Labrador City

Government

Since the 2025 election, the federal riding of Labrador seat has been held by Philip Earle, a Liberal Party member while Progressive Conservative Joseph Power has represented Labrador West in the provincial House of Assembly since 2025.

Jordan Brown is currently the Mayor of Labrador City

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.

The town is serviced by the Wabush Airport, and the airlines flying out of the airport are 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 Trans-Labrador Highway (Route 500) serves as the only road connection to Labrador City, connecting it with the rest of Labrador as well as the neighbouring province of Quebec, becoming Quebec Route 389 at the border.

The town contains many amenities found in larger locations thanks to investments by the mining companies who established the area including an ice arena, curling, downhill & cross country ski clubs. The White wolf snowmobile club connects with a larger trail network across the region and is home to the Cain's Quest Snowmobile Endurance Race.

The main shopping mall in the town, the 246,923 sqft Labrador Mall, includes a Walmart, Canadian Tire and Mark's. The mall opened in 1978 and is the largest shopping mall in Labrador; it is also the only enclosed mall in Labrador.

There is a Masonic lodge in Labrador City, Lodge Anik No 1707 of the District Grand Lodge of Newfoundland and Labrador of the Grand Lodge of Scotland.

Demographics

|1971|7622 |1976|12012 |1981|11538 |1986|8665 |1991|9061 |1996|8455 |2001|7744 |2006|7240 |2011|7367 |2016|7220 |2021|7412

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Labrador City had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 34.11 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.

Attractions

• Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help

Climate

Wabush and Labrador City have a continental subarctic climate (Köppen: Dfc), with mild summers and severely cold winters. Precipitation is heavy year round (although higher in summer) 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 cm. Despite its latitude around the same as cities like Berlin, London, and Amsterdam, its annual mean temperature is 13 C-change colder.

|Jan record high C = 8.0 |Feb record high C = 6.2 |Mar record high C = 14.7 |Apr record high C = 17.4 |May record high C = 28.8 |Jun record high C = 33.3 |Jul record high C = 32.6 |Aug record high C = 30.6 |Sep record high C = 29.5 |Oct record high C = 21.1 |Nov record high C = 12.2 |Dec record high C = 7.2

|Jan record low C = -44.1 |Feb record low C = -46.8 |Mar record low C = -41.6 |Apr record low C = -36.4 |May record low C = -13.4 |Jun record low C = -6.9 |Jul record low C = 0.1 |Aug record low C = -1.2 |Sep record low C = -8.1 |Oct record low C = -22.4 |Nov record low C = -33.6 |Dec record low C = -42.5

|access-date = March 21, 2025 |access-date = March 21, 2025

Notable residents

Notable former residents of Labrador City include:

• Damhnait Doyle, singer-songwriter
• Margot Kidder, actress
• Dan LaCosta, National Hockey League goaltender
• Pascal Pelletier, National Hockey League player
• Chad Penney, National Hockey League player
• Mark Nichols, 2006 Turin Olympics gold medallist curler

References

References

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2. "Labrador City, Town [Census subdivision]". Statistics Canafa.
4. Labrador West. "Labrador City".
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6. [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/defeated-incumbents-1.5139759 "Cabinet ministers Letto and Hawkins among 9 defeated Liberals"]. [[CBC News]] Newfoundland and Labrador, May 17, 2019.
7. (March 27, 2021). "Here are all the MHAs elected in the Newfoundland and Labrador election". [[CBC News]].
8. "Labrador West".
9. List of companies in Labrador City, Newfoundland Canada]
10. link. (2014-06-06 , ''LabradorWest.com'', Retrieved February 7, 2011)
11. "Labrador Mall - Labrador City - A Scoff an' Scuff".
12. [http://www.westcliff.ca/include/centres/labrador_mall_en.php Labrador Mall] {{webarchive. link. (2014-06-06 , Westcliff.ca, Retrieved February 7, 2011)
13. (22 November 2010). [http://www.theaurora.ca/News/2010-11-22/article-1985267/Concerns-turn-to-action/1 Concerns turn to action], ''The Aurora''
14. (February 9, 2022). "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Newfoundland and Labrador". [[Statistics Canada]].
15. "Visible minority population". Statistics Canada.
16. "Aboriginal population". Statistics Canada.
17. "Wabush, Newfoundland and Labrador Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)".
18. Rothman, Clifford. (November 19, 1997). "Back From The Brink". [[Los Angeles Times]].