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What is the James Bay agreement Why is it significant?

By Liam Parker

In November 1975, after four years of disputes and negotiations, the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement was signed. This “modern treaty” allowed the Quebec government to resume and complete the construction of hydroelectric dams in the James Bay region.

What was the James Bay treaty?

The treaty, first entered into in 1905-1906, covers the James Bay and Hudson Bay watersheds in Ontario, about two thirds of the province’s total landmass. The treaty embodies the nation-to-nation relationship between First Nations and the Crown.

What does the James Bay project do?

The James Bay Project (French: projet de la Baie-James) refers to the construction of a series of hydroelectric power stations on the La Grande River in northwestern Quebec, Canada by state-owned utility Hydro-Québec, and the diversion of neighbouring rivers into the La Grande watershed.

How much power does the James Bay project produce?

16,527 megawatts
The project covers an area the size of New York State and is one of the largest hydroelectric systems in the world. It has cost upwards of US$20 billion to build and has an installed generating capacity of 16,527 megawatts.

Is Treaty 9 still in effect?

(See also Treaties with Indigenous Peoples in Canada.) Signed in 1905-6, Treaty 9 covers most of present-day Ontario north of the height of land dividing the Great Lakes watershed from the Hudson and James Bay drainage basins….Treaty 9.

Published OnlineJune 16, 2016
Last EditedNovember 10, 2020

What is Treaty No 9?

The James Bay Treaty – (Treaty No. 9) is an agreement between Ojibway (Anishinaabe), Cree (including the Omushkegowuk) and other Indigenous Nations (Algonquin) and the Crown (represented by two commissioners appointed by Canada and one commissioner appointed by Ontario).