Churchill Falls, Newfoundland and Labrador

waterfall

Churchill Falls is a community in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is home to the Churchill Falls Generating Station and is a company town.

John McLean is believed to have been the first European to see the falls in 1839. In 1967, work on the generating station had commenced, officially inaugurated by Premier Joey Smallwood, while residential facilities also began that year. The town was built around a town complex, the Donald Gordon Centre, with amenities such as a school, gymnasium, grocery store, hotel, restaurant, library, curling club and swimming pool. Permanent housing facilities were constructed in 1969. The town is managed and operated by Nalcor Energy and remains a company town to this date.

Churchill Falls is connected by the Trans Labrador Highway with Labrador City and Baie Comeau in Quebec, its main transportation link. The Churchill Falls Airport has served the community as a privately owned airport since 1971. There is no formal terminal building, just a few small structures and the runway. There were scheduled flights to Goose Bay and Wabush in the 1970s, and scheduled service by PAL Airlines (formerly Provincial Airlines) up to 2003.

Churchill Falls lies on the Churchill River near the Churchill Falls, one of the largest waterfalls in Canada. It is about east of Labrador City.

Under the Köppen climate classification, Churchill Falls has a subarctic climate (Dfc) with long, cold winters and short, mild summers.

Churchill Falls is a part of the Division No. 10, Subdivision D. As of the 2021 census, it had a population of 732. There were a total of 556 private dwellings. The population was spread out, with 175 being from age 0 to 14, 535 from age 15 to 64, and 20 being age 65 or older. The average age was 34.0. English was the mother tongue of 705 residents, while French was the mother tongue of the remaining 15. A total of 60 residents claimed to be of First Nations heritage, while 40 were Métis.