Time zone

Blanc Sablon is located in the Atlantic Time Zone (Atlantic Standard Time or AST). The offset of the applicable time relative to UTC is -04:00 In accordance with the applicable time and longitude, the average solar noon in Blanc Sablon occurs at 11:48. Blanc Sablon is the only village where local time coincides with zone time.^{[citation needed]}

Climate

Blanc-Sablon experiences a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc). It has short, cool summers, and very long and snowy winters: the mean snowfall is 375.3 cm (147.8 in). Although its latitude is only 51 degrees north, and its climate is tempered by the Atlantic Ocean, it experiences a much colder climate than other localities at the same latitude due to the cold Labrador Current. For example, London, England, on the same latitude, has an annual mean that is nearly 10 °C (18 °F) milder, and inland Calgary, despite being around 1,050 m (3,440 ft) above sea level, is still almost 4 °C (7.2 °F) warmer despite recording extreme minima about 11 °C (20 °F) colder.

Communities

The municipality includes three villages: Blanc-Sablon, Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon, and Brador Bay.

Population

Language

More information Canada Census Mother Tongue - Blanc-Sablon, Quebec, Census ...

Canada Census Mother Tongue - Blanc-Sablon, Quebec[20]
Census		Total		French				English				French & English				Other
Year		Responses		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %
2021		1,090		225	21.1%	20.6%		820	4.5%	75.2%		35	133.3%	3.2%		10	100.0%	0.9%
2016		1,095		285	9.5%	26.0%		785	6.1%	71.7%		15	25.0%	1.4%		5	0.0%	0.5%
2011		1,080		315	4.5%	29.2%		740	15.9%	68.5%		20	42.9%	1.9%		5	n/a%	0.5%
2006		1,245		330	16.5%	26.5%		880	15.9%	70.7%		35	30.0%	2.8%		0	0.0%	0.0%
2001		1,185		395	11.4%	33.3%		740	13.5%	62.5%		50	30.0%	4.2%		0	0.0%	0.0%
1996		1,240		350	n/a	28.2%		855	n/a	69.0%		35	n/a	2.8%		0	n/a	0.0%

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Ferry services

Being at the eastern end of the Côte-Nord region, Blanc-Sablon is served by a ferry for the communities along the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting with the coastal communities of Saint-Augustin, Gros-Mécatina, Tête-à-la-Baleine, Harrington Harbour, La Romaine and Kegashka, as well as Anticosti Island at Port-Menier. This service is funded by the Government of Quebec. The ferry service's main goal is to make up for the 425 km (264 mi) gap in Route 138, which remains unbuilt between Kegashka and Old Fort (in Bonne-Espérance).

Blanc-Sablon is also the northern terminus of a ferry service across the Strait of Belle Isle to the island of Newfoundland, mainly serving as a connection with nearby Labrador.^[21] This 28 km (17 mi)-long ferry service, operated by the MV Qajaq W, is funded entirely by the government of Newfoundland and Labrador and connects with a southern terminus at St. Barbe on Newfoundland island's Great Northern Peninsula. During winter months, ice conditions sometimes require the service to divert to Corner Brook instead of St. Barbe.^[22]

Road access

At present, Blanc-Sablon is inaccessible directly via the rest of the Quebec road network. From the west, Route 138 has been built to the village of Kegashka; then following a 425 km (264 mi) gap, a 69 km (43 mi) segment restarts at the village of Old Fort and continues to Blanc-Sablon, ending at the border with Labrador near L'Anse-au-Clair where it becomes the Trans-Labrador Highway (Route 510). To travel to the rest of Quebec from Blanc-Sablon, a traveller can take the Relais Nordik ferry (not drive-on/off, but can accommodate cars in shipping containers), or drive via Route 510 through Labrador for approximately 1,130 km (700 mi) to re-enter Quebec at the town of Fermont; then 560 km (350 mi) of Route 389 from Fermont to Baie-Comeau, passing to the east of Manicouagan Reservoir. From there Route 138 leads west to points further on like Quebec City or Montreal. This trip by the north (between Baie-Comeau and Blanc-Sablon) is 1,722 km (1,070 mi). Once Route 138 is eventually completed, the road distance between Baie-Comeau and Blanc-Sablon is estimated to be between 1,045 km (649 mi) to 1,067 km (663 mi); thereby reducing the distance about 38%.

The Quebec government annually plans, invests and works towards connecting Quebec with Labrador via Blanc-Sablon with the completion of Route 138.

Air travel

The Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon Airport provides scheduled air service to Blanc-Sablon.