Schefferville

Schefferville was established as a town in 1954 by the Iron Ore Company Of Canada to support the mining of rich iron ore deposits in the area. The original settlement was called "Burnt Creek" and was located some miles to the north of the current location of the town of Schefferville. When the plans were drawn up for the town, it was originally called "Knob Lake", after a prominent iron ore outcropping visible on a prominent hill south of the town site. The name Schefferville was adopted in honour of (Roman Catholic) Bishop Lionel Scheffer, who served as the Vicar Apostolic of Labrador from March 14, 1946, until his death on October 3, 1966.[1]

At the time of the town's founding, Innu from Maliotenam and Naskapi from Fort Chimo were resettled to Schefferville to assist with geological exploration work and the railway construction. Following many years of neglect, in which they suffered destitute poverty, in 1968 parts of the town were set aside for them as a reserve. By 1972, housing units had been built. Most of the Naskapi and Innu moved to this new site, known today as Matimekosh Reserve.[4]

For some years in the late 1950s, NORAD operated a radar station in Schefferville as part of the Mid-Canada Line, part of North America's defences against possible Soviet attack across the arctic.

At its peak in the late 1960s, Schefferville counted some 5,000 residents. But iron ore mining ceased there in 1982, on orders from Brian Mulroney, president of the Iron Ore Company. He later was elected as Prime Minister of Canada. When mine operations ceased, most of the 4,000 or so non-aboriginal occupants left. The remainder were mostly aboriginal people who had settled there in the preceding 30 years.

In 1986, the town ceased to exist as an incorporated legal entity, but this decision was reversed in 1990. Some houses and public facilities were demolished, while other parts of the infrastructure were added to the Matimekosh Reserve.[1] Many of the remaining houses in the town are used as company housing by businesses active in the iron industry.

At the Canada 2011 Census, Schefferville had a population of 213 inhabitants, an increase of 5.4 percent from the 2006 census total of 202. In comparison, Matimekosh had a population of 540 and Lac-John, 21. The town counted 110 private dwellings occupied by usual residents out of a total of 178.[3]

Many Naskapi first nation people live mostly in the village of Kawawachikamach, northwest of Schefferville. They are mostly Anglican and Protestant and speak English as their second language. The Innu people reside mainly in Schefferville and Matimekosh. They are largely Roman Catholic and speak French as their second language.

The Naskapi and Montagnais/Innu languages are, generally, mutually intelligible. Most local inhabitants are able to speak varying amounts of all the local languages, and code-switching is common in conversation. The breakdown of mother tongues is:[5]

• English as first language: 17.1%
• French as first language: 43.9%
• English and French as first language: 4.9%
• Other as first language: 34.1%

Population trend:[6]

• Population in 2011: 213 (2006 to 2011 population change: +5.4%)
• Population in 2006: 202
• Population in 2001: 240
• Population in 1996: 578
• Population in 1991: 303

As a result of increased demand for steel and iron ore, two official projects are underway in the early 21st century to re-establish mining operations out of Schefferville.

The first is the LabMag Iron Ore Project, 30 kilometres west of Schefferville. The objective is to develop mining and concentrating near Schefferville that will mine 33 million tonnes of crude iron ore per year, in order to produce 10 million tonnes per year of concentrate and pellets for a minimum of 20 years. Mining production began in 2011. The Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach owns 20% of the LabMag Iron Ore Project.

In addition, Anglesey Mining had applied for final operational permits on its former Iron Ore Company of Canada deposits. Production was scheduled to start during late summer 2010, with output rising to two or three million tons of ore a year by 2012 before further deposits are developed. Innu protesters blocked access to Schefferville in July 2010. They delayed the start of mining with demands for increased compensation for the commercial exploitation of their traditional homelands.

Schefferville has a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc). Schefferville has cool summers relative to its latitude and inland location.

The cold winters are caused in part by the ice cover of Hudson Bay eliminating maritime moderation, causing an inland area between the Rockies and the Atlantic on the latitude. Although, Schefferville is nearer the Atlantic, the cold Labrador Current brings cold air also from the east. In summer, the Hudson Bay water is cold after just thawing, whereas the Labrador waters remains cool and prone to low-pressure systems under the Icelandic Low. As a result, even the vast landmass seldom builds up heat and remains extremely chilly for the latitude. Areas west of Hudson Bay on similar or higher latitudes are way warmer also in this time of the year as a result.

• Michele Audette, of Innu and French-Canadian ancestry, grew up near here. She became an activist for First Nations rights, serving as president of Femmes autochtones du Québec (Quebec Native Women) and the Native Women's Association of Canada. She also served as an Associate Deputy Minister in the Quebec provincial government from 2004 through 2008.

Media related to Schefferville at Wikimedia Commons

• Schefferville, Quebec Statistics Canada