From the Archive

Welcome to the Community of Nain !   View of Nain from Mount Sophie

Nain is a growing community of approximately 1250 residents (almost half of which are younger than 22, and 1/3 of the town’s population are school aged youth), and is the northernmost remaining settlement in the Province.  Nain is a mixture of Inuit and nonaboriginal residents first founded in 1771 by Moravian missionaries, and grew as more and more Inuit either moved from more northern settlements like Okak, Nutak, Hebron, Ramah, and others - or were moved as part of a controversial resettlement program in the early 1900's. Nain’s rich history and ties with the land, coupled with modern developments, a Land Claims process near completion, and its large numbers of youth, have all combined to make Nain a “community in transition” in many senses of the word.

    Nain is situated at the eastern end of a peninsula facing the Labrador Sea, and bordered to the east by a multitude of islands.  These islands, along with five major bays with a half dozen large rivers situated nearby, offers great scenery and outdoor opportunities for those with snowmobile or boat transportation.  There is no cell phone coverage, and any trips away from Town places you in one of the most rugged and isolated parts of eastern Canada.  Remote and (for the most part)  undisturbed, living from the land’s resources still provides a significant amount of food for residents, with staple foods including caribou, partridge, hares, ducks, geese, berries, and char.   The scenic Torngat mountain range to the north is the main snowmobile pathway to the northernmost quarter of the Province, and the proposed home of Canada’s newest national park.  From Nain, one can experience a variety of art, cultural events, and outdoor events not found in other parts of the Province.
    
    Employment levels vary by season, with the local fish plant operating from May/June to October (processing fresh and smoked char, scallops, and sometimes turbot, halibut, or other species), and Labradorite stone quarries operating at two local islands from June to November.  The Voisey’s Bay project (25 miles SSW of Nain) offers more recent employment opportunities for coastal residents. Local contractors, the Atsanik lodge/hotel, and small local stores offer employment, but levels of unemployment are significant.  Commercial scallop dragging and char fishing operations, tourism, boat visits, and other seasonal opportunities help the economic situation, but the average income is low - but increasing !  
                
    The information that follows may help answer questions you may have, or for those who are making the transition to Nain, perhaps help you make more informed decisions of what’s needed, and what’s available here.  Feel free to contact the individuals mentioned at the end with specific questions on school schedules, transportation, local contacts, etcetera.




Community Infrastructure:


Power Supply:   Power is supplied by a diesel fuel burning generator, located at the south eastern part of the town. Rates for electricity vary between $119 -257, and a hydro bill can average $100.00 per month for an apartment, and slightly more for a private home(100-200 per month depending on usage).

Water/ Sewer:  All of the homes in Nain are connected to the Town's water and sewer system.

Fuel Supply: Homes are heated using either diesel fuel or wood, or a combination of both. School employees can place a fall fuel order under the Labrador School Board's annual order, and therefore get fuel at a discounted rate(about $130.00 per barrel). Fuel is supplied by Woodward's Oil Limited, and is delivered to the community via boat delivery. For residence apartments, a typical order may be in the vicinity of eight to ten drums a year. Local individuals may be available as needed to pump fuel into residence tanks throughout the winter and the bulk fuel order can be delivered by tanker truck before the roads are snow covered for the winter.

Gas is supplied by the same business, at a current rate of about 99 cents to $110 per litre. Food and fuel loans are available if desired, to cover the cost of fall fuel and grocery orders - repayment made via pay cheque deduction biweekly. Woodward's oil can be contacted at 922-2972 during regular work hours. Woodward's oil is closed during weekends and have special hours around holidays.

 

Transportation:Twin Otter


Air:  Both Air Labrador and Provincial Airlines offer twin otter service to costal Labrador communities, with flights originating from Happy Valley- Goose Bay. A direct  flight from Nain to Goose bay takes about 1 hour a20 minutes, and flights visiting all six costal communities take about 2 hours and 50 minutes. Flights are weather dependent both in and out of Town. Mail is delivered by air, and Government subsidies allow grocery items to be flown in  when coastal shipping season ends for the winter. Air Labrador's local contact is 922-2940. Provincial's local contact can be reached at 922-2500. Round trip ticket prices from Nain to Goose bay are approximately $560. Booking for holiday travel should be maked as early as possible. Neither airline accepts "air miles" or other point rebates. There are no regularly scheduled Saturday flights, and weather related back logs may see additional flights as soon as the weather clears.


Marine: Presently the marine shipping season runs from about mid/late June to late November. Personal goods, grocery orders, vehicles, ecetera can be transported for a nominal fee, and the Lewisporte terminal is the freight drop off point for northern coastal Labrador bound materials. Coastal marine services operates the "Trans Gulf" that serves the north coast and another vessel may be added to the freight service as well. The arrival of the boats has always been an event that sees many people at the wharf site to greet the boat. There are a number of individuals who operate freight delevery service fom the wharf to residences of businesses. New employees should have their effects addressed to Jens Haven Memorial School, so they can be delivered to the school building should they arrive ahead of you. Contant names and number can be provided by your community contact, "mentor", or Principal. Contact should be made wth the Lewisporte terminal for depature times, as the timing of your delivery greatly affects how ling it takes for your freight to arrive in Nain.


Local Roads: Local roads are gravel topped with class "a" stone, and much work has been done between 2000-2003 to upgrde drainages to control spring snow runoff. ATV's cars, and trucks are used from June up until early December, then parked for the winter months - as roads are not snow cleared during the winter. Snowmobiles are the main mode of transport of December until late May. Ther are no roads leading into or out of the community.