Matagami, Quebec
Encyclopedia
Matagami is a small town in Quebec
, Canada
. It is located north of Amos
, on Matagami Lake, at the northern terminus of Route 109
and the start of the James Bay Road (French: Route de la Baie James). The town had a population of 1,555 in the Canada 2006 Census
.
Matagami was founded in 1963 with the development of mining
in the area. Previously, it existed only as a very small prospecting
camp accessible only by float plane, but after a viable mineral deposit was found in the late 1950s a permanent settlement began to be established. In 1962, the Quebec Toponomy Commission attempted to name the new community Mazenod after Charles-Joseph-Eugène de Mazenod
, the founder of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
, but after a public outcry by local residents the community was named after Matagami Lake.
The name Matagami means "the confluence of waters" in the Cree language
.
The first church service in Matagami was held on 17 April 1962.
Total private dwellings, excluding seasonal cottages: 656 (total: 797)
Mother tongue:
and Domtar
. Domtar has been in Matagami since 1988 when the company bought out Bisson & Bisson.
Xstrata entered Matagami in 2006 when it acquired Falconbridge Ltd.
In 2008, Xstrata put Perseverance, a zinc-copper volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposit
, into production. Perseverance has a mine life of 5.5 years. Since 1957 ten deposits, including the world class Matagami Lake deposit (25.6 million tonnes grading 8.2% Zn, 0.56% Cu, 20.91 g/t Ag, 0.41 g/t Au), have been discovered and mined out for a total of "44.4 million tonnes with a similar average grade."
Further exploration is continuing in the camp through a 50-50 joint venture agreement between Xstrata and Donner Metals. In late 2008, Donner Metals Ltd.
announced that Xstrata Zinc Canada was in the process of completing a scoping study at their jointly owned Bracemac-McLeod property. It is the nearest city to the Lac Doré Vanadium Deposit
.
The community is also one of the distribution points for goods and services to the James Bay Hydroelectric Project
. As well, Matagami has a small tourism industry due to the popularity of fishing and hunting in northern Quebec. Hotel Bell and Hotel Matagami include full service bars.
, as well as by a rebroadcaster of Première Chaîne's CHLM-FM
.
, who won the silver medal in the 200m Individual Medley at the 1996 Summer Olympics
.
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is located north of Amos
Amos, Quebec
Amos is a ville in northwestern Quebec, Canada, on the Harricana River. It is the seat of Abitibi Regional County Municipality.Amos is the main city on the Harricana River, and the smallest of the three primary cities — after Rouyn-Noranda and Val-d'Or — in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of Quebec...
, on Matagami Lake, at the northern terminus of Route 109
Quebec route 109
Route 109 is a Quebec provincial highway that runs through the western regions of Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Nord-du-Québec. It begins at Route 117 in Rivière-Héva, proceeding north approximately to Amos. From there, the highway extends to Matagami, where the road continues northwards as James Bay...
and the start of the James Bay Road (French: Route de la Baie James). The town had a population of 1,555 in the Canada 2006 Census
Canada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
.
History
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
in the area. Previously, it existed only as a very small prospecting
Prospecting
Prospecting is the physical search for minerals, fossils, precious metals or mineral specimens, and is also known as fossicking.Prospecting is a small-scale form of mineral exploration which is an organised, large scale effort undertaken by mineral resource companies to find commercially viable ore...
camp accessible only by float plane, but after a viable mineral deposit was found in the late 1950s a permanent settlement began to be established. In 1962, the Quebec Toponomy Commission attempted to name the new community Mazenod after Charles-Joseph-Eugène de Mazenod
Charles-Joseph-Eugene de Mazenod
Saint Eugene De Mazenod born Charles Joseph Eugene de Mazenod and more commonly known as Eugene De Mazenod, was a Frenches Catholic clergman, beatified on 19 October 1975 by Pope Paul VI, and canonized on 3 December 1995 by Pope John Paul II.-Biography:The saint was born on the Cours Mirabeau in...
, the founder of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816 by Saint Eugene de Mazenod, a French priest born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France on August 1, 1782. The congregation was given recognition by Pope...
, but after a public outcry by local residents the community was named after Matagami Lake.
The name Matagami means "the confluence of waters" in the Cree language
Cree language
Cree is an Algonquian language spoken by approximately 117,000 people across Canada, from the Northwest Territories and Alberta to Labrador, making it the aboriginal language with the highest number of speakers in Canada. It is also spoken in the U.S. state of Montana...
.
The first church service in Matagami was held on 17 April 1962.
Demographics
Population:- Population in 2006: 1555
- Population in 2001: 1939
- 2001 to 2006 population change: -19.8 %
- Population in 1996: 2243
- Population in 1991: 2467
Total private dwellings, excluding seasonal cottages: 656 (total: 797)
Mother tongue:
- English as first language: 1 %
- French as first language: 98 %
- English and French as first language: 0 %
- Other as first language: 1 %
Economy
The two primary employers in the city are XstrataXstrata
Xstrata plc is a global mining company headquartered in Zug, Switzerland and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is a major producer of coal , copper, nickel, primary vanadium and zinc and the world's largest producer of ferrochrome...
and Domtar
Domtar
Domtar Corporation is the largest integrated producer of uncoated freesheet paper in North America and the second largest in the world based on production capacity, and is also a manufacturer of papergrade pulp....
. Domtar has been in Matagami since 1988 when the company bought out Bisson & Bisson.
Xstrata entered Matagami in 2006 when it acquired Falconbridge Ltd.
Falconbridge Ltd.
Falconbridge Limited was a Toronto, Ontario-based natural resources company with operations in 18 countries, involved in the exploration, mining, processing, and marketing of metal and mineral products, including nickel, copper, cobalt, and platinum. It was listed on the TSX and NYSE , and had...
In 2008, Xstrata put Perseverance, a zinc-copper volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposit
Volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposit
Volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposits are a type of metal sulfide ore deposit, mainly Cu-Zn-Pb which are associated with and created by volcanic-associated hydrothermal events in submarine environments....
, into production. Perseverance has a mine life of 5.5 years. Since 1957 ten deposits, including the world class Matagami Lake deposit (25.6 million tonnes grading 8.2% Zn, 0.56% Cu, 20.91 g/t Ag, 0.41 g/t Au), have been discovered and mined out for a total of "44.4 million tonnes with a similar average grade."
Further exploration is continuing in the camp through a 50-50 joint venture agreement between Xstrata and Donner Metals. In late 2008, Donner Metals Ltd.
Donner Metals Ltd.
Donner Metals Ltd. is a Canadian advanced exploration company, listed on the TSX Venture Exchange. Its headquarters are in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada...
announced that Xstrata Zinc Canada was in the process of completing a scoping study at their jointly owned Bracemac-McLeod property. It is the nearest city to the Lac Doré Vanadium Deposit
Lac Doré Vanadium Deposit
The Lac Doré Vanadium Deposit is a vanadium deposit first discovered by the Government of Quebec at Lac Doré. The closest mining town to the site is Matagami...
.
The community is also one of the distribution points for goods and services to the James Bay Hydroelectric Project
James Bay Project
The James Bay Project is a series of hydroelectric development with a combined installed capacity of over 16,000 megawatts built since 1974 for Hydro-Québec by the on the La Grande and other rivers of Northern Quebec....
. As well, Matagami has a small tourism industry due to the popularity of fishing and hunting in northern Quebec. Hotel Bell and Hotel Matagami include full service bars.
Climate
Media
Matagami is served by a community radio station, CHEF-FMCHEF-FM
CHEF-FM is a Canadian radio station. Owned by Radio Matagami, the station broadcasts a community radio format at 99.9 FM in Matagami, Quebec. The station was licensed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission in 2000....
, as well as by a rebroadcaster of Première Chaîne's CHLM-FM
CHLM-FM
CHLM-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 90.7 FM in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. The station broadcasts the programming of Radio-Canada's Première Chaîne network....
.
Notable people
Matagami is the birthplace of Canadian swimmer Marianne LimpertMarianne Limpert
Marianne Louise Limpert is a former freestyle and medley swimmer who competed the Summer Olympics for Canada in 1992, 1996 and 2000, and won the silver medal in the 200m Individual Medley in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia...
, who won the silver medal in the 200m Individual Medley at the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
.