|
James Bay Project, a monumental hydroelectric-power development on the east coast of JAMES BAY was initiated in 1971 and is still incomplete. The $13.7-billion project entailed massive diversions of water from the EASTMAIN, Opinaca and Caniapiscau (KOKSOAK) rivers to dammed reservoirs on LA GRANDE RIVIÈRE; the average flow of La Grande Rivière was increased from 1700 to 3300 m3/s. A tiered spillway, 3 times the height of Niagara Falls, was blasted from the bedrock, and La Grande-2 (LG-2), which was completed in 1982 and has the world's largest underground powerhouse, generated 5328 MW of electric power. The completion of LG-3 (Feb 1984) and LG-4 (May 1984), which ended Phase I of the project, increased Hydro-Québec's generating capacity to 10 300 MW.
The project has raised controversy for its effect on the native people and environment. The project flooded 11 500 km2 of wilderness land that is home to Cree and Inuit. The flooding has also created mercury contamination in fish, released from rotting vegetation in the reservoirs. Announced by Québec Premier Robert BOURASSA in 1971, it was contested by the Cree, who had not even been notified. In 1975 the Cree surrendered their LAND CLAIMS for $225 million (see JAMES BAY AND NORTHERN QUÉBEC AGREEMENT), retaining special hunting and fishing rights. The village of Fort-George (pop 2373) at the mouth of La Grande R was uprooted and relocated upstream. It is now called Chisasibi. Eastmain (pop 356) now lies in a saltwater estuary, as Rivière Eastmain has been reduced to a trickle. Vast areas of wilderness have been inundated and forests incinerated in an attempt to clear debris. Phase II of the project began in 1989 with the development of LG-1 at the mouth of La Grande R where it empties into James Bay, but remains unfinished. James Bay II consists of the Grande Baleine (Great Whale) Complex and other dams on the Great Whale, Nottaway, and Rupert Rivers. Together, James Bay I and II will divert and dam 9 free-flowing rivers and flood an area the size of Belgium. The entire project is planned to have a capacity of 27 000 MW and is estimated to cost $63 billion. Much of the power from James Bay II was to be sold to the states of New York, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont in the United States. In 1992, then-governor Mario Cuomo of New York directed the New York Power Authority to cancel its contract with Hydro-Québec in favour of energy conservation and purchase power from other sources. Due to the lack of a market for its hydropower, completion of the Great Whale Complex has been suspended.
 La Grande RivièreA dam nearly 4 km long containing the La Grande 3 reservoir (courtesy Hydro-Québec).
 James Bay Project, Map
Author
JAMES MARSH
Links to Other Sites
James Bay Project and the Cree
A CBC feature about the political, social, and economic issues concerning the James Bay hydroelectric project and the James Bay Cree.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| David Thompson was an outsider, struggling to find a foothold in the empire that had consumed his country... |
|
| Pierre Elliott Trudeau, politician, writer, constitutional lawyer, prime minister of Canada 1968-79 and 1980-84 (b at ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| Louis Riel, Métis leader, founder of Manitoba, central figure in the NORTH-WEST REBELLION (b at Red River ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| Evangelical Christian Church, often called the Christian Church (Christian Disciples), is a denomination stemming from ... |
|
|
| The Group of Seven was founded in 1920 as an organization of self-proclaimed modern artists. The original members - ... |
|
|
| Sears Canada Inc, headquartered in Toronto, is a Canadian retailer incorporated in 1952. In 1953 operating under the ... |
|
|
| John Ware, "Nigger John," horseman, rancher (b near Georgetown, SC 1845; d near Brooks, Alta 11 Sept 1905). ... |
|
|
| Land claims are dealt with by a process established by the federal government to enable INDIANS, INUIT and ... |
|
Browse the rich visual resources of The Canadian Encyclopedia through thematic galleries of Canadian Art, History, Nature, People, and Science and Technology.
Illustrations, lively text, animations, sounds and games help make learning about Canadian history, art, geography, architecture and other topics entertaining as well as informative.
The ultimate test of your knowledge of Canada, trivial and otherwise. You can choose from more than 60 dynamic quizzes with visual or text clues. Your scores depend on the speed with which you answer and the number of clues you need. Results are sent to you by email and high scores are posted on the site.
This unique resource includes more than 6000 events from Canadian and world history. It can be searched by era, subject, keyword or date. To find out what happened on your birthday, select the month and day of your birth.
This selection of the 100 "greatest" events in Canadian history was made by editor in chief James H. Marsh to draw attention to events that have left an indelible memory in the minds of later generations.
| THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MUSIC IN CANADA |
|
| The Rhythm Pals. Country music trio formed in 1946 in New Westminster, BC, by the accordionist and baritone Marc Wald (b Bismarck, ND, 1922), the bass player and tenor Mike Ferbey (b Saskatoon 1926), and the guitarist and tenor ... |
|
|
