Baie-James
The Municipality of Baie-James (French: Municipalité de Baie-James) was a municipality in northern Quebec, Canada, which existed from 1971 to 2012. Located to the east of James Bay, Baie-James covered 297,332.84 km2 (114,800.85 sq mi) 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.
Baie-James | |
|---|---|
| Motto: "A territory the size of a country" | |
Municipality of Baie-James, Quebec | |
| Coordinates: 52°00′N 76°00′W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Quebec |
| Region | Nord-du-Québec |
| RCM | None |
| Constituted | July 14, 1971 |
| Dissolved | July 24, 2012 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Gérald Lemoyne |
| • Federal riding | Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou and Abitibi—Témiscamingue |
| • Prov. riding | Ungava |
| Area | |
| • Total | 335,818.20 km2 (129,660.13 sq mi) |
| • Land | 297,332.84 km2 (114,800.85 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 1,303 |
| • Density | 0.0/km2 (0/sq mi) |
| • Pop (2006–11) | 6.5% |
| • Dwellings | 701 |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
| Postal code(s) | J0Y |
| Area code | 819 |
| Website | www |
On July 24, 2012, the Quebec government signed an accord with the Cree 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. Other important economic sectors are mining, softwood logging, forestry, and tourism.