Labrador City
Labrador City | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Seal  Coat of arms | |
| Nickname: Lab City | |
| Motto(s): "Kamistaitusset" "Land of the hard-working people" | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Census division | 10 |
| Settled | 1960s |
| Government | |
| • Type | Labrador City Town Council |
| • MHA | Graham Letto |
| • MP | Yvonne Jones |
| Area | |
| • Total | 38.83 km2 (14.99 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 555 m (1,821 ft) |
| Population (2011 census)[1] | |
| • Total | 9,228 |
| • Density | 240/km2 (620/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-4 (AST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-3 (Atlantic Daylight Saving Time) |
| Postal code span | |
| Area code | 709 |
| Highways | File:TerreNeuveEtLabradorRoute500.svg Highway 500 |
| Website | www |
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 9,354 as of 2013. Neighbouring Labrador City is Wabush, a smaller town with a population of approximately 1,861 as of 2011. 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
Karen Oldford has served as mayor since Janice Barnes resigned in May 2012.[3] Since a 2013 by-election, the federal riding of Labrador seat has been held by Yvonne Jones, a Liberal Party member.
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 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 Wal-Mart; 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]
Demographics
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 11,538 | — |
| 1991 | 9,061 | −21.5% |
| 1996 | 8,455 | −6.7% |
| 2001 | 7,744 | −8.4% |
| 2006 | 7,240 | −6.5% |
| 2011 | 7,367 | +1.8% |
| Canada 2006 Census | Population | % of Total Population | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visible minority group Source:[16] |
South Asian | 15 | 0.2% |
| Chinese | 0 | 0% | |
| Black | 0 | 0% | |
| Filipino | 10 | 0.1% | |
| Latin American | 45 | 0.6% | |
| Arab | 0 | 0% | |
| Southeast Asian | 0 | 0% | |
| West Asian | 0 | 0% | |
| Korean | 0 | 0% | |
| Japanese | 0 | 0% | |
| Other visible minority | 0 | 0% | |
| Mixed visible minority | 10 | 0.1% | |
| Total visible minority population | 80 | 0.9% | |
| Aboriginal group Source:[17] |
First Nations | 155 | 2.1% |
| Métis | 190 | 2.6% | |
| Inuit | 92 | 1.2% | |
| Total Aboriginal population | 745 | 6.2% | |
| White | 8,705 | 92.7% | |
| Total population | 9,354 | 100% | |
Landmarks
The Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help is located here.
Climate
Wabush and Labrador City features a harsh subarctic climate, with heavy year-round precipitation 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 Amsterdam, its temperature is on average 13 degrees 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[18] | |||||||||||||
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:
- Damhnait Doyle
- Margot Kidder[19][20]
- Dan LaCosta, National Hockey League goaltender
- Pascal Pelletier, National Hockey League player
- Chad Penney, National Hockey League player
References
- ^ Population and dwelling counts
- ^ Labrador West. "Labrador City". Retrieved 2008-03-13.
- ^ "New mayor for Labrador City". The Aurora. 5 June 2012.
- ^ Labrador West
- ^ 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
- ^ http://www.labradorwest.com
- ^ http://www.meniheknordicski.ca
- ^ Page 2 | List of companies in Labrador City, Newfoundland Canada
- ^ History of Labrador City, LabradorWest.com, Retrieved February 7, 2011
- ^ [1]
- ^ Labrador Mall, Westcliff.ca, Retrieved February 7, 2011
- ^ (22 November 2010). Concerns turn to action, The Aurora
- ^ City&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom=, Community Profiles from the 2006 Census, Statistics Canada - Census Subdivision
- ^ [2], Aboriginal Peoples - Data table
- ^ "Wabush Lake Airport". Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010. Environment Canada. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
- ^ http://articles.latimes.com/1997/nov/19/entertainment/ca-55221
- ^ http://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2013-02/feb6_13mar.html
External links
Labrador City travel guide from Wikivoyage- Labrador West website
- The Aurora newspaper (published by Transcontinental)
Subdivisions of Newfoundland and Labrador | |
|---|---|
| Subdivisions and statistical units | |
| Communities | |
| Cities | |
