Labrador City

Updated on Dec 17, 2023

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Country Canada Settled 1960s Postal code span A2V Elevation 555 m Local time Friday 2:20 PM Area code Area code 709		Census division 10 Time zone AST (UTC-4) Highways Highway 500 Area 38.83 km² Province Newfoundland and Labrador

Weather -20°C, Wind NW at 27 km/h, 63% Humidity University College of the North Atlantic Labrador West

Labrador city road trip

Labrador City is a town in western Labrador (part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador), near the Quebec border 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.

Map of Labrador City, NL, Canada

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. 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. 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.

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 and a ski club, the Menihek Nordic Ski Club.

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. 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.

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.