The Baie-James () was a
former municipality in northern
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
, Canada, which existed from 1971 to 2012. Located to the east of
James Bay
James Bay (, ; ) is a large body of water located on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. It borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario, and is politically part of Nunavut. Its largest island is Akimiski Island.
Numerous waterways of the ...
, Baie-James covered of land, making it the largest incorporated municipality in Canada — only eight
unorganized territories were larger. Its territory almost entirely (about 98%) covered the administrative region of
Jamésie, although it contained less than five percent of the population. Essentially, it was the remainder of the Jamésie Territory's land after all of the major population centres were removed.
On July 24, 2012, the Quebec government signed an accord with the
Cree
The Cree, or nehinaw (, ), are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people, numbering more than 350,000 in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada, First Nations. They live prim ...
that would result in the abolition of Baie-James and the creation of a regional government known as
Eeyou Istchee James Bay Territory.
The hydroelectric power plants of the
La Grande Complex were all located within the municipal boundaries of Baie-James, making the municipality strategically important to Quebec's
energy policy
Energy policies are the government's strategies and decisions regarding the Energy production, production, Energy distribution, distribution, and World energy supply and consumption, consumption of energy within a specific jurisdiction. Energy ...
. Other important economic sectors are mining, softwood logging, forestry, and tourism.
History
The municipality was created in 1971 and was run by the board of directors of the ''Société de développement de la Baie James''. It managed the territory of the ''
James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement'' between the 49th and 55th parallel, with the exception of the
Cree
The Cree, or nehinaw (, ), are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people, numbering more than 350,000 in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada, First Nations. They live prim ...
Category 1 lands and the
enclave
An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is so ...
s of
Chapais,
Chibougamau
Chibougamau () is the largest town in Nord-du-Québec, central Quebec, Canada. Located on Lake Gilman, it has a population of 7,233 people (2021 Canadian census). Chibougamau is surrounded by, but not part of, the local municipality of Eeyou ...
,
Lebel-sur-Quévillon and
Matagami.
In December 2001, the municipal council was reformed. It became a municipality of a special type directed by the mayors of the four enclave towns, as well as the chairpersons of the local community councils of
Radisson, Valcanton and
Villebois. An eighth seat is reserved for a representative coming from the non-urban territory. The municipality gained additional authority and can exert certain powers as a
regional county.
Under the terms of the
Agreement on Governance in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay Territory of July 24, 2012, the municipality ceased to exist and was replaced by a new regional government called
Eeyou Istchee James Bay Territory.
Communities in Baie-James
*
Beaucanton
*Desmaraisville
*
Joutel
*Miquelon
*
Radisson - northernmost non-native town in Quebec.
*
Val-Paradis
*Valcanton
*
Villebois
Demographics
Transportation
The primary roads to and within Baie-James are:
*
Route 109 - provincial highway to Matagami
*
Route 113 - provincial highway from Val-d'Or to Chibougamau
*
Route 393 - regional highway to Val-Paradis
*
James Bay Road
The James Bay Road (), officially the Billy-Diamond Highway (), is a remote wilderness highway winding its way through the Canadian Shield in northwestern Quebec and reaches into the James Bay region. It starts in Matagami, Quebec, Matagami as an ...
- road from Matagami to Radisson
*
North Road
*
Trans-Taiga Road - access road to hydro-electric stations of the
James Bay Project
The James Bay Project () involves the construction of a series of hydroelectricity, hydroelectric power stations on the La Grande River in northwestern Quebec, Canada by government-owned corporation, state-owned public utility, utility Hydro-Qué ...
Air transportation is through the
La Grande Rivière Airport near Radisson, which provides scheduled air service to Montreal and
Puvirnituq.
Geography
Nearby lakes include
Lake Naococane.
References
External links
Website of the Eeyou Istchee James Bay Regional Government
Grand Council of the CreesCree TourismMunicipality of Baie-JamesHuman Environment of the James Bay region
(Detailed map of the James Bay region)
Map of Baie-James
{{Subdivisions of Quebec
Former municipalities in Quebec
James Bay
Populated places established in 1971
Populated places disestablished in 2012
1971 establishments in Quebec
2012 disestablishments in Quebec
de:Baie-James