Blanc-Sablon is the
easternmost community in
Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent Regional County Municipality
Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent is a regional county municipality in the Côte-Nord region of far-eastern Quebec, Canada. It includes all communities along the Gulf of Saint Lawrence between the Natashquan River and the Newfoundland and Labrador borde ...
, in the administrative région of
Côte-Nord
Côte-Nord (, ; ; land area ) is the second-largest administrative region by land area in Quebec, Canada, after Nord-du-Québec. It covers much of the northern shore of the Saint Lawrence River estuary and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence past Tadous ...
, in the province of
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
, Canada. With a population of 1,122 inhabitants in 2021,
[ it is the most populous community in the county municipality.
]
History
The place was already known to early European explorers who may have named it after the fine white sand of the eponymous bay (''blanc'' means "white", whereas ''sablon'' is the diminutive form of ''sable'' meaning "sand"). Or it may be named after Blancs-Sablons Cove in Saint-Malo
Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast.
The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the Alli ...
, home town of Jacques Cartier, who landed at the place in 1534 and set up a cross near the current site of Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, Basque and Portuguese fishermen seasonally frequented the area. In 1704, Augustin Le Gardeur de Courtemanche Augustin le Gardeur de Courtemanche (December 16, 1663 – June 29, 1717) was a Canadian soldier and ambassador from Labrador.
Biography
Born in Quebec City on December 16, 1663, Augustin le Gardeur de Courtemanche joined the military in 1690, serv ...
, landlord of the lower Côte-Nord at that time, built Fort Pontchartrain at the current location of Brador. Permanent settlement did not begin until the 19th century with the arrival of French-Canadians, Acadians, and Jersey settlers. In 1858, the Mission of Longue-Pointe-de-Blanc-Sablon was established and took the name Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon or Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes at the end of 19th century. In 1884, the post office opened.
The area was first incorporated in 1963 as part of the Municipality of Côte-Nord-du-Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent
Côte-Nord-du-Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent is a municipality in the regional county municipality of Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent in the Côte-Nord region of the province of Quebec, Canada. The municipality consists of two non-contiguous areas, both alon ...
, but separated on January 1, 1990, and became the Municipality of Blanc-Sablon.
Fifty hectares of land in Blanc-Sablon were designated a National Historic Site of Canada
National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being ...
in 2007, as they contain over 60 archaeological sites relating to 9000 years of human occupation, including the Archaic, Dorset
Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...
and European periods.
Geography
Blanc-Sablon is located on the north coast of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence
, image = Baie de la Tour.jpg
, alt =
, caption = Gulf of St. Lawrence from Anticosti National Park, Quebec
, image_bathymetry = Golfe Saint-Laurent Depths fr.svg
, alt_bathymetry = Bathymetry ...
near the entrance of the Strait of Belle Isle
The Strait of Belle Isle (; french: Détroit de Belle Isle ) is a waterway in eastern Canada that separates the Labrador Peninsula from the island of Newfoundland, in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Location
The strait is the northern o ...
. Two significant bays, Brador and Blanc-Sablon, mark its shores and the headland that separates these bays is dominated by Mont Parent, a 100-metre (328 ft) high flat-topped hill named after Martin Parent, a local fisherman in the middle of the 19th century. The municipality borders Côte-Nord-du-Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent
Côte-Nord-du-Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent is a municipality in the regional county municipality of Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent in the Côte-Nord region of the province of Quebec, Canada. The municipality consists of two non-contiguous areas, both alon ...
to the south-west, and L'Anse-au-Clair
L'Anse-au-Clair is a town in the Labrador portion of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The town has a population of 219 in the 2021 census, up from 192 in 2011.
It is located on Route 510, about from the Quebec–Labrador border. It was estab ...
, Labrador
, nickname = "The Big Land"
, etymology =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Canada
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 ...
, to the north-east.
The estuary of the Brador River and Blanc-Sablon River has a lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') ...
designated barachois
A barachois is a term used in Atlantic Canada, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Réunion and Mauritius Island to describe a coastal lagoon partially or totally separated from the ocean by a sand or shingle bar. Sometimes the bar is constructed of boul ...
, separated from the sea by sand
Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class o ...
or gravel. Seawater enters at high tide.
The Blanc-Sablon archipelago is located off the coasts of the villages of Blanc-Sablon and Brador and includes Long Island, Lazy Island, Basin Island, Island of the Parrots, Wood Island and Greenly, housing the Bird Sanctuary of Brador Bay.
The municipality of Blanc-Sablon has several land protrusions into the Gulf of St. Lawrence; from east to west, they are Point Saint-Charles, Morel's Point, Lazy Point, Hunting Point, "À la Barque" Point, Cape Crow and Point Jones.
Climate
Blanc-Sablon experiences a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
''Dfc''). It has short, cool summers, and very long and snowy winters: the mean snowfall is . Although its latitude is only 51 degrees north, and its climate is tempered by the Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, it experiences a much colder climate than other localities at the same latitude due to the cold Labrador Current
The Labrador Current is a cold current in the North Atlantic Ocean which flows from the Arctic Ocean south along the coast of Labrador and passes around Newfoundland, continuing south along the east coast of Canada near Nova Scotia. Near Nova Scot ...
. For example, London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, England, on the same latitude, has an annual mean that is nearly milder, and inland Calgary, despite being around above sea level, is still almost warmer despite recording extreme minima about colder.
Communities
The municipality includes three villages: Blanc-Sablon, Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon, and Brador Bay.
Blanc-Sablon
Blanc-Sablon is located about one kilometer east of Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon directly on the Blanc-Sablon Bay
Blanc-Sablon Bay ( en, White-Sand Bay) is a natural bay in municipality of Blanc-Sablon, in Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent Regional County Municipality, on the Côte-Nord (North-Shore) coast of Gulf of Saint Lawrence, in the province of Quebec, Canad ...
. It had a population of 116 in 2016. The wharf and the ferry to St. Barbe, Newfoundland and Labrador are located in the town.
Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon
Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon () is the largest community in the municipality, and is located on the headland that separates Brador Bay from Blanc-Sablon Bay. It was originally known as Longue-Pointe (Long Point) until the beginning of the 20th century. It has a small natural harbour, and long depended on the fishing business.
Brador
Brador or Brador Bay () is on the eastern shore of the namesake bay, north of the village of Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon. While known in the 18th century as Fort Pontchartrain and Phélipeaux Bay, its current name is the shortened form of Labrador. In French, the syllable ''la'' is a definite article
An article is any member of a class of dedicated words that are used with noun phrases to mark the identifiability of the referents of the noun phrases. The category of articles constitutes a part of speech.
In English, both "the" and "a(n)" a ...
, and in documents from the 17th and 18th century, this syllable was considered as such and separated from the rest of the name. François Martel de Brouague, the King's Commander of this region from 1714 to 1760, referred to this location as: "''A la Baye de Phélipeaux, coste de la Brador''" ("At the Bay of Phélipeaux, coast of the Brador").
Demographics
Population
Language
Transport
Ferry services
Being at the eastern end of the Côte-Nord region, Blanc-Sablon is served by a ferry for the communities along the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting with the coastal communities of Saint-Augustin, Gros-Mécatina, Tête-à-la-Baleine, Harrington Harbour, La Romaine and Kegashka
Kegashka, population 138 (as of the 2011 census), is the easternmost point in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada to be reachable by road without passing through Newfoundland and Labrador. Quebec Route 138 reached the community on September 26 ...
, as well as Anticosti Island
; moe, Notiskuan; mic, Natigostec
, sobriquet =
, image_name = RiviereHuileAnticosti.jpg
, image_caption = Salmon fisherman on Rivière à l'Huile
, image_map ...
at Port-Menier
Port-Menier, Quebec is a small fishing town located on the western end of Anticosti Island, Quebec, Canada, part of the L'Île-d'Anticosti municipality. The port village was built during the late 19th century by French chocolate maker Henri Meni ...
. This service is funded by the Government of Quebec. The ferry service's main goal is to make up for the gap in Route 138, which remains unbuilt between Kegaska and Old Fort (in Bonne-Espérance).
Blanc-Sablon is also the northern terminus of a ferry service across the Strait of Belle Isle
The Strait of Belle Isle (; french: Détroit de Belle Isle ) is a waterway in eastern Canada that separates the Labrador Peninsula from the island of Newfoundland, in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Location
The strait is the northern o ...
to the island of Newfoundland, mainly serving as a connection with nearby Labrador
, nickname = "The Big Land"
, etymology =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Canada
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 ...
. This -long ferry service, operated by the , is funded entirely by the government of Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic Canada, Atlantic region. The province comprises t ...
and connects with a southern terminus at St. Barbe on Newfoundland Island's Great Northern Peninsula
The Great Northern Peninsula ( Inuttitut: ''Ikkarumiklua'') is the largest and longest peninsula of Newfoundland, Canada, approximately 270 km long and 90 km wide at its widest point and encompassing an area of 17,483 km2. It is def ...
. During winter months, ice conditions sometimes require the service to divert to Corner Brook instead of St. Barbe.
Road access
At present, Blanc-Sablon is inaccessible directly via the rest of the Quebec road network. From the west, Route 138 has been built to the village of Kegashka; then following a gap, a segment restarts at the village of Old Fort and continues to Blanc-Sablon, ending at the border with Labrador near L'Anse-au-Clair
L'Anse-au-Clair is a town in the Labrador portion of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The town has a population of 219 in the 2021 census, up from 192 in 2011.
It is located on Route 510, about from the Quebec–Labrador border. It was estab ...
where it becomes the Trans-Labrador Highway
The Trans-Labrador Highway (TLH) is a highway located in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is the primary public road in Labrador. Its total length is . The complete paving of the highway was completed in July 2022.
The ...
(Route 510). To travel to the rest of Quebec from Blanc-Sablon, a traveller can take the Relais Nordik ferry (not drive-on/off, but can accommodate cars in shipping containers), or drive via Route 510 for approximately to Wabush
Wabush is a small town in the western tip of Labrador, bordering Quebec, known for transportation and iron ore operations.
Economy
Wabush is the twin community of Labrador City. At its peak population in the late 1970s, the region had a population ...
on the border of Labrador and Quebec; then of Route 389 from Wabush
Wabush is a small town in the western tip of Labrador, bordering Quebec, known for transportation and iron ore operations.
Economy
Wabush is the twin community of Labrador City. At its peak population in the late 1970s, the region had a population ...
to Baie-Comeau
Baie-Comeau (; 2021 city population 20,687; CA population 26,643) is a city located approximately north-east of Quebec City in the Côte-Nord region of the province of Quebec, Canada. It is located on the shores of the Saint Lawrence River nea ...
to points further on like Québec or Montréal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-p ...
, passing to the east of Manicouagan Reservoir
Manicouagan Reservoir (also Lake Manicouagan) is an annular lake in central Quebec, Canada, covering an area of . The lake island in its centre is known as René-Levasseur Island, and its highest point is Mount Babel. The structure was create ...
. This trip by the north (between Baie-Comeau and Blanc-Sablon) is . Once Route 138 is eventually completed, the road distance between Baie-Comeau and Blanc-Sablon is estimated to be between to ; thereby reducing the distance about 38%.
The Quebec government annually plans, invests and works towards connecting Quebec with Labrador via Blanc-Sablon with the completion of Route 138.
Air travel
The Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon Airport provides scheduled air service to Blanc-Sablon.
Education
Centre de services scolaire du Littoral operates:[Schools and centers]
." Commission scolaire du Littoral
Commission or commissioning may refer to:
Business and contracting
* Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered
** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anothe ...
. Retrieved on September 23, 2017.
* Mgr-Scheffer School (anglophone and francophone) in Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon
* St-Theresa School (for adults) in Blanc-Sablon
See also
* Border between Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador
Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...
* List of municipalities in Quebec
References
External links
Blanc-Sablon tourist information page
{{authority control
Municipalities in Quebec
Incorporated places in Côte-Nord
Hudson's Bay Company trading posts
Designated places in Quebec
Road-inaccessible communities of Quebec
Populated coastal places in Canada