Resettlement in Newfoundland and Labrador terms was an organized approach to centralize the population into growth areas. Three attempts of resettlement were thrust upon outport residents and whole communities between 1954 and 1975 which resulted in the abandonment of 300 communities and nearly 30,000 people moved.[1] Government's attempt of resettlement has been viewed as one of the most controversial government programs of the post-Confederation Newfoundland and Labrador.[1]
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The history and commerce of Newfoundland and Labrador was built on the fishery and in doing so many communities were established in just about every bay and small cove throughout the entire coastal region. Some of these communities were seasonal fishing stations and some eventually grew into communities which were very much isolated from much of the country except for water transportation or overland hiking trails.
Some of these communities died out naturally and were abandoned for various reasons. Between 1946 and 1954, it is estimated that 49 communities were abandoned without government intervention.[2] Government officials had long petitioned for a greater concentration of the population, citing many benefits.[1] In 1953 the Newfoundland Department of Welfare offered small amounts of financial assistance to residents of 110 communities to accelerate the process which had come naturally.[2] This became the beginning of the government assisted resettlement program for the province.
In the early twentieth century settlement patterns and population distribution were changing due to a number of factors. People were already moving to larger centres such as St. John's. For example in 1874 the population of St. John's was 30,574 and the major Conception Bay districts had a combined population of 41,368. By 1935 the population of the Conception Bay districts had increased by just over 4,500 people, while the population of St. John's had more than doubled to 65,256 people.[3]
Other parts of the island and Labrador were going through major changes in resource development that affected areas outside the Avalon Peninsula. The construction of paper mills in both Grand Falls and Corner Brook drew many people from coastal towns and villages. These areas contributed to growth in other areas such as Botwood and Deer Lake. Mineral discoveries at places such as Wabush and Labrador City, St. Lawrence, Baie Verte and Buchans also contributed to the movement of people away from the outports. World War II also had a part to play when air force bases were built at Stephenville, Argentia and Goose Bay.[4]
Labrador on a much smaller scale was experiencing a resettlement when the Moravian Church in the northern part of Labrador was relocating the Inuit to centres such as Hebron and Nain. Dr. Wilfred Grenfell, in his efforts to provide health and educational benefits to the people of southern Labrador and the northern coast of the Northern Peninsula,[3] also helped to the centralization of populations in areas such as St. Anthony and Charlottetown.