Labrador West (2013 pop.: 10,319) 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 livelihood 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-Îles, 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.
In the early 1980s, population in Labrador West peaked at about 14,000 residents. At this time, the previously privately-owned towns of Labrador City and Wabush became official municipalities, each with its own elected officials, governance and tax schemes. [1] Today, the twin towns have a combined population of 9,126 (as of 2016).
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.
Scheduled passenger airline service is available via the Wabush Airport.
The nearest population centres to Labrador West are the Quebec town of Fermont, 30 km away, the ports of Sept-Îles and Baie-Comeau to the south, and the military town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay to the east.
Labrador is a geographic and cultural region within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the primarily continental portion of the province and constitutes 71% of the province's area but is home to only 6% of its population. It is separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle. It is the largest and northernmost geographical region in the four Atlantic provinces.
Sept-Îles is a city in the Côte-Nord region of eastern Quebec. It is among the northernmost locales with a paved connection to the rest of Quebec's road network. The population was 25,686 as of the 2011 Canadian census. The town is called Uashat, meaning "bay" in Innu-aimun.
The Cartier Railway is a privately owned railway that operates 260 miles (418 km) of track in the Canadian province of Québec.
The Chemin de fer Arnaud, now Chemin de fer Arnaud Quebec is a private Canadian short line railway owned by Société ferroviaire et portuaire de Pointe-Noire (SFPPN) operating in the province of Quebec.
The Wabush Lake Railway is a short line railway operating in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
Labrador City is a town in western Labrador, near the Quebec border. With a population of 7,412 as of 2021, it is the second-largest population centre in Labrador, behind Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Neighbouring Labrador City is Wabush, a smaller town with a population of approximately 1,964 as of 2021. Together, the "twin towns" are known as Labrador West.
Quebec's Route 389 connects Route 138 adjacent to Baie-Comeau with the Newfoundland and Labrador border, connecting with the Trans-Labrador Highway to Wabush and Labrador City, and beyond to Goose Bay. On its way it skirts the eastern shore of Manicouagan Reservoir.
Iron Ore Company of Canada is a Canadian-based producer of iron ore. The company was founded in 1949 by a partnership of Canadian and American firms. It is now owned by a new consortium, including the Mitsubishi and Rio Tinto corporations. Rio Tinto is the majority shareholder in the venture, with 58.7% of the joint stock as of October 2013. Mitsubishi controlled 26.2% of the investment as of March 2013.
Wabush is a small town in the western tip of Labrador, bordering Quebec, known for transportation and iron ore operations.
Schefferville is a town in the Canadian province of Quebec. Schefferville is in the heart of the Naskapi and Innu territory in northern Quebec, less than 2 km from the border with Labrador on the north shore of Knob Lake. It is located within the Caniapiscau Regional County Municipality and has an area of 24.76 square kilometres (9.56 sq mi). Schefferville completely surrounds the autonomous Innu community of Matimekosh, and it abuts the small community of Lac-John Reserve. Both of the latter communities are First Nations Innu reserves. Schefferville is also close to the Naskapi reserved land of Kawawachikamach.
Tshiuetin Rail Transportation Inc. is a rail company that owns and operates a 217-kilometre (135 mi) Canadian regional railway that stretches through the wilderness of western Labrador and northeastern Quebec. It connects Emeril, Labrador with Schefferville, Quebec on the interprovincial boundary. The company also operates a 356-kilometre (221 mi) railway that connects Sept-Îles, Quebec to Emeril. The company is the first railway in North America owned and operated by Indigenous peoples, specifically by the Innu Nation of Matimekush-Lac John, the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach, and the Innu Takuaikan Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam.
Fermont is a town in northeastern Quebec, Canada, near the Quebec-Labrador border about 23 kilometres (14 mi) from Labrador City on Route 389, which connects to the Trans-Labrador Highway. It is the seat of the Regional County Municipality of Caniapiscau.
Port-Cartier is a city in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada. It is located on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River at the mouth of the Aux-Rochers River, exactly 63 kilometres (39 mi) southwest of Sept-Îles, Quebec.
The Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway is a private Canadian regional railway that stretches 414 kilometres (257 mi) through the wilderness of northeastern Quebec and western Labrador. It connects Labrador City, Labrador, with the port of Sept-Îles, Quebec, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. QNS&L is owned by Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC), and is a common carrier.
The Menihek Hydroelectric Generating Station is a conventional hydroelectric generating station at Menihek Lake in Labrador. The dam and powerhouse are located in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, 40 km (25 mi) south of the isolated town of Schefferville, Quebec and two First Nations communities: Matimekosh-Lac-John and Kawawachikamach. The generating station, two 69 kV power lines and the distribution networks in each community form an independent electricity network, off the main North American grid.
The Bloom Lake Railway is a privately owned Canadian short line railway operating in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec.
Labrador Iron Mines is a resource extraction company planning to exploit multiple mine sites in the Schefferville region of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Zec de la Rivière-Moisie is a "zone d'exploitation contrôlée" (ZEC) in the city of Sept-îles in Sept-Rivières Regional County Municipality (MRC), in the administrative region of North Shore, in Quebec, in Canada.
Western Labrador Rail Services, Inc. is a rail operation of Genesee & Wyoming Canada, Inc. created in 2010 by the combination of three short line railways: Arnaud Railway, Bloom Lake Railway, and Wabush Lake Railway. The operation provides rail transportation services to mining companies operating in the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Québec, Canada.
Canadian Forces Station Moisie, also known as CFS Moisie, is a former Canadian Forces Station located in the community of Moisie, Quebec.