Schefferville

Schefferville is a community in Caniapiscau regional county municipality. It 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-Indigenous occupants left, leaving mostly Indigenous people who had settled there in the preceding 30 years.

Understand
Its population was 244 in 2023.

Schefferville is 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 (2021 pop. 661) and Lac-John (2021 pop. 21) are located within and beside Schefferville, respectively, while the Naskapi reserved land of Kawawachikamach (2021 pop. 641) is 15 km north of Schefferville.

Tourist information

 * Caniapiscau Tourism website

By car
Schefferville is not accessible by road.

By train
A train runs north on the Quebec North Shore & Labrador (QNS&L) line from Sept-Îles through Emeril, Labrador to Schefferville, an otherwise-inaccessible mining community in northern Québec. This line is owned by three First Nations (Indigenous) groups. "Tshiuetin" means "north wind" in the Naskapi language. This line does not connect to the rest of the North American rail system.

See
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.

Do
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.

Stay safe
At all times, visitors to remote areas must plan to be independent in terms of travel, accommodation, food, repairs, first aid, communication (e.g. satellite phones, geolocation) and general safety, depending on the activities practiced on land or at sea.

In summer, visitors should take special precautions against insects, rain; in winter, protect yourself from the cold and storms by finding out about available refuges or by travelling with an experienced guide. Sometimes fog can occur and be prolonged.

Go next

 * Port-Cartier
 * Labrador City
 * Baie Comeau
 * Sept-Îles