Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
Newfoundland and Labrador’s traditional fishery based on the production of dried salt cod for markets in Europe, the West Indies, and Brazil has virtually disappeared since the 1940s. It was replaced, over time, by a technologically advanced and capital-intensive industry based on catching and processing groundfish (cod, hake, flounder, and redfish) in large plants in order to produce frozen goods for the North American market. In the second half of the 20th century, the industry was allowed to overexpand, and heavy fishing by Canadian and foreign trawlers severely depleted groundfish stocks, including cod. As a result, a moratorium was placed on cod fishing in 1992, and stricter quotas were imposed on other species. In response to this development, the industry has diversified with some success into shellfish (primarily crab and shrimp), and there has been a significant expansion in aquaculture.
Fishing now contributes only a tiny fraction of the province’s gross domestic product and a relatively small (though still significant) proportion of provincial employment. An even smaller amount is derived from harvesting harp seal pups, a practice that has been criticized by animal-rights activists.
The lack of good soil, the small domestic market, and a relatively short growing season have militated against the development of agriculture in Newfoundland and Labrador, and most foodstuffs are imported. Though small, the sector has expanded steadily, with the main emphasis on poultry and dairy products. Vegetables and fruit are marketed locally. Berries harvested in the wild are used to makes wines and jams.
Resources and power
Mineral resources are of great importance to the provincial economy. Newfoundland was at one time a major producer of iron and copper ore; however, the province’s most important mining area is now situated in western Labrador, which possesses huge reserves of iron ore. Major deposits of nickel, copper, and cobalt were discovered at Voisey’s Bay on the northern Labrador coast in the mid-1990s, and mining began about a decade later. A number of mines and quarries on the island produce gold, silica, barite, dolomite, gypsum, dimension stone, sand, gravel, and peat. The province’s forests support pulp and paper mills, as well as a sawmilling industry.
Exploration for petroleum and natural gas began offshore in the 1960s, and there have been numerous significant discoveries on the Grand Banks and the Labrador Shelf. The Hibernia field, about 200 miles (320 km) east of St. John’s, was discovered in 1979 and began production in 1997. Since then other fields in the vicinity have been developed. There has also been increasing interest in the oil and gas potential of western Newfoundland. An oil refinery at Come By Chance in Placentia Bay supplies the U.S. market.
The publicly owned corporation Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro controls most of the province’s hydroelectric generating capacity, including the Churchill Falls installation in Labrador, one of the largest such facilities in the world. Most of the power generated at Churchill Falls is sold to HydroQuébec at what are now considered bargain prices under a long-term contract. Customers on the island are supplied mainly by hydroelectric developments there (such as the one at Bay d’Espoir) through a privately owned utility.
Manufacturing
In addition to the pulp and paper industry, there are a number of businesses producing various wood products and building and repairing ships and boats. Food and beverage manufacturing also employs a significant number of people.
Services, labor, and taxation
The major Canadian banks have branches in the province’s main towns. They are supplemented by credit unions, particularly in rural areas. Brokerage, investment, insurance, and real estate companies are similarly widespread.
Tourism is becoming increasingly important, though the sector faces the challenges of the province’s relatively remote location and the cost of traveling there. As a result, tourism does not provide work for as many people as some other parts of the service sector, which, overall, employs the greatest portion of the provincial workforce. The largest concentrations are in retailing and health care, though significant numbers are employed in education, public administration, and various professional services. Women constitute more than half of the workforce. The overall unemployment rate is significantly higher than the national average. The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour is the province’s largest labor organization, but it does not include all unionized workers. The seasonality of some occupations is partially compensated for by the federal government’s employment insurance plan.
Most of the provincial government’s revenue comes from local sales and income taxes; much of the rest is derived from the federal government. Health care and education absorb the largest share of expenditures, and the province carries a significant public debt.
Transportation and telecommunications
Until the end of the 19th century, communication among the coastal settlements of both Newfoundland and Labrador was by sea, though there were roads on the Avalon Peninsula. Ferry service remains an important means of transportation in the province. Ferry lines run between the island and Labrador and between coastal settlements on the northeastern and southern coasts of Newfoundland. There is a summer ferry service that travels across the Strait of Belle Isle between Blanc Sablon, Quebec, and St. Barbe, Newfoundland. The island is also linked to mainland Canada by ferries operating between Channel–Port aux Basques and Argentia (seasonal), both on the south coast, and North Sydney, Nova Scotia.
A narrow-gauge railway was built during the 1880s and ’90s from St. John’s to Channel–Port aux Basques along a route that touched the major bays. The service was supplemented by coastal and bay steamers that connected settlements not served by the railway and also provided service between the island and Labrador. A regular ferry service that connected the railway to the mainland Canadian rail system in Nova Scotia began in 1898. A number of railway branchlines were built on the island between 1909 and 1914.
The railway system on the island was shut down in 1988; the province now has only a single line, which carries freight from western Labrador to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Elsewhere, rail has been replaced by road. A section of the Trans-Canada Highway crosses Newfoundland, generally following the route of the old rail line. Secondary roads link virtually every settlement on the island. Many Labrador communities are without road connections to their neighbors. The Trans-Labrador Highway, completed in 2009, connects southern, central, and western Labrador to the road network of Quebec.
Internal, national, and international air connections are provided by Air Canada and other carriers. The major airports at St. John’s (Torbay), Gander, Deer Lake, Stephenville, Goose Bay, and Wabush are supplemented by smaller facilities at such centers as St. Anthony and Nain. Telephone service is universally available, and almost all communities have access to the Internet.