Labrador City

Labrador City
City
Official seal of Labrador City
Coat of arms of Labrador City
Motto(s): 
Kamistiatusset (Naskapi)
(English: "Land of the Hard-Working People")
Labrador City is located in Newfoundland and Labrador
Labrador City
Labrador City
Location of Labrador City in Labrador
Coordinates: 52°57′N 66°55′W / 52.950°N 66.917°W / 52.950; -66.917
Country Canada
Province Newfoundland and Labrador
Census division10
Settled1960s
Government
 • TypeLabrador City Town Council
 • MayorBelinda Adams
 • MHAJordan Brown
 • MPYvonne Jones
Area
 • Total38.83 km2 (14.99 sq mi)
Elevation555 m (1,821 ft)
Population
(2021 census)
 • Total7,412
 • Density186.0/km2 (482/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-4 (AST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-3 (Atlantic Daylight Saving Time)
Postal code span
Area code709
Highways Route 500 (Trans-Labrador Highway)
Websitewww.labradorwest.com

Labrador City is a town in western Labrador (part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador), near the Quebec border. 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. Together, the "twin towns" are known as Labrador West.

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, 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. 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.

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 many amenities found in larger locations thanks to investments by the mining companies who established the area including an ice arena, curling, downhill & cross country ski clubs. The White wolf snowmobile club connects with a larger trail network across the region and is home to the Cain's Quest Snowmobile Endurance Race.

The main shopping mall in the town, the 22,940-square-metre (246,923 sq ft) Labrador Mall, includes a Walmart, Canadian Tire & Mark's. The mall opened in 1978 and is the largest shopping mall in Labrador; it is also the only enclosed mall.

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.±%
19717,622—    
197612,012+57.6%
198111,538−3.9%
19868,665−24.9%
19919,061+4.6%
19968,455−6.7%
20017,744−8.4%
20067,240−6.5%
20117,367+1.8%
20167,220−2.0%
20217,412+2.7%

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.

Canada 2016 Census Population % of Total Population
Visible minority group
Source:
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:
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. 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)
Mean daily maximum °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)
Mean daily minimum °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

See also

Notable residents

Notable former residents of Labrador City include:

52°57′N 66°55′W / 52.950°N 66.917°W / 52.950; -66.917 (Labrador City)


This page was last updated at 2023-12-12 13:43 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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