Resettlement in Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...

 terms was an organized approach to centralize the population into growth areas. Three attempts of resettlement were thrust upon outport

Newfoundland outport

An outport is the term given for a small isolated coastal community in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Originally the term was just used for coastal communities on the island of Newfoundland but the term has also been adopted for those on the mainland area of Labrador as...

 residents and whole communities between 1954 and 1975 which resulted in the abandonment of 300 communities and nearly 30,000 people moved. Government's attempt of resettlement has been viewed as one of the most controversial government programs of the post-Confederation Newfoundland and Labrador.

Beginnings

The history and commerce of Newfoundland and Labrador was built on the fishery and in doing so many communities were established in just about every bay and small cove throughout the entire coastal region. Some of these communities were seasonal fishing stations and some eventually grew into communities which were very much isolated from much of the country except for water transportation or overland hiking trails.

Some of these communities died out naturally and were abandoned for various reasons. Between 1946 and 1954, it is estimated that 49 communities were abandoned without government intervention. Government officials had long petitioned for a greater concentration of the population, citing many benefits. In 1953 the Newfoundland Department of Welfare offered small amounts of financial assistance to residents of 110 communities to accelerate the process which had come naturally. This became the beginning of the government assisted resettlement program for the province.

Prior to 1954

In the early twentieth century settlement patterns and population distribution were changing due to a number of factors. People were already moving to larger centres such as St. John's

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...

. For example in 1874 the population of St. John's was 30,574 and the major Conception Bay

Conception Bay

Conception Bay is a Canadian bay located on the northeast coast of the island of Newfoundland. The bay indents the Avalon Peninsula with the opening of the bay to the Atlantic Ocean at the northeast. It is bounded by Cape St. Francis in the south and Split Point near Bay de Verde in the north...

 districts had a combined population of 41,368. By 1935 the population of the Conception Bay districts had increased by just over 4,500 people, while the population of St. John's had more than doubled to 65,256 people.

Other parts of the island and Labrador

Labrador

Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...

 were going through major changes in resource development that affected areas outside the Avalon Peninsula

Avalon Peninsula

The Avalon Peninsula is a large peninsula that makes up the southeast portion of the island of Newfoundland.The peninsula is home to 257,223 people, which is approximately 51% of Newfoundland's population in 2009, and is the location of the provincial capital, St. John's. It is connected to the...

. The construction of paper mills in both Grand Falls

Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland and Labrador

Grand Falls-Windsor is a town of 13,558 people located in the central region of the island of Newfoundland in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The town is the largest in the central region, the fifth largest in the province, and is home to the annual Exploits Valley Salmon Festival...

 and Corner Brook drew many people from coastal towns and villages. These areas contributed to growth in other areas such as Botwood and Deer Lake

Deer Lake, Newfoundland and Labrador

-External links:*...

. Mineral discoveries at places such as Wabush and Labrador City, St. Lawrence

St. Lawrence, Newfoundland and Labrador

St. Lawrence is a Canadian town located on the Burin Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador. As of 2006, the population of St. Lawrence was 1,349.-History:...

, Baie Verte

Baie Verte, Newfoundland and Labrador

Baie Verte is a town located on the northeast coast of the island portion of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador on the Baie Verte Peninsula.-Geography:...

 and Buchans also contributed to the movement of people away from the outports. World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 also had a part to play when air force bases were built at Stephenville

Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador

Stephenville is a Canadian town in Newfoundland and Labrador on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland....

, Argentia and Goose Bay

Goose Bay

Goose Bay may refer to:* Happy Valley – Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada* Goose Bay , Canada...

.

Labrador on a much smaller scale was experiencing a resettlement when the Moravian Church in the northern part of Labrador was relocating the Inuit

Inuit

The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...

 to centres such as Hebron

Hebron, Newfoundland and Labrador

Hebron is the name of a former Moravian mission that was the northernmost settlement in Labrador. Founded in 1831, the mission disbanded in 1959. Abraham Ulrikab and his family were from Hebron and they were exhibited in zoos in Europe in 1880....

 and Nain

Nain, Newfoundland and Labrador

Nain or Naina is the northernmost town of any size in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located about 370 kilometres by air from Happy Valley-Goose Bay. The town was established as a Moravian mission in 1771 by Jens Haven and other missionaries...

. Dr. Wilfred Grenfell

Wilfred Grenfell

Sir Wilfred Thomason Grenfell, KCMG was a medical missionary to Newfoundland and Labrador.He was born at Parkgate, Wirral, England, the son of Algernon Grenfell, headmaster of Mostyn House School, and Jane Georgiana Hutchison and married Anne Elizabeth Caldwell MacClanahan of Chicago, Illinois, in...

, in his efforts to provide health and educational benefits to the people of southern Labrador and the northern coast of the Northern Peninsula, also helped to the centralization of populations in areas such as St. Anthony

St. Anthony, Newfoundland and Labrador

-Attractions:* Is a popular tourist destination known for its whale watching.Dr. Wilfred Grenfell's work in St. Anthony is commemorated by several historic sites and museums, including:...

 and Charlottetown

Charlottetown (Labrador), Newfoundland and Labrador

Charlottetown is a town of about 365 people in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was said to be founded by Benjamin Powell in 1950 and named for Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island: "I thought that maybe someday the place would be the capital of the bay, the same way...

.