Labrador , 293,347 square kilometres of subarctic
wilderness on the northeastern edge of the Canadian Shield, is a
place so desolate that it provoked Jacques Cartier to remark "I am
rather inclined to believe that this is the land God gave to Cain".
It's a land full of soaring mountains, unspoiled wilderness and
cool, clean rivers that seem to run forever. The adjacent towns of
Happy Valley-Goose Bay , located on the westernmost tip of
the huge Hamilton Inlet, have an average maximum temperature of
-16ºC/3ºF in January and an annual snowfall of 445cm, much of which
remains on the ground for half the year. Further inland and up
north the climate is even colder. Just thirty thousand people live
in Labrador, concentrated in coastal villages that are linked by a
ferry service from early July to mid-October, and inland mining
areas that have only received road access in the last ten years -
the road from Labrador City to Happy Valley-Goose Bay was
completed in 1991. Travelling in and around Labrador is extremely
costly as tourist facilities are lacking: many communities are
accessible only by plane or boat and have very few, if any, places
to stay or eat. Most visitors are adventure seekers who come to
trek or paddle the coastline. But if you have good camping
equipment, an adventurous spirit and a healthy budget, there are
few landscapes that match the untouched, rugged beauty of the
area.
This barren terrain has long been a bone of contention between
Québec and Newfoundland, whose current common border was set
in the 1920s by the Privy Council when it ordained that
Newfoundland had jurisdiction not just over the undisputed northern
shore - the traditional domain of Newfoundland fishermen - but also
over the central Labrador plateau, from which the north shore's
rivers drained. Newfoundland's territory was expanded by some
293,000 square kilometres, more than twice the size of the island
itself, whilst Québec was left ranting about anglophone
imperialism. The border again became a problem in 1961, when it was
decided to develop the hydroelectric potential of Labrador's
Churchill Falls , a project that required Québec's
participation, as Québec would have to buy some of the electricity
if it were to be a viable scheme, and the power lines would
encroach on its land as well. Eventually a compromise was reached
whereby Newfoundland could receive Labrador's power via a toll-free
route through Québec, in return for which Québec could tap the
headwaters of five rivers in southern Labrador. However, the
Québécois remain indignant about their loss of territory and the
issue is likely to be debated again as they move towards
separation.
The original owners of this land, the Naskapi, Innu and Inuit,
who collectively number around five thousand, were more or less
left alone until the last few decades, when the economic potential
of Labrador was realized. Dams and mines have disrupted the local
ecology - the Labrador Trough in western Labrador has the highest
concentration of iron ore in North America, and in August
1997 Inuit and Innu set up blockades in an attempt to disrupt the
construction of a nickel mine and mill at Voisey Bay, in
northern Labrador. Even more destructive is the use of the area by
Dutch, British and German air forces to practise wartime drills and
bombing raids. Inuit have been imprisoned for staging sit-ins and
chaining themselves to the gates of the Goose Bay air base, which
is built on their land, and do not intend to halt the protests
until the low-level sorties (up to ten thousand a year) and
bombings are halted.