Burgeo

Burgeo
Town
Flag of Burgeo
Flag
Burgeo is located in Newfoundland
Burgeo
Burgeo
Location of Burgeo in Newfoundland
Coordinates: 47°37′12″N 57°37′18″W / 47.62000°N 57.62167°W / 47.62000; -57.62167[1]
CountryCanada
ProvinceNewfoundland and Labrador
Government
 • MayorSue Ann Peckford-Spencer
 • MHAAndrew Parsons (Burgeo-La Poile)
 • MPGudie Hutchings (Long Range Mountains)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total1,176[2]
Time zoneUTC-03:30 (NST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-02:30 (NDT)
Area code709
Highways Route 480

Burgeo (/ˈbɜːrdʒoʊ/ BUR-joh)[3] is a town in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located mainly on Grandy Island, on the south coast of the island of Newfoundland. It is an outport community.

The town is approximately 121 km (75 mi) east of Channel-Port aux Basques. Burgeo is home to Sandbanks Provincial Park, named for its sand dunes and long expanses of flat, sandy beaches.[4]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Burgeo had a population of 1,176 living in 571 of its 660 total private dwellings, a change of -10% from its 2016 population of 1,307. With a land area of 29.51 km2 (11.39 sq mi), it had a population density of 39.9/km2 (103.2/sq mi) in 2021.[2]

The population was 900 in 1911, 2,474 in 1976, 1,607 in 2006, 1,464 in 2011, and 1,307 in 2016.[5] The median age in the town was 60 in 2021.[6]

Economy

The principal industry was fishing and fish processing until the town was one of many affected by the 1992 cod moratorium.[7] As such, the moratorium caused excessive outmigration.

Burgeo has a ferry dock with connections to Ramea, Grey River and Francois.[8][9][10][11] The town is also the southern terminus for Route 480 (Burgeo Highway), connecting Burgeo with the Trans-Canada Highway (Route 1) and the rest of mainland Newfoundland.[12]

Aerial view of Burgeo Islands

Climate

Burgeo has a subarctic climate (Dfc) with long, cold winters and short, cool summers. Precipitation is heavy year round.[13]

Climate data for Burgeo
Coordinates 47°37′N 57°37′W / 47.617°N 57.617°W / 47.617; -57.617 (Burgeo); elevation: 12 m (39 ft); 1961–1990, extremes 1966–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 8.7
(47.7) 		8.9
(48.0) 		9.2
(48.6) 		14.8
(58.6) 		21.7
(71.1) 		24.4
(75.9) 		25.9
(78.6) 		26.7
(80.1) 		23.1
(73.6) 		18.6
(65.5) 		14.4
(57.9) 		11.5
(52.7) 		26.7
(80.1)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −1.4
(29.5) 		−2
(28) 		0.5
(32.9) 		4.5
(40.1) 		8.8
(47.8) 		12.6
(54.7) 		16.5
(61.7) 		18.1
(64.6) 		15.2
(59.4) 		10.3
(50.5) 		5.8
(42.4) 		1.3
(34.3) 		7.5
(45.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) −4.9
(23.2) 		−5.6
(21.9) 		−2.9
(26.8) 		1.5
(34.7) 		5.6
(42.1) 		9.5
(49.1) 		13.6
(56.5) 		14.8
(58.6) 		11.6
(52.9) 		6.9
(44.4) 		2.8
(37.0) 		−2.0
(28.4) 		4.2
(39.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −8.4
(16.9) 		−9.4
(15.1) 		−6.4
(20.5) 		−1.5
(29.3) 		2.4
(36.3) 		6.4
(43.5) 		10.5
(50.9) 		11.4
(52.5) 		7.8
(46.0) 		3.4
(38.1) 		−0.3
(31.5) 		−5.4
(22.3) 		0.9
(33.6)
Record low °C (°F) −19.4
(−2.9) 		−25.6
(−14.1) 		−25.2
(−13.4) 		−12.2
(10.0) 		−7.2
(19.0) 		1.1
(34.0) 		4.4
(39.9) 		3.9
(39.0) 		−0.6
(30.9) 		−4.7
(23.5) 		−12.9
(8.8) 		−18.3
(−0.9) 		−25.6
(−14.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 156.7
(6.17) 		130.5
(5.14) 		128.1
(5.04) 		131.6
(5.18) 		125.2
(4.93) 		149.3
(5.88) 		139.9
(5.51) 		138.5
(5.45) 		133.2
(5.24) 		156.9
(6.18) 		175.5
(6.91) 		173.8
(6.84) 		1,739.2
(68.47)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 84.1
(3.31) 		71.7
(2.82) 		75.5
(2.97) 		110.5
(4.35) 		121.0
(4.76) 		149.3
(5.88) 		140.0
(5.51) 		138.5
(5.45) 		133.2
(5.24) 		154.6
(6.09) 		158.4
(6.24) 		117.5
(4.63) 		1,454.3
(57.25)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 75.3
(29.6) 		62.6
(24.6) 		53.6
(21.1) 		19.6
(7.7) 		3.7
(1.5) 		0.2
(0.1) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		2.2
(0.9) 		16.3
(6.4) 		54.8
(21.6) 		288.3
(113.5)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 19 17 17 15 15 16 17 17 15 16 17 18 199
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 7 6 8 11 15 16 17 17 15 16 14 10 152
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 16 14 12 6 trace trace trace 0 0 trace 5 12 65
Source: 1961-1990 Environment and Climate Change Canada[14]

First Nations

Burgeo (Najioqonuk in the Miꞌkmaq language) falls under the Flat Bay ward of the Qalipu First Nation. It is also home to the independent Burgeo First Nation Band, a local self-identified band of Miꞌkmaq that currently have status and non-status members. Non-status members are planning to seek status under the Indian Act.[15]

Notable people

The famed Canadian nature writer and naturalist Farley Mowat lived in Burgeo for five years during his time in Newfoundland. He wrote several books during his time there, including the controversial A Whale for the Killing,[16] which was later adapted into a movie loosely based on the book but with the same name. Mowat's wife, Claire Mowat, wrote her book The Outport People about life in Burgeo[17] although the town in the book is given the fictional name "Baleena".[18]

Route 480, also referred to as the Burgeo road, was a frequent subject for famed Canadian painter Christopher Pratt, who depicted it on several occasions and began his book Thoughts on Driving to Venus there in 1999. On Saturday 11 April (2009), Pratt wrote:[19]

'Burgeo Road, 10:30 am. 3 °C, breezy, mixture of sun and cloud. Enroute Sandbanks on a chilly but very inviting day. I always remember these "Car Books" began on this road—intended to be a short-hand, stream of consciousness, trigger-happy sort of thing, a sequence of responses, not considered efforts at insights or forced philosophies.'

See also

References

  1. ^ "Burgeo". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
  2. ^ a b "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Newfoundland and Labrador". Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  3. ^ The Canadian Press Stylebook (18th ed.), Toronto: The Canadian Press, 2017
  4. ^ "Sandbanks Provincial Park". Newfoundland and Labrador. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  5. ^ "Burgeo Census". Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  6. ^ "Statistics Canada. 2022. (table). Census Profile. 2021 Census of Population". Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Burgeo | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  8. ^ Bird, Lindsay (20 August 2020). "Fighting for first pay raise in 8 years, some ferry captains in N.L. look to strike on Friday". CBC News. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  9. ^ "No deal: Provincial government ushers in essential service ferry schedule as of Tuesday morning". CBC News. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  10. ^ Stoodley, Allan (25 October 2020). "Decades after resettlement, tiny communities still dot Newfoundland's 'forgotten coast'". CBC News. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  11. ^ Tait, Bryan. "Ramea-Burgeo ferry back on course". Saltwire.com. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Burgeo". Town of Burgeo. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  13. ^ Canada, Environment and Climate Change (9 February 2011). "Canadian Climate Normals 1961-1990 Station Data - Climate - Environment and Climate Change Canada". climate.weather.gc.ca. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  14. ^ Environment Canada—Canadian Climate Normals 1961–1990. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  15. ^ "Burgeo Mi'kmaq split off to form Newfoundland's newest Aboriginal band | CBC News". CBC. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  16. ^ "Farley Mowat remembered by Burgeo resident | CBC News". CBC. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  17. ^ "Claire Mowat, Farley's Boswell". Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  18. ^ "CM Archive". www.cmreviews.ca. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  19. ^ "The Porcupine's Quill | Book Listing | Thoughts on Driving to Venus". porcupinesquill.ca. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Burgeo.