Dolbeau-Mistassini, a charming town nestled in northern Quebec, Canada, is a place where rivers meet and cultures blend. Situated at the confluence of the Mistassibi River, Riviere aux Rats, and the Mistassini River, on Lac Saint-Jean, Dolbeau-Mistassini is a commercial hub of the region, boasting large stores and shopping centres.
The city of Dolbeau-Mistassini was formed in 1997 through the amalgamation of the cities of Dolbeau and Mistassini. The first settler in Mistassini was possibly François Gaudreault in 1884, but the town's founding is credited to the Trappists, an exceptional case in Quebec.
In 1892, the Trappists of Oka were granted 2,025 hectares of land between the Mistassini and Mistassibi Rivers by the government of Charles Boucher de Boucherville. They first settled at the mouth of the Mistassibi then on the shores of Lac Saint-Jean. In 1895, the Parish of Saint-Michel-de-Mistassini was founded, and two years later, it was incorporated as a municipality.
Dolbeau, on the other hand, was founded in 1926 by Swedish-born industrialist Emil Andrew Wallberg and his industrial German-born partner John Stadler who established the Lake Saint John Power and Paper Co. paper mill. The town, incorporated in 1927, was named after Jean Dolbeau, a Récollet missionary in the Tadoussac and Lac Saint-Jean area.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Dolbeau-Mistassini had a population of 13,718. The median age was 50.8, and French was the mother tongue of 99.0% of residents. Indigenous peoples comprised 6.5% of the population, most of whom were Métis, and visible minorities contributed 1.4%. The area is home to 35 recent immigrants, who comprise about 0.3% of the total population.
The main source of employment in Dolbeau-Mistassini is a paper mill factory owned by Resolute Forest Products. The environmental organization, SGE, outfits the town with town bicycles from St. Jean Baptiste to September, promoting eco-friendly transportation.
Dolbeau-Mistassini offers a variety of attractions for tourists. From the local ski resort, Do-Mi-Ski, to the Festival Western, there's something for everyone. The town also boasts beautiful downtown beaches and beaches on the Lac-St-Jean shores. For adventure seekers, there are rafting spots on the Mistassibi and the Festival of Stories told at night throughout the summer.
Every year between August 3 and 7, Dolbeau-Mistassini celebrates the blueberry, a symbol of the Lac Saint-Jean region, with a festival. The festivities include exhibitions, performances, giant games, blueberry contests, a parade by night, and the baking of a giant blueberry pie.
Mistassini has a humid continental climate with mild summers and cold winters. March remains a winter month as spring is delayed until April, when a rapid warmup ensues that brings summer average highs to about 24 °C (75 °F).
