Chapais () is a community in the

Canadian province Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...

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, ...

, located on Route 113 near

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 ...

in the

Jamésie Jamésie () is a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality (TE) of Nord-du-Québec, Canada. Its geographical code is 991 and together with Kativik TE and Eeyou Istchee TE it forms the administrative région and census division ( ...

region. It is surrounded by, but not a part of, the local municipality of

Eeyou Istchee James Bay Eeyou Istchee James Bay (, ) is a local municipality in the (TE) in administrative region of . Located to the east of James Bay, Eeyou Istchee James Bay covers of land, making it the largest incorporated municipality in Canada — only eight ...

. The community was first settled in 1929, when prospector Léo Springer discovered deposits of copper, silver and gold in the area. Named for

Thomas Chapais Sir Joseph Amable Thomas Chapais, (; March 23, 1858 – July 15, 1946) was a French Canadian author, editor, historian, journalist, professor, and politician. Life and career Born in Saint-Denis, Quebec (then Canada East), the son of Jean ...

, it was incorporated as a city in 1955.

History

Opémisca Copper Mines operated the community's mine until 1991. More recently, with the closure of the mines, the community's primary industry has been forestry. The community opened the first

cogeneration Cogeneration or combined heat and power (CHP) is the use of a heat engine or power station to generate electricity and useful heat at the same time. Cogeneration is a more efficient use of fuel or heat, because otherwise- wasted heat from elec ...

plant in Quebec to produce electricity from the sawmill's waste matter. On the night of January 1, 1980, at 1:30 a.m., 48 people were killed when a fire destroyed the Opémiska Community Hall. Fifty others were injured and rushed to

hospital. This fire was the worst to occur in Quebec for more than 40 years. The fire started in wreaths of dried branches and other Christmas decorations, and the ensuing chaos that followed quickly blocked access to the main entrance. Several people managed to escape in time, but the tragedy left deep scars in the community. Chapais had a population of 1,468 in the

Canada 2021 Census The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canada, Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, whic ...

. A crater on Mars is named after this community. The community, and the efforts of its residents to keep it alive in the face of economic decline, are profiled in the 2013 documentary film '' Waiting for Spring (En attendant le printemps)''.

Geography

Climate

Chapais has a marginal

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Dfc''), slightly colder than the

humid continental Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity depe ...

(

: ''Dfb'') areas to the south. While winters are bitterly cold, summers are relatively warm during daytime, though nights remain relatively cool. As such, the yearly mean is just above freezing. Summers have high rainfall and winters are quite snowy.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Chapais had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. Population:Statistics Canada:

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

census * Population in 2021: 1,468 ** 2016 to 2021 population change: −2.1% * Population in 2016: 1,499 * Population in 2011: 1,610 * Population in 2006: 1,630 * Population in 2001: 1,795 * Population in 1996: 2,030 * Population in 1991: 2,391 * Population in 1986: 2,875 * Population in 1981: 3,119 * Population in 1976: 3,147 * Population in 1971: 2,914 * Population in 1966: 2,459 * Population in 1961: 2,363 * Population in 1956: 380 Mother tongue: * English as first language: 3.7% * French as first language: 89.5% * English and French as first language: 1% * Other as first language: 5.1%

References

External links

Ville de Chapais
{{authority control Cities and towns in Quebec Incorporated places in Nord-du-Québec James Bay Jamésie