Barraute

Barraute (French pronunciation: [baʁot]) is a municipality in the Canadian province of Quebec, located in the Abitibi Regional County Municipality.

Barraute
Municipality
Location within Abitibi RCM
Barraute Location in western Quebec
Coordinates: 48°26′N 77°38′W[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Abitibi-Témiscamingue
RCM	Abitibi
Settled	1910s
Constituted	January 5, 1994
Government [2]
• Mayor	Josseline Lepage
• Federal riding	Abitibi—Témiscamingue
• Prov. riding	Abitibi-Ouest
Area [2][3]
• Total	507.79 km2 (196.06 sq mi)
• Land	493.04 km2 (190.36 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[3]
• Total	1,986
• Density	4.0/km2 (10/sq mi)
• Pop (2016-21)	0.9%
• Dwellings	1,012
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	J0Y 1A0
Area code	819
Highways	R-386 R-397
Website	Official website

It is home to the Mont-Vidéo Ski Resort.^[4]

History

Colonization began after the completion of the National Transcontinental Railway through the Abitibi region. In 1916, the family of Uldéric Hardy arrived, followed by a further 20 in 1917 and, by 1918, the place had a total of some 30 families. The new settlement was initially called Natagan, taken from the Natagan River, a First Nations name that means "winding waters." In 1917, the Natagan River Post Office opened, renamed to Barraute in 1919.^[1]

In 1918, the United Township Municipality of Fiedmont-et-Barraute was formed, incorporating the geographic townships of Fiedmont and Barraute (proclaimed in 1916). Pierre-Jean Bachoie, called Barraute (1723-1760), was an officer of the Régiment de Béarn in the army of General Montcalm and member of the Order of Saint Louis. Fiedmont likewise was an officer of the army of Montcalm.^[1]

In 1948, a portion of the municipal territory separated and was incorporated as the Village Municipality of Barraute. In 1950, zinc and silver mines began operating, that in addition to its favourable location along the railroad and Laflamme River (a tributary of the Bell River), contributed to the local prosperity. In 1951, the United Township Municipality of Fiedmont-et-Barraute changed status to just municipality. But the closure of the zinc and silver mines in 1957, as well as the closure in 1965 of Canada's only lithium mine in neighbouring La Corne, dealt a blow to the economy of Barraute.^[1]

In 1978, the Town of Barville (incorporated in 1953) was merged into the Municipality of Fiedmont-et-Barraute and, in 1994, the Municipalities of Fiedmont-et-Barraute and Barraute were regrouped into the new Municipality of Barraute.^[1]

Demographics

Historical census populations – Barraute

Year Pop. ±% 1991 2,200 —     1996 2,134 −3.0% 2001 2,010 −5.8% 2006 2,062 +2.6%	Year Pop. ±% 2011 1,980 −4.0% 2016 1,968 −0.6% 2021 1,986 +0.9%
Source: Statistics Canada

Private dwellings occupied by usual residents (2021): 930 (total dwellings: 1,012)^[3]

Mother tongue (2021):^[3]

• English as first language: 0.5%
• French as first language: 98.7%
• English and French as first language: 0.3%
• Other as first language: 0.5%

Economy

In 2012, Quebec Lithium Corp. reopened Quebec Lithium Mine, which had operated as an underground mine from 1955 to 1965. They are planning to carve an open pit mine over pegmatite dikes. (The pegmatite is about 1% lithium carbonate.) The mine is about 60 km (37 mi) north of Val-d'Or, 38 km (24 mi) southeast of Amos, and 15 km (9.3 mi) west of Barraute. Access to the mine is via paved road from Val-d'Or.^[5]

Government

Municipal council (as of 2024):^[2]

• Mayor: Josseline Lepage
• Councillors: Michel Gagnon, Marie-Joëlle Desrosiers, Lucie Grenier, Joël Jobin, Manon Plante, Jérôme Petit

See also

• List of mines in Quebec