Labrador West, Newfoundland and Labrador
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Labrador West (2001 pop.: 9,638, an 8% decline since 1996) refers to a region in western Labrador in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador containing the twin towns of Labrador City and Wabush.
The area is located in the southwest corner of Labrador, near the Quebec border and has been described as "a dichotomy of pristine wilderness and industrial development."
The region's livlihood is based on iron ore mining which can be traced to the 1950s when the Iron Ore Company of Canada constructed Labrador City and the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway to haul ore to the port of Sept-Iles, Quebec, 575 km to the south. The adjacent Wabush Mines were established in the 1960s by another company, along with the town of Wabush and the Wabush Lake Railway which connects to the QNSL.
Labrador West is also home to tremendous wilderness opportunities in a pristine state with little human settlement or development. Wilderness recreational opportunities in the Labrador West area include camping, fishing, hunting (particularly for caribou, black bear, and ptarmigan), hiking, boating, skiing, and snowmobiling.
The nearest population centres to Labrador West are the ports of Sept-Iles and Baie-Comeau to the south and the military town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay to the east.
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