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 unorganized territories are larger. Its territory covers almost entirely the Equivalent territory of Jamésie.

The hydroelectric power plants of the La Grande Complex are all located within the municipal boundaries of Eeyou Istchee James Bay, making the municipality strategically important to Quebec's energy policy. Other important economic sectors are mining, softwood logging, forestry, and tourism.

History
The municipality was created in 1971 and was run by the board of directors of the Société de développement de la Baie James. It managed the territory of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement between the 49th and 55th parallel, with the exception of the Cree Category 1 lands and the enclaves of Chapais, Chibougamau, Lebel-sur-Quévillon and Matagami.

In December 2001, the municipal council was reformed. It became a municipality of a special type directed by the mayors of the four enclave towns, as well as the chairpersons of the local community councils of Radisson, Valcanton and Villebois. An eighth seat was reserved for a representative coming from the non-urban territory. The municipality gained additional authority and could exert certain powers as a regional county.

On July 24, 2012, the Quebec government signed an accord with the Cree (Agreement on Governance in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay Territory between the Crees of Eeyou Istchee and the Gouvernement du Québec) which resulted in the replacement of the municipality of Baie-James by the municipality of Eeyou Istchee James Bay.  The agreement came into force on January 1, 2014, and is designed to give the Cree expanded powers over lands and resources outside of the Cree municipalities and associated reserved land. The new government consist of Cree and Baie-James  residents each having an equal number of votes within the Eeyou Istchee James Bay Regional Government.

Geography
Eeyou Istchee James Bay, extends from the eastern shore of James Bay to the Otish Mountains of the Laurentian Plateau, its mainly composed of the boreal forest. The municipality comprises all lands of Jamésie (TE) minus the four municipalities of Chibougamau, Lebel-sur-Quévillon, Chapais, and Matagami. However, the territory includes four unconstituted localities (localités):

Radisson
Valcanton
Val-Paradis
Villebois

Demographics

The language statistics are as follows (as of the 2021 Census): 48% of Eeyou Istchee James Bay speak French as their first language, 9% speak English as their first language, 0.2% speak both French and English as a first language and 34% have a different first language

Government

Composition & local governance
The territory outside the enclaved Cree communities (Category III lands) is governed by the Eeyou Istchee James Bay Regional Government (le Gouvernement régional d’Eeyou Istchee Baie-James).  Local governance is carried out by way of the council of regional government, which for its first ten years is to be composed of 11 Cree representatives, 11 Jamésien representatives, and one non-voting representative of the government of Québec.  The Cree representatives consist of the Grand Chief of the Cree Nation Government and then ten members appointed by the Board of the Cree Nation Government from within its own ranks.  The Jamésien representatives consist of members of the local municipal councils of Chapais, Chibougamau, Lebel-sur-Quévillon, and Matagami as well as non-Crees in the Eeyout Istchee James Bay Territory and are appointed by the provincial Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy.  Finally, the non-voting representative of the government of Quebec is appointed by the Deputy Minister of the Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l’Occupation du territoire (MAMROT) from amongst its staff.

Provincial & federal representation
Eeyou Istchee James Bay forms part of the federal electoral district of Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou and has been represented by Sylvie Bérubé of the Bloc Québécois since 2019. Provincially, Eeyou Istchee James Bay is part of the Ungava electoral district and is represented by Denis Lamothe of the Coalition Avenir Québec since 2018.

Infrastructure

The primary roads to and within Baie-James are:
Route 109 - provincial highway to Matagami
Route 113 - provincial highway from Val-d'Or to Chibougamau
Route 393 - regional highway to Val-Paradis
James Bay Road - road from Matagami to Radisson
North Road
Trans-Taiga Road - access road to hydro-electric stations of the James Bay Project

Air transportation is through the La Grande Rivière Airport near Radisson, which provides scheduled air service to Montreal and Puvirnituq.

References

External links
 Website of the Eeyou Istchee James Bay Regional Government

Municipalities in Quebec
Territories equivalent to a regional county municipality
Cree reserves and territories

2012 establishments in Quebec
States and territories established in 2012
First Nations geography
Power sharing