What province is British Columbia located?
British Columbia, or BC, is a province located in Canada on the West coast that is considered part of the Pacific Northwest, along with two states in the US - Washington and Oregon. The capital of the province is Victoria - named after the British Queen in 1858. Additionally, the largest city in British Columbia is Vancouver.
Is British Columbia a province or territory?
One of the ten Canadian provinces is British Columbia, located between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. It is the third largest province by population, with about 5 million residents. The province was named by Queen Victoria when it became a British colony in 1858.
What state is British Columbia located in?
British Columbia is the most western province in Canada. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the west and the Rocky Mountains and the Alberta border on the east. The south of B.C. shares a border with the United States, and the province extends north to the borders of Yukon and the Northwest Territories. The province has very diverse geography.
Do British people live in British Columbia?
British Columbia has a population of just under 4.7 million. It is steadily growing with an increase of between 5%-7% every 5 years since 2001. An interesting aspect about British Columbia is that 8 of Canada’s top 100 neighborhoods for most promising growth are located in British Columbia. The 4.6 or so million people inhabiting BC make up ...
How many regions does B.C. have?
B.C.'s eight distinct regions have their own unique geography, climate, economy, history and cultural diversity.
How are regions in B.C. divided?
The province of British Columbia, Canada has six distinct regions; Vancouver Island, Vancouver Coast & Mountains, Thompson Okanagan, Kootenay Rockies, Northern British Columbia, which includes Haida Gwaii, and the Cariboo, Chilcotin, Coast region.
Who owns British Columbia?
Located on the west coast of Canada, British Columbia became the sixth province of Canada when it joined Confederation in 1871.
What regional district is Kamloops?
Thompson–NicolaThe Thompson–Nicola Regional District is a regional district in the Canadian province of British Columbia....Thompson-Nicola Regional District.Thompson–NicolaKamloops LakeLogoLocation in British ColumbiaCountryCanada16 more rows
What part of B.C. is the Kootenays?
southeastern British ColumbiaThe Kootenays or Kootenay (/ˈkuːtni/ KOOT-nee) is a region of southeastern British Columbia. It takes its name from the Kootenay River, which in turn was named for the Kutenai First Nations people.
How many provinces does B.C. have?
10 provincesThe province of British Columbia has a population of over 4.8 million, with the most populous cities including Vancouver and the capital city, Victoria. Of the 10 provinces, just three have populations that fall under 1 million. Prince Edward Island is the smallest with a population of over 150,000.
What are the regions of Canada?
Canada includes many different geographical areas and five distinct regions.The Atlantic Provinces.Central Canada.The Prairie Provinces.The West Coast.The Northern Territories.
Why is British Columbia divided into regional districts?
The Canadian province of British Columbia is divided into regional districts as a means to better enable municipalities and rural areas to work together at a regional level. Similar to counties in other parts of Canada, regional districts serve only to provide municipal services as the local government in areas not incorporated into a municipality, ...
How are regional districts governed?
Regional districts are governed by boards of directly and indirectly elected directors. Municipalities appoint directors to represent their populations (usually the mayors), while residents of unincorporated areas (which are grouped into electoral areas) elect directors directly. The votes of directors from municipalities generally count more ...
What is the Central Fraser Valley Regional District?
Central Fraser Valley Regional District: consisting of the modern City of Abbotsford (itself newly formed at the time) and adjacent unincorporated areas – Sumas Mountain (now FVRD Electoral H ), west of Chilliwack and south of the Fraser River.
When was Comox-Strathcona Regional District abolished?
The Comox-Strathcona Regional District was abolished in February 2008 and replaced by two successor regional districts: Comox Valley and Strathcona. The Peace River-Liard Regional District was created October 31, 1967, when the regional district system was first being established.
When was the first regional district established?
The first regional district was established in 1965 , and the then-final regional district was established in 1968.
What district is Dewdney Alouette in?
The western half of Dewdney-Alouette, consisting of Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, was incorporated into the Greater Vancouver Regional District (now Metro Vancouver ). Mission and the unincorporated areas east to the Chehalis River were incorporated into the Fraser Valley Regional District.
When did British Columbia become a district?
Of British Columbia's current 49 district municipalities, the first to incorporate as a district municipality was North Cowichan on June 18, 1873, while the most recent community to incorporate as a district municipality was the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM) on February 6, 2009. Although portrayed as a regional municipality in its official name, the NRRM is actually classified as a district municipality.
How many towns are there in British Columbia?
British Columbia has 14 towns that had a cumulative population of 91,022 in the 2016 Census. British Columbia's largest and smallest towns are Comox and Port McNeill with populations of 14,028 and 2,337 respectively.
What are the powers of a municipality in British Columbia?
They have the power of a natural person, the power to expropriate, and the power to establish and enforce bylaws. They are able to raise funds through property taxes and user fees, and borrow a limited amount through the Municipal Finance Authority of British Columbia to pay for capital costs.
What is the fastest growing district in British Columbia?
The fastest-growing district municipality in British Columbia is Invermere, which grew 14.8% between 2011 and 2016, while the fastest-shrinking is Tumbler Ridge, which shrunk by 26.7%. Of British Columbia's current 50 district municipalities, the first to incorporate as a district municipality was North Cowichan on June 18, 1873, ...
What is a district municipality?
A district municipality is a classification of municipalities used in British Columbia. British Columbia's Lieutenant Governor in Council may incorporate a community as a district municipality by letters patent, under the recommendation of the Minister of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development, if the area is greater than 800 ha (2,000 acres) and has a population density of fewer than 5 people per hectare, and the outcome of a vote involving affected residents was that greater than 50% voted in favour of the proposed incorporation.
What is the classification scheme for a new municipality?
Part 2 of the Local Government Act sets out a classification scheme that gives each new municipality a designation. If the population is fewer than 2,500 people the new municipality is designated a village, if between 2,500 and 5,000 a town, and if greater than 5,000 a city.
What is the role of the board of directors in regional district?
The board of directors of the regional district is used as a forum to discuss regional issues. To become a municipality, a community, with the assistance of the provincial Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, defines its borders and holds a referendum on the issue.
Overview
External links
• Regional district maps
• Local Government Department History, Ministry of Community and Rural Development, British Columbia
• Civic Info BC
• A Primer on Regional Districts in British Columbia, BC Government
History
Regional districts came into being via an order of government in 1965 with the enactment of amendments to the Municipal Act. Until the creation of regional districts, the only local form of government in British Columbia were incorporated municipalities, and services in areas outside municipal boundaries had to be sought from the province or through improvement districts.
Governance
Similar to counties in other parts of Canada, regional districts serve only to provide municipal services as the local government in areas not incorporated into a municipality, and in certain regional affairs of shared concern between residents of unincorporated areas and those in the municipalities such as a stakeholder role in regional planning. In those predominantly rural areas, regional districts provide services such as land use planning, building inspection, solid-waste ma…
Historical regional districts
The first regional district was established in 1965, and the then-final regional district was established in 1968.
The following regional districts were dissolved in December 1995 and amalgamated largely into the newly formed Fraser Valley Regional District:
• Dewdney–Alouette Regional District: consisting of Mission, Pitt Meadows, and Maple Ridge, and …
See also
• List of regional district electoral areas in British Columbia
• Administrative divisions of Canada
• List of communities in British Columbia
Current Regional Districts
- * The Stikine Region is not officially classified as a regional district,and is administered directly by the provincial government.
Historical Regional Districts
- The first regional district was established in 1965, and the then final regional district was established in 1968. The following regional districts were dissolved in December 1995, and amalgamated largely into the newly formed Fraser Valley Regional District: 1. Dewdney-Alouette Regional District: Mission, Pitt Meadows, and Maple Ridge, and unincorporated areas north of th…
See Also
External Links
- Regional district maps
- Local Government Department History, Ministry of Community and Rural Development, British Columbia
- Civic Info BC
- A Primer on Regional Districts in British Columbia, BC Government