Flat Bay (
Mi'kmaq
The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the nort ...
: ''Epwikek'') is a
local service district and
designated place
A designated place (DPL) is a type of community or settlement identified by Statistics Canada that does not meet the criteria used to define municipalities or population centres. DPLs are delineated every 5 years for the Canadian census as the ...
in the
Canadian province 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 ...
. It is a Mi'kmaq community in southwestern
Newfoundland.
History
The exact reason for how the Mi'kmaq settled in Newfoundland is debated. Common theories include that the Mi'kmaq migrated to Newfoundland on their own behalf while other theories suggest that Europeans brought them to the island. Conflicts with the British led Chief Jeannot Pequidalouet to relocate his band from Cape Breton to Newfoundland in the 1760s.
The Mi'kmaq first established Flat Bay as a seasonal settlement where they maintained trade with European explorers and settlers. It was also settled by Acadians such as Germain LeBlanc (from
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
) and Andre Alexandre (who was 25% Mi'kmaq). Their descendants bear the anglicized surnames "White" and "Alexander" which are common in Flat Bay today. Another white settler was Benjamin Perrier, who emigrated from France. In 1818, Edward Chappell visited Newfoundland and found an elderly Mi'kmaq chief (possibly named "Old Tomma") and his band had been established in the area. They had been granted land by British authorities for being loyal to the British crown.
The community was historically split into Flat Bay West, Flat Bay East and St. Teresa's.
The Mi'kmaq typically lived in the island's interior for large portions of the year. Overhunting of the caribou followed the construction of a railway across Newfoundland in the 1890s. Low fur prices in the 1930s caused many Mi'kmaq to give up their traditional way of life and settle in permanent villages such as Flat Bay.
Geography
Flat Bay is in
Newfoundland within
Subdivision C of
Division No. 4.
Demographics
As a designated place in the
2016 Census of Population conducted by
Statistics Canada, Flat Bay recorded a population of 210 living in 94 of its 100 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 229. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.
Of its 210 residents, 115 individuals were identified as having First Nations origin (entirely or in part).
Government
Flat Bay is a local service district (LSD)
that is governed by a committee responsible for the provision of certain services to the community.
The chair of the LSD committee is Frederick Nelma.
[
]
See also
* List of communities in Newfoundland and Labrador
* List of designated places in Newfoundland and Labrador
*List of local service districts in Newfoundland and Labrador
The Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador has 175 unincorporated communities that are designated as local service districts (LSDs) for the purpose of providing water, sewer, fire, garbage, street lighting, animal control, and/or road ma ...
*Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Band
The Qalipu First Nation (Pronounced: ha-lee-boo, meaning: Caribou), is a Mi’kmaq band government, created by order-in-council in 2011 pursuant to the Agreement for the Recognition of the Qalipu Mi’kmaq Band. After the band was approved as a ...
References
Designated places in Newfoundland and Labrador
Local service districts in Newfoundland and Labrador
{{Newfoundland-geo-stub