Wabush

Open pit iron mine in Wabush (Labrador), on the North of Knoll Lake

Wabush is a town in western Labrador, close to the Quebec border, in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is known for its gold mining industry and its regional airport.

Wabush and Labrador City are a pair of towns forming Labrador-West. Dedicated primarily to iron ore mining, their burgeoning population of 9,350 people makes them the largest metropolitan area in otherwise sparsely-populated Labrador, rivalled only by Happy Valley-Goose Bay (with 7,750 people). The bulk of this population is in Labrador City, with Wabush (established 1955) as a de facto suburb of 1,860.

Understand

View of Wabush in early fall, 2007

The town of Wabush is located between Little Wabush Lake (west side) and Wahnahnish Lake (east and southeast side).

Labrador City, Goose Bay and Cartwright use Atlantic time, the same time zone as New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

Get in

By car

Route 500 at Labrador City

Labrador City and Wabush are just across the Québec-Labrador border on the Trans-Labrador Highway; this border is 25 km from Fermont, Quebec. From the intersection of route 138 in Baie-Comeau, take Quebec Route 389 (northbound) on 582 km up to the Labrador border (route 510 in Labrador City), with only one intermediate point (Relais Gabriel) to stop for fuel or lodging. Quebec 389 is a gravel road from the Manic 5 hydroelectric dam to Fermont (RCM of Caniapiscau). The road improves on becoming Route 500 in Labrador, continuing as asphalt through Goose Bay, Port Hope Simpson and Red Bay to Forteau.

From the Québec-Labrador limit, the distance to be traveled on Route 500 is 243 km to Churchill Falls, which has a gas station, hotel and some services, and another 288 km beyond there to Happy Valley-Goose Bay, which is the next city with a hospital.

By plane

Airport

• 1 Wabush Airport (YWK ^IATA) (airport located in the northern part of the village of Wabush), ☏ +1 709-282-5412. It handles flights from other airports in Labrador such as Goose Bay (1.25 hours) and the island of Newfoundland and cities in Quebec including Montreal (3.75-4 hours including multiple stops on the flight).  

Wabush is across Little Wabush Lake from the rest of Labrador City. Rental cars are available at the airport.

Airlines

Canadian airlines operating to Wabush:

• Air Borealis, toll-free: +1-800-563-2800, reservations@airborealis.ca. Native-owned airline with scheduled air service. Small aircraft transport people and cargo to remote points otherwise difficult to access except by sea. (updated Apr 2022)
• Pascan Aviation, ☏ +1-450-443-0500, toll-free: +1-888-313-8777, info@pascan.com. A regional airline operating in Quebec and Labrador. (updated Apr 2022)
• PAL Airlines, toll-free: +1-800-563-2800, reservations@palairlines.ca. One of the largest regional airlines operating in Quebec and Atlantic Canada, and to Ottawa. (updated Apr 2022)

By rail

• Tshiuetin Rail Transportation (Transport ferroviaire Tshiuetin), 148 boul. des Montagnais, Uashat, Quebec, ☏ +1 418 960-0982. This independent native-run railway runs a train from Sept-Îles to Schefferville through the tiny waypoint (not even a hamlet) of Emeril east of Labrador City. Trains heading north for Schefferville depart from Emeril at approximately 3PM (Quebec time) on Mondays and Thursdays, while trains going south to Sept-Îles depart from Emeril on Tuesdays and Fridays at around noon (Quebec time). There are no inhabitants, onward public transit or services at this point, which is about 45 minutes from Labrador City by road. This is the last passenger rail service in the province. The line is isolated from the rest of the North American system; there are no onward rail connections at Sept-Îles. The service is kept in operation by native groups as the only means to reach Schefferville, a community on the Québec side with no road access. (updated May 2020)

Get around

Taxis in Wabush are metered; as of 2013, fares started at $5.50 plus $1.85/km or $0.48 per minute of waiting time:

• 1 CJ Cabs, 74 Avalon Dr, ☏ +1 709 944-7757. 
• 2 Twin City Cabs, 210 Humber Ave, ☏ +1 709 944-6500. 

• 3 Ultramar - Service station (Ultramar Gas Station), 2, Grenfell Drive. 
• Enterprise Rent-A-Car, 2, Airport Road, ☏ +1 709-282-6805. 

See

• 1 Our Lady of Assumption Catholic Church, 48, Bowater Drive, ☏ +1 709-282-6992. (updated Jul 2022)
• 2 Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) Exhibition, Wabush Airport: 2, Airport Road, Wabush, ☏ +1 709 944-7602. Royal Newfoundland Constabulary display exhibits in Wabush Airport depict the history of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary from 1871 to today. (updated Jul 2022)

Do

• 1 Bill Chaplin Arena, Bond Street. (updated Jul 2022)
• 2 Grenfell Park, 116, Grenfell Drive. Recreative park. (updated Jul 2022)
• 3 Wabush Playground, Bond Street. Playground. (updated Jul 2022)

Buy

• 1 CraftWorksAndDecor, Bond Street, ☏ +1 709-280-5571. Craft store. 

Sleep

• 1 Wabush Hotel, 9, Grenfell Drive, ☏ +1 709-282-3221, fax: +1 709-282-3061. 3-star chalet-style hotel built in 1960 as the Sir Wilfred Grenfell Hotel; 65 rooms and three suites, Grenfell restaurant, Canadian/Chinese dining room/lounge, barber, massage clinic, fitness room, high-speed Internet. 

Tourist lodge

• 2 The Ptarmingan's Nest, 28, Snow's Drive. Tourist lodge. 
• 3 The West Side Rentals, 15, Grenfell Drive, ☏ +1 709-280-6683. Tourist lodge. 

Go next

• Labrador City
• Churchill Falls
• Fermont and Baie-Comeau, Quebec, via Quebec Route 389
• Schefferville

Routes through Wabush

Baie-Comeau ← Fermont ←

W  E

→ Churchill Falls → Happy Valley-Goose Bay