Northern Quebec

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The Quebec-Labrador border is 23 km (14 miles) from Labrador City. Although traditionally Quebec and the province of Newfoundland and have seldom seen eye-to-eye on politics, culture or economics, the people of Fermont and Labrador West have co-existed in a friendly, harmonious relationship. Living in this harsh, northern climate has brought the people together, despite the language barrier.

This section highlights the two major industries in Northern Quebec - hydroelectricity and iron ore. Manic V, the world's largest hollow body arch and buttress dam, is located on Highway 389, 212 km (132 miles) from Baie-Comeau. Hart Jaune is another hydroelectric dam located just off Highway 389, 390km (242 miles) from Baie Comeau. The Hart Jaune power plant was one of the first hydroelectric dams built in the northern wilderness. These two facilities provide power for eastern Quebec, eastern Canada and eastern United States.

Fermont, like her sister towns of Labrador City and Wabush, is a single-industry town and is dependent upon the iron ore industry for its existence. Loss of markets or depletion of profitable grade ore can have a devastating effect on these northern communities. The boom and bust cycle associated with mining is depicted in the sections on Gagnon (mine, Jeannine, Fire Lake and Gagnon). Although we have enjoyed researching and making all areas of our site, the Gagnon section holds a special place in our hearts because we hope it reaches out to the previous residents of Gagnon and lets them know we care about their plight.

There is currently one iron ore mine operating in Northern Quebec: Mount Wright. The ore from that mine is transported on the QC Railway to Port Cartier, Quebec, where it is pelletized before shipping the world over. The town of Fermont, near the mine site, was built to house the people working at the mine.

In May of 2006, we moved from Labrador to Newfoundland; thus, we will seldom have the opportunity to travel through Quebec. We will not be updating the information on this portion of the site.