William's Harbour is a former

local service district Local service district may refer to these administrative units in Canada: * Local service district (New Brunswick) A local service district (LSD) was a provincial administrative unit for the provision of local services in the Canadian province o ...

and

designated place A designated place (DPL) is a type of community or settlement identified by Statistics Canada that does not meet the criteria used to define municipalities or population centres. DPLs are delineated every 5 years for the Canadian census as the s ...

in the

Canadian province Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...

. The community was entirely resettled in 2017. The settlement was part of the NunatuKavut territory.

History

A fishing community, William's Harbour went into decline following the 1992 cod moratorium with the closure of its fish plant in 1992. The local school closed in 2000. In a March 28, 2013 interview on

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's ''

As It Happens ''As It Happens'' is a Canadian interview show that airs on CBC Radio One in Canada and various public radio stations in the United States through Public Radio Exchange. Its 50th anniversary was celebrated on-air on November 16, 2018. It has be ...

'' programme, area administrator George Russell stated that the 17 remaining residents of William's Harbour were willing to accept a new re-settlement offer of $275,000.00 per household from the government of Newfoundland and Labrador to residents of struggling outport communities. On August 15, 2017, the

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

reported that the residents of William's Harbour had agreed to relocate. The entire community was in agreement with the decision to move. The cost was approximately $4 million (Canadian) to complete the relocation. The government expects to save about $7.9 million Canadian dollars over the next two decades. Residents will be able to return for berry picking or fishing by applying for a five-year permit after they have relocated to a new community. On November 10, 2017 the last residents left William's Harbour. As a designated place in the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, William's Harbour recorded a population of 0 down from 15 in the 2016 census.

Geography

William's Harbour is in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

within Subdivision B of Division No. 10.

References

Ghost towns in Newfoundland and Labrador Designated places in Newfoundland and Labrador Local service districts in Newfoundland and Labrador {{Labrador-geo-stub

History

Geography

See also

References