Channel-Port aux BasquesNewfoundland and Labrador
It lies in Division No. 3. The town, home to 3,379 people, lies in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Is Channel-Port aux Basques a good place to live?
Cheap to live in, with trade-offs. Homes are affordable (A). Health outcomes fall short of most towns (C). Overall, that makes a B, good for #6 of 32 in Newfoundland and Labrador. Set against the rest, it does better than just over three fifths of Canadian towns.
This town's rent is the 2021 census rent scaled to 2025 by its province's ratio of surveyed to census rents: no rental survey covers it, so its Cost Grade is less sure. Safety is the police detachment's figure, shared with the towns and countryside around it. No School Grade: this province doesn't publish comparable results school by school. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.
What makes Channel-Port aux Basques stand out
The 3 things Channel-Port aux Basques does most differently from other towns.
How Channel-Port aux Basques grades
Each subject compares Channel-Port aux Basques with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Channel-Port aux Basques.
The 2 schools of Channel-Port aux Basques: 1 elementary school and 1 secondary school
An elementary school stands 101 km from the centre, above Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (3.5 km) and Canadian towns (0.5 km) alike. The nearest secondary school is 107 km away, above Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (25 km) and Canadian towns (1.2 km) alike.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. James ElementaryIn Channel-Port aux BasquesElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| St. James Regional HighIn Channel-Port aux BasquesSecondary | Secondary | – | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Channel-Port aux Basques | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 107 km | 25 km | 1.2 km |
| Nearest elementary school | 101 km | 3.5 km | 0.5 km |
Statistics Canada’s Open Database of Educational Facilities · Why no schools grade in Newfoundland and Labrador? The province publishes no results school by school.
Rent takes less of local pay in Channel-Port aux Basques than in Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns or Canadian towns: 15% of household income
Shelter took 30% or more of income for 12% of households, below both Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (18%). Home ownership covers 79% of households.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Channel-Port aux Basques | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 15% | 17% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 12% | 15% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 79% | 78% | 74% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · The 2021 census asked owners what their home was worth; those values, and 2020 incomes, are what this compares.
Life expectancy around Channel-Port aux Basques is 78.5 years, 3.0 less than for the typical Canadian town
Measured across the Western Zone: health survey and life expectancy
The survey finds 47% of adults in very good or excellent health, below Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (50%) and Canadian towns (52%) alike. The town’s own part is the trip to care, and Channel-Port aux Basques is well placed: 1.6 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical. A pharmacy is nearer: 0.8 km on average, with 1.8 within 3 km of the typical home.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Channel-Port aux Basques | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 47% | 50% | 52% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 20% | 22% | 17% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 78.5 | 78.6 | 81.5 |
| Smokers | 15% | 15% | 12% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Trips to work from Channel-Port aux Basques are shorter than from Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns or Canadian towns: 13 min on average
The car took 88% of commuters, about level with Canadian towns (89%) and below Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (92%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Channel-Port aux Basques | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 13 min | 19 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 88% | 92% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · The 2021 census was taken in May 2021, during COVID-19 restrictions: more people than usual worked from home or were off work.
Channel-Port aux Basques’ hazards at a glance: a low wildfire record and 10% of area homes over the radon guideline
Fire seldom reaches Channel-Port aux Basques: since 1986, 1.5% of the land within 25 km has burned (0.04% a year). Flood mapping: none on the national inventory of the town.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Channel-Port aux Basques | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 10% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.013 | $0.011 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory · Area behind the radon tests figures: the Western Regional Integrated Health Authority
Channel-Port aux Basques has cooler summers than Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns or Canadian towns: July highs of 17.6°C
On a January night, the temperature in Channel-Port aux Basques falls to about −7.6°C. Rain and melted snow add up to 1,316 mm a year, about level with Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (1,305 mm) and above Canadian towns (883 mm). For the wettest month, look to September: 131 mm on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Channel-Port aux Basques | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| July afternoon high | 17.6°C | 21.2°C | 25.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 1,316 mm | 1,305 mm | 883 mm |
| January night low | −7.6°C | −8.7°C | −13.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 154 | 171 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Port Aux Basques)
Channel-Port aux Basques is older than nine in ten Canadian towns: a median age of 54
Visible minorities make up 1.1% of the population, about level with Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (1.2%) and below Canadian towns (15%). 3.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity, about level with Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (3.7%) and above Canadian towns (2.8%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
Women make up 52.3% of Channel-Port aux Basques
Census 2021 put women at 1,855 and men at 1,690; women are 50.9% of Canada.
| Channel-Port aux Basques | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 13% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 58% | 61% | 64% |
| 65+ | 30% | 26% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 29% | 21% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 39% | 53% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
In Channel-Port aux Basques, November normally means 6°C afternoons and 1°C nights
Looking ahead to December, expect highs near 2°C and lows near −3°C. November normally sees 119 mm of precipitation. Normal highs peak at 20°C in August; nights bottom out at −9°C in February. Hour-by-hour figures come from ECCC’s Channel-Port aux Basques forecast, on the Weather page.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −1°C | −7°C | 345 mm |
| Spring | 4°C | −2°C | 266 mm |
| Summer | 17°C | 10°C | 325 mm |
| Autumn | 11°C | 5°C | 380 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Port Aux Basques); the forecast is on the Weather page
Carol Anstey (Conservative Party of Canada) holds Long Range Mountains, the riding that includes Channel-Port aux Basques
4 of the 7 MPs from Newfoundland and Labrador belong to the Liberal Party of Canada.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
No public library stands in Channel-Port aux Basques: the closest, Codroy Valley Public Library, is 31 km away
Visits and loans aren’t published as open data in Newfoundland and Labrador, so this page has none for Channel-Port aux Basques.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Channel-Port aux Basques earns a B− for safety
Area-wide: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000, counted over the Channel-Port aux Basques detachment area
The violent index for its police area came to 63, below Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (82) and Canadian towns (86) alike. The force’s area logs 15 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year. Thefts, break-ins and damage add up to 23.8 per 1,000 residents a year where it is policed.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Channel-Port aux Basques | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 23.8 | 34.8 | 31.2 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 63 | 82 | 86 |
| Crime Severity Index | 67 | 81 | 67 |
| Violent crime | 15 | 16.7 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
The International Appalachian Trail (Newfoundland) runs by Channel-Port aux Basques
There is no national park within 100 km of the town. 16 beaches are mapped within 5 km, the nearest Hells Beach. Also worth knowing: for a provincial park, J. T. Cheeseman Provincial Park lies 3.2 km off. One protected area lies within 10 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Channel-Port aux Basques | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.4% | 0.4% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Channel-Port aux Basques keeps its older homes: 32% from before 1961
Add one just outside the town.
| Heritage | Channel-Port aux Basques | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 32% | 17% | 18% |
Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period
Everything we know about Channel-Port aux Basques
Questions about Channel-Port aux Basques
Has Channel-Port aux Basques grown?
No: the census counted 4,067 in 2016 and 3,547 in 2021, 12.8% fewer, against growth of 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 3,379.
What kind of homes are in Channel-Port aux Basques?
Mostly 86% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.1 people on average, and 30% have just one.
About Channel-Port aux Basques
Town in Newfoundland and Labrador
Channel-Port aux Basques is a municipality in Newfoundland and Labrador, read by TownRatings as Statistics Canada draws it: one census subdivision, so its figures cover the whole municipality.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 3,379 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Census division
- Division No. 3
- Census subdivision
- 1003034
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · Uniform Crime Reporting Survey 2023–25 (35-10-0026, 35-10-0183 to 35-10-0190) · CMHC rents as published by Statistics Canada (34-10-0133) · grades by TownRatings. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).