Lac-John facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lac-John
Indian reserve
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Lac-John Location in Côte-Nord region, Quebec
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Côte-Nord
Regional county	None
Settled	1957
Formed	1960
Area
• Land	0.50 km2 (0.19 sq mi)
Population  (2021)
• Total	21
• Density	41.6/km2 (108/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Postal Code	G0G 2T0
Area code(s)	418 and 581

Lac-John is a special community, called a First Nations reserve. It's located on John Lake in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada. You can find it about 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) northeast of Schefferville. Lac-John is part of the Innu Nation of Matimekush-Lac John, along with the Matimekosh Reserve.

The community gets its name from the nearby John Lake. This name was first used by a mining company, the Labrador Mining and Smelting Company. They put it on one of their maps before 1947.

History of Lac-John

Early Days of the Innu People

The area around Lac-John was the northern part of the hunting and trapping lands for the Innu Indigenous people. However, they did not live there all the time.

In the early 1950s, mining started to develop in the region. Because of this, Naskapi people from Fort Chimo and some Innu families from Maliotenam came to Schefferville. They helped with geological exploration and building the railway from Sept-Iles.

Creating the Reserve

In 1957, the town of Schefferville moved the Innu and Naskapi people to a spot on John Lake. Life was hard there, with no proper sanitation, electricity, schools, or medical care.

A year later, the area was surveyed to create a reserve. On June 7, 1960, the Government of Québec gave 58 acres (about 23 hectares) of land to the Government of Canada. This land then became the Lac-John Reserve.

At first, the Innu and Naskapi lived in small, simple shelters. But by 1962, the government had built 30 houses for them.

Changes Over Time

In 1968, the Matimekosh Reserve was created closer to the center of Schefferville. The town of Schefferville then tried to take over the Lac-John Reserve.

By 1972, most families living at Lac-John moved to Matimekosh. However, some families chose to stay at Lac-John. New homes were built for them in 1975.

Population of Lac-John

The number of people living in Lac-John has changed over the years. Here's a look at the population trend:

• In 2021, the population was 21 people.
• In 2016, there were 33 people.
• In 2011, the population was 21 people.
• In 2006, there were 16 people.
• In 2001, the population was 23 people.
• In 1996, there were 38 people.

As of 2021, there were 11 homes in Lac-John where people lived regularly. There were 12 homes in total.