Schefferville

town in Quebec, Canada

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

Schefferville Lac Pearce

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

Get in

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.

  • 🌍 Schefferville station. (updated Oct 2023)
    • Tshiuetin Rail Transportation, ☏ +1 418-962-5530, toll-free: +1-866-962-0988, . Departing Sept-Îles: M Th at 08:00. Departing Schefferville: Tu F at 08:00. 10-12 hr of spectacular scenery. Sandwiches and microwaved meals are available in a dining car. Server may not speak English or French, so brush up on your Naskapi. The northbound train stops at Emeril Jct (no services, no populated place, no mobile telephone signal) at about 15:00 and southbound at about 12:00 (Quebec time). Labrador City is a 45-minute drive on Highway 500 from Emeril Jct, so you should have transportation arranged to meet you. $175 round trip ($115 for Indigenous persons). (updated Feb 2017)

By plane

  • 🌍 Schefferville Airport (YKL). 
  • Air Inuit, toll-free: +1-800-361-2965. It flies M-Sa from Montreal (starting at $1900 roundtrip) to Quebec City (starting at $1800 roundtrip) to Schefferville. On M W F this flight continues on to Kuujjuaq (starting at $725 roundtrip from Schefferville) and four other settlements in Nunavik. There are 1 or 2 flights a day from Sept-Îles (1½ hr, from $1300 roundtrip). On Sunday, the flight continues to Kuujjuaq. (All fees and taxes included in prices shown.). (updated Feb 2017)

Get around

See

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.

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.

Buy

Eat

  • 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. 

Drink

  • Caribou Bar (near Lac de la Squaw), ☏ +1 418-585-2086. Meals on site. (updated Jul 2022)
  • Le Trappeur Bar, 182, rue des Montagnais, ☏ +1 418-585-2605. Billiards. Meals on site. Take-out orders. (updated Jul 2022)

Sleep

  • Hotel Innutel (formerly Rodeway), 300 Wishart, ☏ +1 418-585-3888, fax: +1 418-585-3999. Check-in: 16:00, check-out: 12:00. Close to the Schefferville Airport, overlooking Lake Knob. Hot breakfast included, wireless high-speed Internet, airport transportation. Also, free parking on premises, which isn't a big perq since there is no road into Schefferville. Dinner on site for $34.50 + tax. $295/night. (updated Jun 2024)
  • Hôtel Auberge Guest House, 550 Star Creek, ☏ +1 418-585-2520. Also very basic. Rooms are over $200/night, breakfast included. A table d'hôte dinner is available by request only (a day or more in advance); a $30 flat rate includes soup, salad, main course and dessert. Bottles of wine are $30. (updated Jun 2024)

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.

Connect

Go next

Usable

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