Vue aérienne de Chantiers Chibougamau, 2008

Eeyou Istchee Baie-JamesQuebec

This town in Quebec has a population of 1,225. Its census division is Nord-du-Québec.

Photo: Réjean Tremblay · CC BY 4.0

Population

1,225

people, 2025 estimate

Median age

34.4

years · Quebec’s towns: 44.8

Postsecondary

39%

of residents 15 and over hold a postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree · Canadian towns: 56%

Walk, cycle, transit

21%

walk, cycle or take transit to work · Canadian towns: 8%

Is Eeyou Istchee Baie-James a good place to live?

Prices are modest for what you get (A+). Walkability is a strength too (B+). The weak point is safety (D). It also trails on health (C). Hazards are a real consideration (D−).

An overall grade comes at 2,500 residents for Canadian towns; Eeyou Istchee Baie-James has its subject grades alone.

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 less sure: no police service names this town, so its crime figure is the nearest police detachment's, shared with a wider area. Crime here is counted against the people who live here, but many visitors or second-home owners add to it, so the rate per resident runs higher than residents' own risk. 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. Wildfire lowers this town's Hazard risk Grade: a high share of the land around it has burned in the last 40 years.

StrongestA⁺Cost of livingWeakestD⁻Hazard risk DSafety

How Eeyou Istchee Baie-James grades

Each subject compares Eeyou Istchee Baie-James 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 grading works

An overall grade comes at 2,500 residents for Canadian towns; Eeyou Istchee Baie-James has its subject grades alone.

Cost of livingHomes are very affordable for local incomesA⁺Open →Hazard riskAmong the weakest of the towns comparedD⁻Open →SafetyBased on crimes reported per residentDOpen →HealthResidents’ health trails most townsCOpen →WalkabilityAhead of most towns comparedB⁺Open →Jobs & incomeBased on what households earn, poverty and workB⁻Open →

SchoolsIn Quebec, there’s no schools grade: the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school.–

How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →

What makes Eeyou Istchee Baie-James stand out

The 3 things Eeyou Istchee Baie-James does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Home value ÷ household income

Housing

1.1 times household income

The middle of Canadian towns: 4.7 times

Median owner’s estimate $100,000, Census 2021; income for 2020.

Population growth, 2016 to 2021

Growth

+67% more people than in 2016

For the middle of Canadian towns, 4%

Statistics Canada, Census 2016 and 2021

Cost of living

Better than 99%

of Canadian towns on cost of living

Its cost of living grade: A+.

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Eeyou Istchee Baie-James.

HousingCost of living A⁺

Rent takes less of local pay in Eeyou Istchee Baie-James than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 10% of household income

$100,000median home value, 2021A⁺Cost of living Grade

Shelter took 30% or more of income for 5% of households, lower than both Quebec’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%). 55% of households own their home.

What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census

Eeyou Istchee Baie-James$100,000

Quebec$300,000

Canadian towns$406,000

Census 2021	Eeyou Istchee Baie-James	Quebec	Canada
Rent as a share of income	10%	18%	20%
Households spending 30%+ on shelter	5%	13%	18%
Households owning their home	55%	70%	74%

$536

monthly rent for a two-bedroom

$552

median monthly shelter cost for owners, 2021

Full pageEeyou Istchee Baie-James’ cost of living pageOpen the full Cost of living page

Renting$536 a month · The median rent at the 2021 census Cost of living1.1 times household income · The median owner’s estimate, $100,000, against the median household income Owners and renters55% own their home

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Values come from owners at the 2021 census and incomes from 2020, so they predate the later rise in rates.

Natural hazardsHazard risk D⁻

On hazards, Eeyou Istchee Baie-James comes out behind 97% of Canadian towns

Highwildfire bandD⁻Hazard risk Grade

Shared with the rest of the Nord-du-Quebec health region: radon tests

Wildfire is a real hazard for Eeyou Istchee Baie-James: 17% of the land within 25 km has burned since 1986, 0.42% a year, in the high band. Radon is about average around Eeyou Istchee Baie-James: 5.8% of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town. Averaged over the years, quake damage costs $0.010 per $1,000 of buildings, about level with Canadian towns ($0.030) and below Quebec’s towns ($0.14).

Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³

Eeyou Istchee Baie-James5.8%

Quebec’s towns8.2%

Canadian towns6.6%

Hazards	Eeyou Istchee Baie-James	Quebec	Canada
Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year	$0.010	$0.14	$0.030
Radon tests above the guideline	5.8%	8.2%	6.6%

$0.010

expected earthquake loss a year per $1,000 of buildings

High

wildfire band

0.6 km

to the nearest land burned since 1986

Full pageEeyou Istchee Baie-James’ flood & hazards pageOpen the full Flood & hazards page

WildfireHigh wildfire band · 17% of the land within 25 km burned since 1986 FloodNo flood study on record Earthquakes$0.010 a year per $1,000 · Canadian towns: $0.030 Radon5.8% of tests above the guideline Be readyAlerts, FireSmart and radon tests

NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory

SafetySafety D

The police who cover Eeyou Istchee Baie-James record more serious crime than Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: a Crime Severity Index of 166

166Crime Severity Index

A best guess: the nearest detachment’s figures, since none is filed under Eeyou Istchee Baie-James

For violence alone, its police area’s index was 275, above both Quebec’s towns (88) and Canadian towns (86). Violence across its police area runs at 37.4 per 1,000 residents a year. The force’s area logs 23.5 thefts, break-ins and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year.

Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year

2023199

2024162

2025138

2023–2025	Eeyou Istchee Baie-James	Quebec	Canada
Violent Crime Severity Index	275	88	86
Crime Severity Index	166	56	67
Violent crime	37.4	12.4	12
Property crime per 1,000	23.5	16.6	31.2

124

non-violent Crime Severity Index

49%

of incidents cleared, 2023–25

Full pageEeyou Istchee Baie-James’ safety reportOpen the full Safety report

Safety166 Crime Severity Index · The index weighs each crime Eeyou Istchee Baie-James’s police recorded by how serious it is.Questions“Is Eeyou Istchee Baie-James safe?”

Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Data for Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 covers Matagami

Outdoors

Eeyou Istchee Baie-James has 357 public protected areas within 10 km

22%of the land within 10 km protected

OpenStreetMap shows 5 walking routes nearby, including the Parcours des Sommets - Section Sud and Parcours des Sommets - Section Nord. National parks are all over 100 km off. Just over a fifth of the land and water within 10 km is protected (the typical Canadian town: 2.3%). Protected areas take in nearly a quarter of the town itself.

Protected land · of the land within 10 km

Eeyou Istchee Baie-James22%

Quebec’s towns4.9%

Canadian towns2.3%

Outdoors	Eeyou Istchee Baie-James	Quebec	Canada
Protected land within 10 km	22%	4.9%	2.3%
Public protected areas within 10 km	357	10	4

At the edge

to Nibiischii National Park (Québec)

beaches within 5 km

357

public protected areas within 10 km

Full pageEeyou Istchee Baie-James’ outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Protected landof the land within 10 km Protected areas358 protected areas within 10 km · Nibiischii National Park (Québec)National & provincial parksAt the edge to a provincial park · Nibiischii National Park (Québec)Footpaths & routes5 named routes · Parcours des Sommets - Section Sud

Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches

Climate

Summers stay cool in Eeyou Istchee Baie-James: July afternoons reach 22.9°C, below Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns

22.9°CJuly afternoons

Frosty days number 215 in a normal year, above Quebec’s towns (161) and Canadian towns (159) alike. Winter lows in Eeyou Istchee Baie-James average −24.1°C in January. For the wettest month, look to July: 117 mm on average.

Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

Winter−10.4°C

Spring5.6°C

Summer21.7°C

Autumn7.4°C

Normals, 1991–2020	Eeyou Istchee Baie-James	Quebec	Canada
January night low	−24.1°C	−14.7°C	−13.5°C
July afternoon high	22.9°C	26.5°C	25.5°C
Days with frost a year	215	161	159
Precipitation a year	1,080 mm	1,041 mm	883 mm

215

days with frost a year

157

days with precipitation a year

Full pageEeyou Istchee Baie-James’ climate pageOpen the full Climate page

The yearJuly highs 22.9°C, January lows −24.1°C Rain and snow1,080 mm a year · Canadian towns: 883 mm Weather station48 km to the station · Chapais

Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Chapais)

Schools

Schools in Eeyou Istchee Baie-James: 3 boards, side by side

27schools within 3 km

Young children have 25 km to the nearest elementary school, above Quebec’s towns (0.5 km) and Canadian towns (0.5 km) alike. No English-language school is among them; in Quebec, 10% of schools are. Counting a 3 km margin, Eeyou Istchee Baie-James has 16 elementary schools, 6 secondary schools and 5 schools for every grade.

School	Level	Students	System
École BeauvaloisIn Eeyou Istchee Baie-JamesElementary	Elementary	–	French public
École Jacques-RousseauIn Eeyou Istchee Baie-JamesAll grades	All grades	–	French public

See all 27 schools →

Schools by system · Schools within 3 km

Other18

French public9

Schools within 3 km	Eeyou Istchee Baie-James	Quebec	Canada
Nearest elementary school	25 km	0.5 km	0.5 km
Nearest secondary school	25 km	1.2 km	1.2 km
School boards	3	2	3

25 km

to the nearest secondary school

25 km

to the nearest elementary school

Full pageEeyou Istchee Baie-James’ schools pageOpen the full Schools page

The boards3 school boards · Commission scolaire crie Every school27 schools within 3 km · 16 elementary schools, 6 secondary schools and 5 schools for every grade Language0 of 27 teach in English · 10% of schools in Quebec Questions“What schools are there in Eeyou Istchee Baie-James?”

Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · Schools grade in Quebec: none (the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school).

HealthHealth C

Eeyou Istchee Baie-James’ health region reports 65% in very good or excellent health, ahead of the typical Canadian town’s 52%

65%very good or excellent healthCHealth Grade

Lives in the region last 78.1 years on average (2022/2024): 78.5 for women, 77.6 for men. Smoking is commoner than in the province: 15% of adults, against 12% for Quebec; what’s more, the three chronic conditions the survey tracks average nearly a fifth of adults, above Quebec’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (17%) alike. What sets Eeyou Istchee Baie-James apart within its region is distance: 75 km to a hospital on average, over 30 km for 92% of residents.

Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised

Eeyou Istchee Baie-James65%

Quebec’s towns56%

Canadian towns52%

Health	Eeyou Istchee Baie-James	Quebec	Canada
Very good or excellent health	65%	56%	52%
Life expectancy at birth	78.1	82.5	81.5
Chronic conditions (average share)	19%	15%	17%
Smokers	15%	12%	12%

78.1

years of life expectancy, 2022/2024

75 km

from homes to a hospital, on average

15%

of adults smoke, age-standardised

103 km

from homes to a pharmacy, on average

Full pageEeyou Istchee Baie-James’ health pageOpen the full Health page

Health survey65% very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised Getting care75 km to a hospital · A pharmacy 103 km away on average The wider areaLife expectancy: women 78.5, men 77.6 Conditions and habits19% with chronic conditions · adults, age-standardised

Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Health survey and life expectancy: one figure for all of the Région du Nord-du-Québec

Who lives here

More of Eeyou Istchee Baie-James’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 56%

34.4median age

Children under 15 make up 23%, higher than both Quebec’s towns (17%) and Canadian towns (16%). Just over one in ten residents have reached 65.

Eeyou Istchee Baie-JamesQuebecCanada

QuebecCanada

Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021

23%

Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree39%

Postsecondary qualification39%

Women and men · all residents

46.1% of Eeyou Istchee Baie-James’ residents are women

1,420 men and 1,215 women lived here in 2021, against a share of women of 50.9% for Canada.

Who lives in Eeyou Istchee Baie-James
	Eeyou Istchee Baie-James	Quebec	Canada
Under 15	23%	17%	16%
15 to 64	65%	62%	64%
65+	12%	20%	19%
No certificate, diploma or degree	39%	19%	16%
Postsecondary qualification	39%	59%	56%

Full pageEeyou Istchee Baie-James’ Who lives here pageOpen the full Who lives here page

Immigrants0% are immigrants · 1% belong to a visible minority Ages34.4 median age · 12% are 65 or over Households905 households · 2.9 people per household English and French29% speak both · 37% speak French but not English

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+

Weather

A normal November in Eeyou Istchee Baie-James runs from −8°C to −1°C

−1°Ca normal November afternoon

In November, the normal is 96 mm of rain and snow. The forecast on the Weather page is ECCC’s for Chibougamau.

Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

November−1°C

December−8°C

January−13°C

February−10°C

Season	High	Low	Rain and snow
Winter	−10°C	−22°C	235 mm
Spring	6°C	−7°C	224 mm
Summer	22°C	9°C	322 mm
Autumn	7°C	−1°C	300 mm

−8°C

a normal November night

96 mm

of rain and snow in a normal November

Full pageEeyou Istchee Baie-James’ weather pageOpen the full Weather page

Next 24 hoursTemperature and chance of rain, hour by hour The week aheadECCC’s days ahead, beside the normals The yearWarmest July, coldest January

ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Chapais); the forecast is on the Weather page

Library & civic lifeCivic life grade D

Eeyou Istchee Baie-James has 3 public library branches

Among them: Bibliothèque De Villebois, Bibliothèque Muncipale de Beaucanton and Bibliothèque Municipal de Val-Paradis.

Full pageEeyou Istchee Baie-James’ library & civic life pageOpen the full Library & civic life page

Places to belong0.8 charities per 1,000 residents

Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada

Work & commuteJobs & income B⁻

The car carries only 74% of commuters in Eeyou Istchee Baie-James, fewer than in both Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns

21%walk, cycle or take transit

Workers spend 23 min getting to work, on average.

How working residents got to work · census 2021

Car or van74%

Walk14%

Public transit6%

Bicycle1%

Census 2021	Eeyou Istchee Baie-James	Quebec	Canada
Car or van	74%	90%	89%
Average trip	23 min	27 min	26 min

$91,000

median household income, 2020

worked from home, May 2021

26%

of commuters work inside the municipality

Full pageEeyou Istchee Baie-James’ work & commute pageOpen the full Work & commute page

Getting to work21% walk, cycle or take transit Unemployment7.4% unemployed · Of the labour force · Canadian towns: 9.9%Where people commute to380 commuters · The biggest flow out: to Waswanipi

Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Counted in May 2021, under pandemic rules: fewer commutes and more people between jobs than in a normal year.

History

One place in Eeyou Istchee Baie-James, at the top of the registers

1historic place

21% of its homes were built before 1961, near Quebec’s towns (21%) and higher than Canadian towns (18%).

Historic places by designation · inside the town

Highest designations1

Other federal designations0

Provincial and local listings0

Among them

Waapushukamikw

National Historic Site

Heritage	Eeyou Istchee Baie-James	Quebec	Canada
Homes built before 1961	21%	21%	18%

Full pageEeyou Istchee Baie-James’ history pageOpen the full History page

On the registersOne historic place inside the town Highest designations1 top designation · Waapushukamikw Older homes21% built before 1961 · Canadian towns: 18%Questions“How many historic places does Eeyou Istchee Baie-James have?”

Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Eeyou Istchee Baie-James

15pages on Eeyou Istchee Baie-James

The big questions

SafetyDCrime Severity Index 166 Housing & costA⁺Homes 1.1 × income Property pricesSchools27 schools within 3 km HealthCLife expectancy 78.1 in its region Work & commuteB⁻53% of adults in work Natural hazardsD⁻Wildfire band: high

Out and about

Outdoors22% of the land within 10 km protected AttractionsClimateJuly afternoons around 23°C WeatherECCC’s forecast, beside the normals

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 34.4 HistoryOne place on the heritage registers Town hallFamous people

Nearby attractions

Mercer Union and 6 more in and around Eeyou Istchee Baie-James

The best-known places to visit in and around Eeyou Istchee Baie-James come first; the full list is on the Attractions page.

All attractions →

Art galleryArt galleryMercer Unionin town National parkNational park · SépaqAssinica National Park Reservein town National parkNational park · SépaqNibiischii National Parkin town Theme parkTheme parkParc Robert A Boydin town

MuseumMuseumAanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute1.4 km outside town, to the northeast

MuseumMuseumChisasibi Heritage & Cultural Centre100 m outside town, to the northwest

About Eeyou Istchee Baie-James

Town in Quebec

Eeyou Istchee Baie-James is a municipality in Quebec, 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: 1,225 (people, 2025 estimate)
Province or territory: Quebec
Census division: Nord-du-Québec
Census subdivision: 2499060

Questions about Eeyou Istchee Baie-James

Has Eeyou Istchee Baie-James grown?

Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 1,579 to 2,638 residents (up 67.1%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 1,225.

Do people in Eeyou Istchee Baie-James speak French?

It is a French-speaking town: 37.1% know French alone, and 29% can talk in English too, against 8% for the median of Canadian towns.

What kind of homes are in Eeyou Istchee Baie-James?

80% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 0% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 2.9 people; 28% are one person living alone.

Is Eeyou Istchee Baie-James a young town or an old one?

At 34.4, its median age compares with 45.2 across Canadian towns. Children make up 23% of the population and seniors 12%.

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).