Caniapiscau

Canada

Caniapiscau is a vast but sparsely-populated regional county municipality, with 4,260 people in a remote 70,390km² area of northeastern Quebec.

  • Fermont (population 2474) is the larger of the two main settlements. It was established in 1972 to house workers for the Mont Wright Mine. A single 1.3 km-long building serves as a windbreak for the village, and houses the city hall, 500 apartments, a grocer (Métro), shops, a bowling alley, schools, hotel, and a bar.
  • Schefferville (population 155) is not accessible by road. Schefferville was established by the Iron Ore Company of Canada in 1954 to support the mining of rich iron ore deposits in the area. At its peak in the late 1960s, Schefferville had about 5,000 residents. But iron ore mining ceased there in 1982. Most of the 4,000 or so non-Aboriginal occupants left, leaving mostly Aboriginal people who had settled there in the preceding 30 years.

Fermont (population 2474) is the larger of the two main settlements. It was established in 1972 to house workers for the Mont Wright Mine. A single 1.3 km-long building serves as a windbreak for the village, and houses the city hall, 500 apartments, a grocer (Métro), shops, a bowling alley, schools, hotel, and a bar.

Schefferville (population 155) is not accessible by road. Schefferville was established by the Iron Ore Company of Canada in 1954 to support the mining of rich iron ore deposits in the area. At its peak in the late 1960s, Schefferville had about 5,000 residents. But iron ore mining ceased there in 1982. Most of the 4,000 or so non-Aboriginal occupants left, leaving mostly Aboriginal people who had settled there in the preceding 30 years.

There was a temporary work camp from 1974-1984 during construction of the James Bay hydroelectric project:

  • Caniapiscau (54°52′4.1″N 69°50′10.5″W), as a small community without a permanent population established 1974 on the north side of the Caniapiscau Reservoir. A temporary work site at the end of the Trans-Taiga Road (fr: Route Transtaïga), abandoned when hydroelectric development was completed. This is reachable by 4WD vehicles from the main James Bay Road; except for an outfitter's camp and floatplane base, there's basically nothing there.
  • Brisay, as a waypoint, marks a fork in the road on the west side of the Caniapiscau Reservoir. There are no services.

While "Caniapiscau" is used here to identify the regional county municipality, a large hydroelectric reservoir and an abandoned former work camp also bear the name. There is no permanent population associated with these points.

Fermont and Schefferville are remote mining communities, linked to Sept-Îles by rail. Schefferville is not reachable by road; its mine closed in the mid-1980s when resource prices were low, but has since re-opened. The Innu reserves of Matimekosh (2016 pop. 613) and Lac-John (2016 pop. 33) are located within and beside Schefferville, respectively, while the Naskapi reserved land of Kawawachikamach (2016 pop. 601) is located 15 km north of Schefferville.

Quebec Route 389 serves Fermont, continuing across a provincial boundary to Labrador City some 28km (16 miles) distant on the Trans-Labrador Highway. With the exception of small native communities, there is little or no other permanent settlement in the region.

The west side of the reservoir is on a branch of the James Bay Road and therefore not accessible by road from Fermont, short of making a wide (and bizarre) 2760km detour through Baie-Comeau, Tadoussac, Chicoutimi-Nord, Lac St. Jean, Chibougamau-Chapais and Matagami. (A five-province road trip from Ontario to either coast, Dryden-Victoria or Ottawa-St. John's, would be comparable in distance.)

Mostly French. Fermont is one of the northernmost French-speaking towns of any size worldwide.

Caniapiscau Reservoir Caniapiscau is home to the huge Caniapiscau Reservoir, the largest body of water in Quebec. It was named after Lake Caniapiscau that was flooded in 1981 due to the formation of the reservoir.

Various outfitters sell fishing expeditions (northern pike, walleye, lake trout and brook char/speckled trout) and caribou hunting expeditions. Most of these operations are based outside the region and fly the visitor in to a remote off-grid location; a few fly from Schefferville to some otherwise-inaccessible point.

  • Défi Taïga, 130, rue le Carrefour, Fermont, +1 418-341-0355, +1 709 987-0355. March. A 200km sled dog race through boreal forest.

Défi Taïga, 130, rue le Carrefour, Fermont, +1 418-341-0355, +1 709 987-0355. March. A 200km sled dog race through boreal forest.

Fermont's windbreak building has a grocer (Métro), a liquor store, and other shops and services.

  • L'Authentique Bistro, In the centre commercial, +1 418-287-3005.
  • Casse-croûte de l’aréna, In the Fermont arena, +1 418-287-9444. Snack bar open September-April
  • Club social des Moose, 401, le Carrefour, +1 418-287-5044. Sunday breakfast 8AM-noon, Sept-June
  • Dyailo Restaurant, 299 le Carrefour, Fermont, +1 418-287-3161.

L'Authentique Bistro, In the centre commercial, +1 418-287-3005.

Casse-croûte de l’aréna, In the Fermont arena, +1 418-287-9444. Snack bar open September-April

Club social des Moose, 401, le Carrefour, +1 418-287-5044. Sunday breakfast 8AM-noon, Sept-June

Dyailo Restaurant, 299 le Carrefour, Fermont, +1 418-287-3161.

  • Cantine Chez Rita's, 120 Val-Gregoire, Schefferville, +1 418-585-2379.
  • Restaurant Blabla, Schefferville. Restaurant that mainly serves fast food like poutine, pizza and hamburgers.

Cantine Chez Rita's, 120 Val-Gregoire, Schefferville, +1 418-585-2379.

Restaurant Blabla, Schefferville. Restaurant that mainly serves fast food like poutine, pizza and hamburgers.

  • Resto-Bar Zonix, In the centre commercial, Fermont, +1 418-287-5250. 11AM-9PM Sun-Fri. Restaurant, bar food.

Resto-Bar Zonix, In the centre commercial, Fermont, +1 418-287-5250. 11AM-9PM Sun-Fri. Restaurant, bar food.