Labrador City

Labrador City is a town in western Labrador (part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador), near the Quebec border[2] with a population of 7,220 as of 2016.[1] Neighbouring Labrador City is Wabush, a smaller town with a population of approximately 1,906 as of 2016.[3] Together, the "twin towns" are known as Labrador West.

Labrador City
Town
Seal
Coat of arms
Motto(s): 
Kamistaitusset (Naskapi)
(English: "Land of the Hard-Working People")
Labrador City
Location of Labrador City in Labrador
Coordinates: 52°57′N 66°55′W
Country Canada
Province Newfoundland and Labrador
Census division10
Settled1960s
Government
 • TypeLabrador City Town Council
 • MayorFabian Benoit
 • MHAJordan Brown
 • MPYvonne Jones
Area
 • Total38.83 km2 (14.99 sq mi)
Elevation
555 m (1,821 ft)
Population
 (2016 census)[1]
 • Total7,220
 • Density186.0/km2 (482/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-4 (AST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-3 (Atlantic Daylight Saving Time)
Postal code span
A2V
Area code(s)709
Highways Route 500 (Trans-Labrador Highway)
Websitewww.labradorwest.com

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

Fabian Benoit was appointed mayor in 2019.

Since a 2013 by-election, the federal riding of Labrador seat has been held by Yvonne Jones, a Liberal Party member, while New Democrat Jordan Brown has represented Labrador West in the provincial House of Assembly since 2019.

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.[4] 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.[5][6][7][8]

The town is serviced by the Wabush Airport, and the airlines flying out of the airport are Air Canada Jazz, 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 neighboring province of Quebec, becoming Quebec Route 389 at the border.

The town contains an ice arena, the Labrador City Arena[9] and a ski club, the Menihek Nordic Ski Club.[10]

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.[11] 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.[12][13][14][15]

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
Historical populations
YearPop.±%
198111,538—    
19919,061−21.5%
19968,455−6.7%
20017,744−8.4%
20067,240−6.5%
20117,367+1.8%
20167,220−2.0%
Canada 2016 CensusPopulation% of Total Population
Visible minority group
Source:[16]		South Asian250.3%
Chinese250.3%
Black00%
Filipino2503.5%
Latin American00%
Arab00%
Southeast Asian00%
West Asian00%
Korean00%
Japanese00%
Other visible minority100.1%
Mixed visible minority100.1%
Total visible minority population3304.6%
Aboriginal group
Source:[17]		First Nations1702.4%
Métis2954.1%
Inuit1251.7%
Other Aboriginal300.4%
Total Aboriginal population6308.7%
White6,23086.3%
Total population7,220100%

Landmarks

The Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help is located here.

Climate

Wabush and Labrador City has a continental subarctic climate (Köppen: Dfc), with mild summers and severely cold winters.[18] 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, Amsterdam, its annual mean temperature is 13 °C 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[19]
gollark: I mean, a 2G prize is a 2G prize is a non-infinite ~~money~~ egg tree.
gollark: Ah, the sheer fairness of the prize system.
gollark: I expect it to be traded off by 9:40 cave time.
gollark: *is tempted to throw away random stuff and try and get prize*
gollark: This just *had* to come up when I had all my slots filled with pretty valuable stuff.

See also
  • List of cities and towns in Newfoundland and Labrador
  • Wabush, neighbouring twin town of Labrador City

Notable residents

Notable former residents of Labrador City include:

References
  1. "Labrador City, Town [Census subdivision]". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canafa. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  2. Labrador West. "Labrador City". Archived from the original on 2008-12-01. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
  3. "Wabush, Town". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  4. "Labrador West". Archived from the original on 2011-05-27. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
  5. Iron Ore Company announces $500M expansion
  6. Iron Ore Co. announces $300M expansion for Labrador
  7. Iron Ore Co. shelves Labrador expansion
  8. IOC press release - NL 2010 Budget
  9. http://www.labradorwest.com
  10. http://www.meniheknordicski.ca
  11. Page 2 | List of companies in Labrador City, Newfoundland Canada
  12. History of Labrador City Archived 2014-06-06 at the Wayback Machine, LabradorWest.com, Retrieved February 7, 2011
  14. Labrador Mall Archived 2014-06-06 at the Wayback Machine, Westcliff.ca, Retrieved February 7, 2011
  15. (22 November 2010). Concerns turn to action, The Aurora
  16. "Visible minority population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  17. "Aboriginal population". www.12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  18. "Wabush, Newfoundland and Labrador Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  19. "Wabush Lake Airport". Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010. Environment Canada. Retrieved May 23, 2014.

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