Grand Bruit (pronounced "Grand Brit"; means "great noise" in French) was a Canadian fishing community on the southwestern coast of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was founded in the early 19th century.
Located east of Channel-Port aux Basques, Grand Bruit was experiencing depopulation related to changing economic and demographic conditions in rural Newfoundland, in particular the collapse of the Newfoundland cod fisheries in the early 1990s.
As of 2009[update] it had an aging population of 31. The last school in the town closed on June 22, 2007 as the last students from the town graduated from elementary school. As of September 2009[update], 26 out of 31 residents had voted their intent to move the community and take payouts from the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador of $100,000. A provincial law on resettling outports requires 90 percent of a community to consent to relocation before a community can be moved. Residents have the option to apply for government permits to return to their homes seasonally for use as summer cottages.[1]
As of July 2010[update], the last remaining residents of Grand Bruit accepted the provincial government's offer of $80,000 per household ($90,000 offered to households of 2 or more residents). By 2010, the last permanent residents had relocated. [2]
Long accessible by ferry, its only outlet to the outside world, there were no cars in Grand Bruit. But in 2010, the following notice was posted on the provincial government's ferry service website:
Public Advisory
Please be advised that effective Thursday, July 8, 2010, the vessel will commence a new schedule between Lapoile and Rose Blanche only. New schedules are posted below.— Department of Transportation and Works, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador[3]