Chibougamau
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Expand French|topic=geo}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Chibougamau
| official_name =
| settlement_type = City
| image_skyline = Chibougamau.jpg
| imagesize =
| image_caption = Chibougamau main street
| image_flag = Flag of Chibougamau, Quebec.svg
| flag_size = 120x100px
| image_shield = Blason ville ca Chibougamau (Québec).svg
| shield_size = 100x90px
| nickname =
| motto =
| image_map =
| mapsize =
| pushpin_map = Canada Quebec
| pushpin_label_position =
| pushpin_mapsize =
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Quebec
| coordinates = {{coord|49|54|48|N|74|22|07|W|region:CA-QC|notes={{Cite cgndb|EFXAC|Chibougamau}}|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = Canada
| subdivision_type1 = Province
| subdivision_name1 = Quebec
| subdivision_type2 = Region
| subdivision_name2 = Nord-du-Québec
| subdivision_type3 = RCM
| subdivision_name3 = None
| established_title = Settled
| established_date = 1952
| established_title1 = Constituted
| established_date1 = November 8, 1952
| established_title2 =
| established_date2 =
| government_type =
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = Manon Cyr
| leader_title1 = Federal riding
| leader_name1 = Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou
| leader_title2 = Prov. riding
| leader_name2 = Ungava
| area_total_km2 = 1039.89
| area_land_km2 = 698.13
| area_water_km2 = 341.76
| area_blank1_title = Population centre
| area_blank1_km2 = 6.0
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m =
| population_total = 7233
| population_as_of = 2021
| population_density_km2 = 10.4
| population_blank1_title = Population centre
| population_blank1 = 6491
| population_density_blank1_km2 = 1,081.2
| population_blank2_title = Change (2016–21)
| population_blank2 = {{decrease}}3.6%
| timezone = EST
| utc_offset = −05:00
| timezone_DST = {{abbr|EDT|Eastern Daylight Time}}
| utc_offset_DST = −04:00
| postal_code_type = Postal code(s)
| postal_code = G8P
| area_code = 418 and 581
| blank_name = Climate
| blank_info = Dfc
| website = {{URL|www.ville.chibougamau.qc.ca}}
| footnotes =
}}
Chibougamau ({{IPA|fr|ʃibuɡamo}}) 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 Istchee James Bay.
Its remoteness from Lac Saint-Jean (over {{cvt|200|km}} south-east) and Abitibi-Témiscamingue (over {{cvt|250|km}} south-west) areas causes Chibougamau to provide services for a few smaller communities surrounding it (Mistissini, Oujé-Bougoumou, and Chapais) and for the regional resource-based industries. Despite Chibougamau's remoteness, it is only about as far north as Winnipeg and is south of any part of the mainland of England.
Nearby is Lac Aux Dorés, which is fed by the Chibougamau River from the larger Chibougamau Lake after which the town was named. Chibougamau means "gathering place" in the Cree language. The neighbouring Cree village of Oujé-Bougoumou has the same name with a more traditional Cree spelling.
The area surrounding Lake Gilman is Obalski Regional Park. Its many amenities include a beach, pier, picnic tables, and cabins. The many trails allow for hiking, cycling, cross-country skiing, or even snowmobiling through the park's boreal forest.
Access to the town is by Route 167 from Lac Saint-Jean and by Route 113 from Lebel-sur-Quévillon. Chibougamau/Chapais Airport is along Route 113, about halfway to Chapais.
History
File:Canoe, Paint Mount, Lake Chibougamau (1504).jpg, lac Chibougamau, 1892.]]
The area has long been part of the Cree territory. It was in the early 17th century that French explorers and traders, including Charles Albanel in 1671, came to the Lake Chibougamau area. However, no permanent European settlements were established at that time.
Only in the late 19th century would the area attract the interest of mining prospectors. When gold was discovered in 1903, there were periods of intense exploration. The difficulty of accessSt.-Hilaire, Marc. "Chibougamuau", in The Canadian Encyclopedia (Edmonton: Hurtig Publishing, 1988), Volume 1, p.407. caused no lasting development to take place at the time. Not until 1949 was copper first exploited,St.-Hilaire, p.407. with the opening of a multi-metallic mine in the area, and a permanent community was established in 1952. Chibougamau started out as a company town but soon afterward, in 1954, it was incorporated as a municipality. Many mines have exploited the area since. While still thought of as a mining town, Chibougamau is now also the centre of a large logging and sawmill industry.
From 1962 to 1988, the Royal Canadian Air Force operated CFS Chibougamau, a radar station in Chibougamau that was part of the Pinetree Line. The complex has now been transformed into a golf complex and an office for a mining company.
Since December 2001, the mayor of Chibougamau has been also on the municipal council of Municipality of Baie-James.
The city is home to an annual "Folies frettes" festival ("Cold Follies") and a snowmobile rally.
Demographics
{{Historical populations
|title = Historical populations
|type = Canada
|align = left
|width =
|state =
|shading =
|percentages =
|footnote = Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016 census
|1991|8855
|1996|8664
|2001|7922
|2006|7563
|2011|7541
|2016|7504
|2021|7233
}}
In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, Chibougamau had a population of 7,233 living in 3190 of its 3,557 total private dwellings, a change of {{percentage|{{#expr:7233-7504}}|7504|1}} from its 2016 population of 7,504. With a land area of {{cvt|694.87|km2}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|7233|694.87|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2021.
The median age is 40.8, as opposed to 41.6 for all of Canada. French was the mother tongue of 92.5% of residents in 2021. The next most common mother tongues were English at 3.0%, followed by Cree-Innu languages at 1.6%. A small number (0.9%) reported both English and French as their first language. Additionally there were 0.2% who reported both French and a non-official language as their mother tongue.
As of 2021, Indigenous peoples, primarily First Nations and some Métis, comprised 7.8% of the population and visible minorities contributed 3.9%. The largest visible minority groups in Chibougamau are Black (1.5%), Filipino (1.1%), and Arab (0.8%). The region is home to 555 recent immigrants (i.e. those arriving between 2016 and 2021).
In 2021, 67.7% of the population identified as Catholic, while 22.8% said they had no religious affiliation. Pentecostals were the largest religious minority, at 1.3% of the population, while Muslims were the largest non-Christian religious minority, making up 0.8% of the population.{{cite web |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Chibougamau&DGUIDlist=2021A00052499025,2021S05100175&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0 |title=Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population Profile table: Chibougamau, Ville (V) Quebec [Census subdivision] and Chibougamau Quebec [Population centre] |publisher=Statistics Canada |work=2021 Census data |date=25 October 2022|access-date=2022-12-14}}
Counting both single and multiple responses, the most commonly identified ethnocultural ancestries were:
| class="wikitable" style="float:left;"
!Ethnic origin !2021 |
| Canadian
|33.8% |
| French
|22.1% |
| Québécois
|16.6% |
| French Canadian
|10.7% |
| First Nations
|4.4% |
| Cree
|4.2% |
| Irish
|3.9% |
| Italian
|1.3% |
| Métis
|1.2% |
| Filipino
|1.1% |
{{clear left}}(Percentages may total more than 100% due to rounding and multiple responses).
| class="wikitable"
! colspan="4" |Visible minority and Indigenous population (2021 Canadian census) |
| colspan="2" |Population group
!Population ! % of total population |
|---|
| colspan="2" |White
|6,310 |88.3% |
| rowspan="12" |Visible minority group
|0 |0% |
| Chinese
|25 |0.3% |
| Black
|110 |1.5% |
| Filipino
|80 |1.1% |
| Arab
|55 |0.8% |
| Latin American
|0 |0% |
| Southeast Asian
|0 |0% |
| West Asian
|0 |{{Percentage|0|29705|1}} |
| Korean
|0 |{{Percentage|0|29705|1}} |
| Japanese
|0 |{{Percentage|10|29705|1}} |
| Visible minority, n.i.e.
|0 |{{Percentage|0|29705|1}} |
| Multiple visible minority
|0 |0% |
| colspan="2" |Total visible minority population
|280 |3.9% |
| rowspan="5" |Indigenous group
|350 |4.9% |
| Métis
|170 |2.4% |
| Inuit
|0 |0% |
| Indigenous, n.i.e.
|10 |0.1% |
| Multiple Indigenous identity
|30 |0.4% |
| colspan="2" |Total Indigenous population
|560 |7.8% |
| colspan="2" |Total population
|7,150 |100% |
Education
French-language schools in Chibougamau, past and present, are:
- École Bon-Pasteur
- École Vatican II
- École Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire
- École La Porte-du-Nord
- École Vinette (closed 1994)
- Centre de formation professionnelle de la Baie-James
- Centre d'études collégiales Chibougamau
The English-language school is MacLean Memorial School.{{Cite web |url=http://www.cqsb.qc.ca/mms/ |title=MacLean Memorial School |access-date=2006-06-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060620221451/http://www.cqsb.qc.ca/mms/ |archive-date=2006-06-20 |url-status=dead }} formerly Chibougamau Protestant School. There also used to be a Catholic English-language school called Holy Family School.
Climate
Chibougamau has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb), bordering very closely on a subarctic climate. Winters are long, very cold, and very snowy with a January high of {{cvt|-12.7|C}} and a low of {{cvt|-24.1|C}}. Summers are warm though short with a July high of {{cvt|22.9|C}} and a low of {{cvt|10.2|C}}. The average temperature for the year is {{cvt|0.4|C}} (1991-2020), an increase of {{cvt|0.2|C-change}} from 1981-2010. Overall precipitation is high for such a cold climate with an average annual precipitation of {{cvt|995.8|mm}} and {{cvt|312.9|cm}} of snow per season. Precipitation is significant year-round, though February through April are drier.
{{Weather box
|location = Chapais{{efn|Located {{cvt|38|km}} southwest{{cite web|url=https://geonames.nrcan.gc.ca/search-place-names/search?latdec=49.913227&londec=-74.368532&sort-field=distance&from=Chibougamau&q=Chapais |title=Chapais; Nord-du-Québec |access-date=8 November 2024 |date=16 February 2021}}}}
WMO ID: 71824; climate ID: 7091299; coordinates {{coordinates|49|49|21|N|74|58|31|W|type:landmark_region:CA-QC|name=Chapais}}; elevation: {{cvt|381.1|m}} and Chapais 2; climate ID: 7091305; coordinates {{Coord|49|47|N|74|51|W|type:landmark_region:CA-QC|name=Chapais 2}}; elevation: {{cvt|396.2|m}}; 1991–2020 normals (precipitation normals from 1981-2010)
|metric first = Y
|single line = Y
|Jan maximum humidex = 6.0
|Feb maximum humidex = 5.9
|Mar maximum humidex = 22.5
|Apr maximum humidex = 24.1
|May maximum humidex = 37.4
|Jun maximum humidex = 39.2
|Jul maximum humidex = 37.7
|Aug maximum humidex = 40.3
|Sep maximum humidex = 38.5
|Oct maximum humidex = 28.7
|Nov maximum humidex = 18.8
|Dec maximum humidex = 8.6
|year maximum humidex = 40.3
|Jan record high C = 8.5
|Feb record high C = 9.0
|Mar record high C = 22.5
|Apr record high C = 28.0
|May record high C = 34.1
|Jun record high C = 35.0
|Jul record high C = 35.0
|Aug record high C = 33.3
|Sep record high C = 29.9
|Oct record high C = 24.8
|Nov record high C = 17.8
|Dec record high C = 11.0
|year record high C = 35.0
|Jan high C = -12.7
|Feb high C = -10.2
|Mar high C = -3.0
|Apr high C = 5.1
|May high C = 14.7
|Jun high C = 21.2
|Jul high C = 22.9
|Aug high C = 21.0
|Sep high C = 15.9
|Oct high C = 7.3
|Nov high C = -1.1
|Dec high C = -8.4
|year high C = 6.1
|Jan mean C = -18.5
|Feb mean C = -16.6
|Mar mean C = -9.9
|Apr mean C = -1.0
|May mean C = 8.1
|Jun mean C = 14.4
|Jul mean C = 16.6
|Aug mean C = 15.1
|Sep mean C = 10.4
|Oct mean C = 3.4
|Nov mean C = -4.5
|Dec mean C = -13.0
|year mean C = 0.4
|Jan low C = -24.1
|Feb low C = -23.0
|Mar low C = -16.7
|Apr low C = -7.0
|May low C = 1.4
|Jun low C = 7.5
|Jul low C = 10.2
|Aug low C = 9.2
|Sep low C = 4.8
|Oct low C = -0.5
|Nov low C = -8.0
|Dec low C = -17.6
|year low C = -5.3
|Jan record low C = -43.3
|Feb record low C = -42.8
|Mar record low C = -40.9
|Apr record low C = -28.9
|May record low C = -16.9
|Jun record low C = -5.6
|Jul record low C = -0.7
|Aug record low C = -2.2
|Sep record low C = -7.3
|Oct record low C = -17.2
|Nov record low C = -30.0
|Dec record low C = -42.0
|year record low C = -43.3
|Jan chill = -50.0
|Feb chill = -50.0
|Mar chill = -48.7
|Apr chill = -33.5
|May chill = -16.3
|Jun chill = -6.6
|Jul chill = -1.3
|Aug chill = -2.8
|Sep chill = -8.8
|Oct chill = -19.8
|Nov chill = -30.7
|Dec chill = -48.6
|year chill = -50.0
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 61.9
|Feb precipitation mm = 39.4
|Mar precipitation mm = 50.3
|Apr precipitation mm = 56.6
|May precipitation mm = 82.4
|Jun precipitation mm = 100.1
|Jul precipitation mm = 124.3
|Aug precipitation mm = 100.2
|Sep precipitation mm = 129.7
|Oct precipitation mm = 93.9
|Nov precipitation mm = 93.2
|Dec precipitation mm = 63.5
|year precipitation mm = 995.8
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 3.2
|Feb rain mm = 2.4
|Mar rain mm = 8.8
|Apr rain mm = 28.7
|May rain mm = 75.5
|Jun rain mm = 100.1
|Jul rain mm = 124.3
|Aug rain mm = 100.2
|Sep rain mm = 128.6
|Oct rain mm = 70.9
|Nov rain mm = 36.7
|Dec rain mm = 5.0
|year rain mm = 684.5
|snow colour = green
|Jan snow cm = 58.8
|Feb snow cm = 37.0
|Mar snow cm = 41.6
|Apr snow cm = 29.5
|May snow cm = 6.9
|Jun snow cm = 0.0
|Jul snow cm = 0.0
|Aug snow cm = 0.0
|Sep snow cm = 1.2
|Oct snow cm = 23.0
|Nov snow cm = 56.5
|Dec snow cm = 58.5
|year snow cm = 312.9
|unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 18.1
|Feb precipitation days = 13.6
|Mar precipitation days = 12.1
|Apr precipitation days = 12.3
|May precipitation days = 14.8
|Jun precipitation days = 16.3
|Jul precipitation days = 17.4
|Aug precipitation days = 17.1
|Sep precipitation days = 20.2
|Oct precipitation days = 19.8
|Nov precipitation days = 19.9
|Dec precipitation days = 19.3
|unit rain days = 0.2 mm
|Jan rain days = 0.55
|Feb rain days = 1.1
|Mar rain days = 2.4
|Apr rain days = 6.7
|May rain days = 13.6
|Jun rain days = 16.3
|Jul rain days = 17.4
|Aug rain days = 17.1
|Sep rain days = 20.1
|Oct rain days = 14.5
|Nov rain days = 6.1
|Dec rain days = 1.3
|unit snow days = 0.2 cm
|Jan snow days = 18.0
|Feb snow days = 12.9
|Mar snow days = 10.4
|Apr snow days = 7.9
|May snow days = 2.5
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.47
|Oct snow days = 7.4
|Nov snow days = 16.1
|Dec snow days = 18.5
|time day = 1500 {{abbr|LST|Local standard time}}
|humidity colour = green
|Jan humidity = 77.2
|Feb humidity = 67.7
|Mar humidity = 52.8
|Apr humidity = 52.1
|May humidity = 45.4
|Jun humidity = 49.8
|Jul humidity = 56.3
|Aug humidity = 60.9
|Sep humidity = 64.6
|Oct humidity = 74.4
|Nov humidity = 83.5
|Dec humidity = 83.8
|year humidity = 64.0
|source 1 = Environment and Climate Change Canada,{{cite web
| publisher = Environment and Climate Change Canada
| url = https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1991_2020_e.html?searchType=stnProv&lstProvince=QC&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&stnID=92000000&dispBack=0
| title = Chapais & Chapais 2
| work = Canadian Climate Normals 1991-2020 Data
|date = 1 October 2024| access-date = 8 November 2024}} precipitation and precipitation days,{{cite web|url=https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1981_2010_e.html?searchType=stnName&txtStationName=Chapais&searchMethod=contains&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&stnID=6026&dispBack=1 |title=Chapais 2 |work=Canadian Climate Normals 1981-2010 Station Data | publisher = Environment and Climate Change Canada |date = 1 October 2024| access-date = 8 November 2024}}
}}
Notes
{{notelist}}
See also
References
=Notes=
= Sources =
- St.-Hilaire, Marc. "Chibougamuau", in The Canadian Encyclopedia, Volume 1, p. 407. Edmonton: Hurtig Publishing, 1988.
- {{cite journal|first= H. D.|last=Allen|title=The Call of the North|journal=Teachers' Magazine|date=May 30, 1965|volume=XLV|issue=227|pages=8–18 | publisher=Provincial Association of Protestant Teachers of Quebec}}
External links
{{Commons category|Chibougamau}}
- Albert Peter Low (1881-1942)), geologist, he explored and mapped more than 12,000 km of harsh terrain in Labrador and northern Quebec in the late 1800s
- {{Wikivoyage-inline|Chibougamau}}
- [http://www.ville.chibougamau.qc.ca/ Official site]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070213014448/http://www.municipalite.baie-james.qc.ca/html/e_communautes12.htm Municipality of Baie-James]
{{Administrative divisions of Quebec region|Nord-du-Québec}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Cities and towns in Quebec
Category:Hudson's Bay Company trading posts