Introduction
Former municipality in Quebec, Canada This article is about the former municipality. For the current municipality, see Eeyou Istchee James Bay. For the bay, see James Bay. Municipality in Quebec, CanadaBaie-JamesMunicipalityMotto: "A territory the size of a country"Municipality of Baie-James, QuebecCoordinates: 52°00′N 76°00′W / 52.000°N 76.000°W / 52.000; -76.000CountryCanadaProvinceQuebecRegionNord-du-QuébecRCMNoneConstitutedJuly 14, 1971DissolvedJuly 24, 2012Government • MayorGérald Lemoyne • Federal ridingAbitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou and Abitibi—Témiscamingue • Prov. ridingUngavaArea • Total335,818.20 km2 (129,660.13 sq mi) • Land297,332.84 km2 (114,800.85 sq mi)Population (2011) • Total1,303 • Density0/km2 (0/sq mi) • Pop (2006–11) 6.5% • Dwellings701Time zoneUTC−05:00 (EST) • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)Postal code(s)J0YArea code819Websitewww.villembj.ca The Baie-James (French pronunciation: [bɛ dʒɛmz]) was a former 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. 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.