Labrador City
| Labrador City | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Town | |||
| |||
| Nickname(s): Lab City | |||
|
Motto: "Kamistaitusset" "Land of the hard-working people" | |||
  Labrador City | |||
| Coordinates: 52°57′N 66°55′W / 52.950°N 66.917°W | |||
| Country |
 Canada | ||
| Province |
 Newfoundland and Labrador | ||
| Census division | 10 | ||
| Settled | 1960s | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Labrador City Town Council | ||
| • Mayor | Karen Oldford | ||
| • MHA | Nick McGrath | ||
| • MP | Yvonne Jones | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 38.83 km2 (14.99 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 555 m (1,821 ft) | ||
| Population (2006)[1] | |||
| • Total | 7,240 | ||
| • Density | 186.5/km2 (483/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | AST (UTC-4) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | Atlantic Daylight Saving Time (UTC-3) | ||
| Postal code span | A2V | ||
| Area code(s) | 709 | ||
| Highways |
 Highway 500 | ||
| Website | www.labradorwest.com | ||
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. Labrador City is neighboured by Wabush, a smaller town with a population of approximately 1,861 as of 2011. Together, the "twin towns" are known as Labrador West.
Labrador City was founded in the 1960s 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 crest features a Snowy Owl holding a scroll perched atop a black spade on a mound of red earth, symbolizing iron ore mining. The spade is flanked by two caribou. Both Snowy Owls and caribou are native to the Labrador City area. The Labrador City town motto is Kamistiatusset, a Naskapi word meaning "land of the hard-working people.
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 it would spend $800 million to develop additional mines in the region. 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 IOC will go ahead with their expansion in the near future.[5][6][7][8]
The town is serviced by the Wabush Airport, 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.[9] The main shopping centre in the town, Labrador Mall, includes a Wal-Mart; there is also an IGA grocery store.[10]
Demographics
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| 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:[11] | 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:[12] | 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
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 depth can reach as high as 218 centimetres (85.83 in).
| Climate data for Labrador City Airport | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 3.1 (37.6) |
6.2 (43.2) |
14.7 (58.5) |
16.7 (62.1) |
28.4 (83.1) |
33.3 (91.9) |
32.6 (90.7) |
30.6 (87.1) |
27.8 (82) |
21.1 (70) |
12.2 (54) |
5.6 (42.1) |
33.3 (91.9) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −17 (1) |
−14.3 (6.3) |
−7 (19) |
0.9 (33.6) |
8.8 (47.8) |
15.9 (60.6) |
18.9 (66) |
17.5 (63.5) |
10.8 (51.4) |
2.9 (37.2) |
−4.7 (23.5) |
−13.5 (7.7) |
1.6 (34.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −22.7 (−8.9) |
−20.7 (−5.3) |
−13.5 (7.7) |
−4.6 (23.7) |
3.6 (38.5) |
10.3 (50.5) |
13.7 (56.7) |
12.4 (54.3) |
6.8 (44.2) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
−8.6 (16.5) |
−18.6 (−1.5) |
−3.52 (25.64) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −28.4 (−19.1) |
−26 (−15) |
−19 (−2) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
4.6 (40.3) |
8.5 (47.3) |
7.3 (45.1) |
2.8 (37) |
−3.7 (25.3) |
−12.5 (9.5) |
−23.7 (−10.7) |
−8.33 (16.99) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 54 (2.13) |
42 (1.65) |
57 (2.24) |
57 (2.24) |
56 (2.2) |
85 (3.35) |
112 (4.41) |
95 (3.74) |
96 (3.78) |
73 (2.87) |
68 (2.68) |
57 (2.24) |
852 (33.53) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 0 (0) |
2 (0.08) |
3 (0.12) |
12 (0.47) |
40 (1.57) |
82 (3.23) |
112 (4.41) |
95 (3.74) |
89 (3.5) |
37 (1.46) |
7 (0.28) |
3 (0.12) |
482 (18.98) |
| Snowfall cm (inches) | 66 (26) |
49 (19.3) |
65 (25.6) |
52 (20.5) |
16 (6.3) |
3 (1.2) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
7 (2.8) |
42 (16.5) |
75 (29.5) |
70 (27.6) |
445 (175.3) |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 18 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 212 |
| Avg. rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 103 |
| Avg. snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 18 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 19 | 19 | 124 |
| Source: [13] | |||||||||||||
See also
- List of cities and towns in Newfoundland and Labrador
- Pascal Pelletier NHL hockey player from Labrador City
- Wabush Neighbouring twin town of Labrador City
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
- ↑ Labrador West
- ↑ Page 2 | List of companies in Labrador City, Newfoundland Canada
- ↑ City&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom=, Community Profiles from the 2006 Census, Statistics Canada - Census Subdivision
- ↑ , Aboriginal Peoples - Data table
- ↑ "Statistics Labrador City". The Weather Network. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
External links
- Labrador West website
- The Aurora newspaper (published by Transcontinental)
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Coordinates: 52°57′N 66°55′W / 52.950°N 66.917°W