Archive for year: 2023

Forty years ago this summer, the Cleveland-based Iron Ore Company of Canada closed its open pit mine in Quebec’s far northeast, putting the future of the town of Schefferville into doubt. Most of the housing in the town of 2,500 was owned by the departing company as was the long railway line south to Sept-Iles, the only land-link to the outside world. While most industrial closures receive little public attention outside of the immediate locality or region, Schefferville became front page news across Canada for weeks, even years. What explains this sustained interest?