−27.0 (−16.6) |
−19.8 (−3.6) |
−10.0 (14.0) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
4.4 (39.9) |
8.3 (46.9) |
7.4 (45.3) |
3.3 (37.9) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
−12.0 (10.4) |
−22.5 (−8.5) |
−8.4 (16.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −45.7 (−50.3) |
−47.8 (−54.0) |
−46.7 (−52.1) |
−37.2 (−35.0) |
−21.7 (−7.1) |
−11.1 (12.0) |
−6.7 (19.9) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
−7.0 (19.4) |
−21.7 (−7.1) |
−33.1 (−27.6) |
−46.1 (−51.0) |
−47.8 (−54.0) |
| Record low wind chill | −62.8 | −57.1 | −52.6 | −41.8 | −32.6 | −9.6 | 0.0 | −6.2 | −13.9 | −25.6 | −43.9 | −59.5 | −62.8 |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 49.2 (1.94) |
40.3 (1.59) |
54.1 (2.13) |
48.8 (1.92) |
53.5 (2.11) |
82.7 (3.26) |
113.9 (4.48) |
103.5 (4.07) |
96.5 (3.80) |
75.7 (2.98) |
70.9 (2.79) |
50.4 (1.98) |
839.5 (33.05) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0.6 (0.02) |
1.6 (0.06) |
2.6 (0.10) |
12.1 (0.48) |
40.4 (1.59) |
80.6 (3.17) |
113.9 (4.48) |
103.4 (4.07) |
92.3 (3.63) |
42.0 (1.65) |
10.9 (0.43) |
2.5 (0.10) |
502.9 (19.80) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 63.8 (25.1) |
50.9 (20.0) |
65.9 (25.9) |
44.3 (17.4) |
14.4 (5.7) |
2.1 (0.8) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.0) |
4.4 (1.7) |
39.0 (15.4) |
77.5 (30.5) |
66.2 (26.1) |
428.7 (168.8) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 17.3 | 14.6 | 16.0 | 14.2 | 15.2 | 17.1 | 19.0 | 20.0 | 20.5 | 20.1 | 20.4 | 19.3 | 213.7 |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 0.44 | 0.78 | 1.4 | 3.8 | 11.9 | 16.4 | 19.0 | 20.0 | 19.7 | 10.5 | 3.9 | 1.0 | 109.0 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 17.7 | 15.0 | 16.4 | 12.3 | 6.0 | 1.2 | 0.04 | 0.07 | 2.5 | 13.9 | 19.7 | 19.7 | 124.6 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 98.0 | 132.2 | 151.3 | 180.1 | 210.6 | 212.5 | 218.0 | 202.7 | 116.6 | 75.4 | 56.9 | 67.3 | 1,721.4 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 38.6 | 47.6 | 41.2 | 43.1 | 43.0 | 42.1 | 43.0 | 44.4 | 30.6 | 22.9 | 21.7 | 28.3 | 37.2 |
| Source: Environment Canada[25] | |||||||||||||
See also
- List of cities and towns in Newfoundland and Labrador
- Wabush, neighbouring twin town of Labrador City
- Fermont, nearest town in Quebec
Notable residents
Notable former residents of Labrador City include:
- Damhnait Doyle, singer-songwriter
- Margot Kidder, actress[26]
- Dan LaCosta, National Hockey League goaltender
- Pascal Pelletier, National Hockey League player
- Chad Penney, National Hockey League player
- Mark Nichols, 2006 Turin Olympics gold medallist curler
References
- Council, retrieved Feb. 23, 2022
- "Labrador City, Town [Census subdivision]". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canafa. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- Labrador West. "Labrador City". Archived from the original on 2008-12-01. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
- "Wabush, Town". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- "Liberals take Labrador, as Jones wins big over Penashue". CBC News. 13 May 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- "Cabinet ministers Letto and Hawkins among 9 defeated Liberals". CBC News Newfoundland and Labrador, May 17, 2019.
- "Here are all the MHAs elected in the Newfoundland and Labrador election". CBC News. March 27, 2021.
- "Amalgamation is in the cards with Wabush, Lab City mayor predicts - CBC News".
- "Labrador West". Archived from the original on 2011-05-27. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
- Iron Ore Company announces $500M expansion
- Iron Ore Co. announces $300M expansion for Labrador
- Iron Ore Co. shelves Labrador expansion
- IOC press release - NL 2010 Budget
- "Home". labradorwest.com.
- "Home". meniheknordicski.ca.
- Page 2 | List of companies in Labrador City, Newfoundland Canada
- History of Labrador City Archived 2014-06-06 at the Wayback Machine, LabradorWest.com, Retrieved February 7, 2011
- "Labrador Mall - Labrador City - A Scoff an' Scuff". www.ascoffanscuff.com. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- Labrador Mall Archived 2014-06-06 at the Wayback Machine, Westcliff.ca, Retrieved February 7, 2011
- (22 November 2010). Concerns turn to action, The Aurora
- "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Newfoundland and Labrador". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
- "Visible minority population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- "Aboriginal population". www.12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- "Wabush, Newfoundland and Labrador Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
- "Wabush Lake Airport". Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010. Environment Canada. 31 October 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
- Rothman, Clifford (November 19, 1997). "Back From The Brink". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 21, 2015.
External links
Media related to Labrador City at Wikimedia Commons
Labrador City travel guide from Wikivoyage- Labrador West website
- The Aurora newspaper (published by Transcontinental)
- Labrador City - Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, vol. 3, p. 221-222.
