Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island is a big island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is the largest island by area and the most crowded along the west coasts of the Americas. The island stretches 456 kilometres (283 miles) long and is up to 100 kilometres (62 miles) wide, covering 32,100 square kilometres (12,400 square miles) in total.

The southern part of Vancouver Island has one of the warmest climates in Canada, allowing some areas to grow special crops like olives and lemons. As of 2021, the island was home to 864,864 people. Almost half of them live in the area around Greater Victoria, where the capital city of British Columbia, Victoria, is located. Other important towns include Nanaimo, Campbell River, Courtenay, Port Alberni, and Parksville.

Indigenous peoples have lived on Vancouver Island for thousands of years. The island was named after friendly talks in 1792 between Spanish and British explorers, Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra and George Vancouver. Today, Vancouver Island is the world's 43rd largest island, Canada's 11th largest, and the second most populous after the Island of Montreal.

History

Indigenous peoples

Vancouver Island has been home to many groups of people for thousands of years. These include the Kwakwakaʼwakw, Nuu-chah-nulth, and Coast Salish peoples. Each group has its own language and culture, deeply connected to the land and its resources.

Kwakwakaʼwakw

The Kwakwakaʼwakw live mainly on northern Vancouver Island. Their language, called Kwakʼwala, is still spoken by a few people today. They have many different communities, each with its own traditions.

Nuu-chah-nulth

The Nuu-chah-nulth live on the west coast of Vancouver Island. They have a rich history and speak a special language. They were among the first to meet European explorers.

Coast Salish

The Coast Salish are the largest group on the southern part of the island. They have many different communities, each with its own unique culture and language.

European exploration

Europeans began exploring Vancouver Island in the late 1700s. Spanish and British ships visited the area, interested in trade and new lands. Captain James Cook also visited, claiming the island for Britain.

Dispute over sovereignty

There was a disagreement between Spain and Britain about who owned the island. After talks and treaties, Britain finally took control of Vancouver Island.

British settlement

In the mid-1800s, British settlers began to arrive. They built forts and towns, and the island became a colony. Victoria became an important city and the capital of the new colony.

Union and Confederation

Later, Vancouver Island joined with British Columbia. In 1871, both became part of Canada. Victoria remained the capital of the new province.

Geography

Vancouver Island is found in the southwestern part of British Columbia. It is separated from British Columbia by Johnstone Strait and Queen Charlotte Strait on the north and northeast, and by the Strait of Georgia on the southeast. The open Pacific Ocean lies west of the island, and Queen Charlotte Sound is to the north.

The Vancouver Island Ranges run along most of the island, creating a wet and rugged west coast and a drier, rolling east coast. The highest point on the island is the Golden Hinde, which stands at 2,195 metres. The island has many lakes and rivers, with Kennedy Lake being the largest lake.

Geology

See also: Insular Belt

Vancouver Island is made mostly of volcanic and sedimentary rock. These rocks formed far out at sea on an ancient oceanic plate that no longer exists, called the Kula. About 55 million years ago, during a time called the Paleogene Period, part of this plate moved under the edge of what is now North America. This movement pushed up a line of volcanoes on the plate’s surface, which then stuck to the edge of North America.

Because of this movement, the land on Vancouver Island was bent and twisted into mountains. One big area of mountains near Strathcona Park is made of special kinds of rock formed from old underwater lava flows. Today, Vancouver Island sits above where old plates continue to move beneath it, making the island quite active with earthquakes. It lies near the Cascadia subduction zone, part of a larger circle of active volcanic areas around the world called the Ring of Fire. In the past, very strong earthquakes have happened here, like the big one in 1700.

Ecology

Vancouver Island is home to a special type of forest called a temperate rainforest. In the southern and eastern parts of the island, you can find trees like Douglas fir, western red cedar, and arbutus, as well as plants such as salal and Oregon grape. The northern, western, and central parts of the island have tall coniferous trees like western hemlock and Sitka spruce, along with bigleaf maple and sword fern.

The animals on Vancouver Island are similar to those on the nearby mainland but with some differences. For example, mountain goats and grizzly bears are not found here, but black bears are common. The island has many cougars and a special type of wolf called the Vancouver Island wolf. You can also see orcas, humpback whales, and grey whales in the surrounding waters. The island's rivers and lakes are great places to find trout, salmon, and steelhead.

Demographics

Most people on Vancouver Island live in an area called the Capital Regional District, especially in the city of Victoria, which is the capital of British Columbia. Greater Victoria has about 397,237 people. Another big place is Nanaimo, with around 115,459 people. There are also smaller areas like Alberni Valley, Campbell River, Comox Valley, Cowichan Valley, and Oceanside.

Economy

Technology

Victoria, the largest city on the island, has many technology and computer companies. Over 800 of these companies work together, making almost $2 billion each year.

Fast internet is available across the island, with services from big companies and local providers. The island makes its own electricity at several power stations, but extra power lines connect it to the mainland.

Logging

Away from Victoria, most jobs on Vancouver Island come from cutting down trees for the forestry industry. Many trees are cut for export, but some are used for making wood and paper. Cutting down very old trees, like those in Clayoquot Sound, causes debates because of concerns for nature.

Fishing

Fishing is very important to many people on the island. Boats leave from ports to catch fish, and fish farms grow lots of Atlantic salmon each year.

Tourism

The government of British Columbia works to attract more visitors to places like Tofino and Ucluelet. People come to Vancouver Island for activities such as fishing, watching whales, hiking, scuba diving, surfing, and skiing. Tourists also visit Victoria to see old buildings and charming villages along the coast, like Cowichan Bay, Chemainus, and Qualicum Beach. In 2022, tourism brought in over $3.2 billion, making up about 18% of all overnight visits in British Columbia.

Food products

There are many food companies on Vancouver Island, including bakeries, dairies, and wineries. Farming mostly happens in the south and east parts of the island, where the soil is rich and the climate is good for growing food. In 2021, over 41,000 hectares of land were used for farming.

Education

Vancouver Island has many places for learning, including universities, colleges, trade-schools, and hundreds of public and private schools. Some special private schools include Montessori and Waldorf schools.

The island is home to three universities:

• University of Victoria
• Vancouver Island University (formerly Malaspina University-College)
• Royal Roads University

There are also several colleges, such as:

• Camosun College
• North Island College
• Pacific Horticulture College

There are 12 school districts on Vancouver Island, with many elementary, junior high, and high schools. Three districts are in the Greater Victoria area, and the other eight cover the rest of the island. All public schools are managed by the British Columbia Ministry of Education. Some of the school districts include:

• Greater Victoria
• Nanaimo-Ladysmith
• Sooke
• Qualicum
• Saanich
• Alberni
• Gulf Islands
• Comox Valley
• Campbell River
• Vancouver Island West
• Cowichan Valley
• Vancouver Island North

Transport

Sea

Marine transport is very important for Vancouver Island to reach the mainland of British Columbia and Washington. There are no bridges or tunnels connecting the island to the mainland, although the idea of building one has been discussed many times. Major technical issues and cost are the largest barriers to a fixed link currently, though exact public support for the idea is not currently known. The only vehicle access to Vancouver Island is by ferry. BC Ferries, Washington State Ferries and Puget Sound Navigation Company (Black Ball Transport) operate the seven vehicle-ferry routes to the island.

BC Ferries

• Tsawwassen (38 km (24 mi) south of Vancouver) – Swartz Bay (32 km (20 mi) north of Victoria)

Crossing time: 1 hour 35 minutes; 8 sailings per day year-round with added sailings depending on day and season)

• Tsawwassen – Duke Point (13 km (8.1 mi) south of Nanaimo)

Crossing time: 2 hours; 8 round trips daily – varies in winter.

• Horseshoe Bay (19 km (12 mi) northwest of Vancouver) – Departure Bay (3 km (1.9 mi) north of downtown Nanaimo)

Crossing time: 1 hour 35 minutes; Sailings every 2 hours with extra sailings during the summer and holidays.

• Gulf Islands – Swartz Bay

Crossing time: 35 minutes- 3 hours depending on island of departure; 4 or more trips daily.

• Powell River – Comox

Crossing time: 1 hour 20 minutes; 4 round trips daily.

• Port Hardy – Prince Rupert

Service daily or on alternate days; changes seasonally.

Washington State Ferries

• Anacortes, Washington – Sidney

Crossing time: 2 hours (not counting stops in the San Juan Islands)

Note that this ferry service is inactive.

According to the Washington State Department of Transport: International service to and from Sidney, B.C. remains suspended until further notice due to continued significant crewing and vessel availability challenges. There will be no service to and from Sidney through at least Spring of 2030.

Black Ball Transport

• Port Angeles, Washington – Victoria

Crossing time: 1 hour 30 minutes; 1 to 4 round trips daily; changes seasonally.

Passenger-only service

• Hullo Ferries (Vancouver – Nanaimo)

Crossing time: 1 hour 15 minutes; 3 to 6 round trips daily

• Victoria Clipper (Seattle, Washington – Victoria)

Crossing time: 2 hour 45 minutes; 1 to 3 round trips daily

Rail

Island Corridor Foundation (ICF) was established in 2006 for the purpose of owning and managing the former Esquimalt and Nanaimo (E&N) Rail Corridor on Vancouver Island now known as the Island Rail Corridor. The ICF established a contract with Southern Railway of British Columbia (SRY) to move all rail freight on the Island to and from the Lower Mainland. SRY assumed operational control from RailAmerica in July 2006 and currently only offers local freight service on the Nanaimo segment of the Victoria–Courtenay mainline (called the Victoria Subdivision by the railroad). The Port Alberni branch line (called the Port Alberni Subdivision by the railroad) has been out of service since 2002. Passenger service, which had been operated by VIA Rail under contract, was halted in 2011 after it was identified that a portion of the line failed to meet operating requirements for passenger service. Since then, there have been ongoing efforts to secure funding from various levels of government to complete the necessary repairs, but the issue remains fluid.

Western Forest Products operated the Englewood Railway which was Canada's last logging railway, running from Woss to Beaver Cove on the northern end of the island. The former Canadian National Railway line running from Victoria to the Cowichan Valley was abandoned in the late 1980s/early 1990s, and the former grade between Victoria and Sooke is now the multi-use Galloping Goose Regional Trail. The BC Forest Discovery Centre has a narrow-gauge railway winding around the park, and the Alberni Pacific Railway operates a tour train during the summer from the restored E&N Railway station in Port Alberni to the McLean's Mill on former E&N Railway trackage that is now owned by the ICF.

Road

There is one major north–south highway system on the island, which runs along the eastern side. It begins in Victoria as Highway 1 which is part of the Trans-Canada Highway system as far as Nanaimo. There, Highway 19 takes over and continues to Port Hardy. The route is a patchwork of two-, four-, and six-lane roadways between Victoria and Port Hardy. The engineering characteristics and traffic control systems of the roadway vary widely from one city or district to the next and include the following variations:

Trans-Canada Highway:

1. Congested, heavily signalized four-lane urban core streets with heavy pedestrian activity in Victoria and Duncan.
2. Short four- to six-lane freeways with interchanges just west of Victoria and just south of Nanaimo.
3. A mix of two-lane to four-lane winding mountain arterial highway over the Malahat pass.
4. A moderate to heavily signalized four-lane divided arterial highway from Mill Bay to Nanaimo (interrupted by the Duncan urban core).

Highway 19:

1. A moderately signalized expressway called the Nanaimo Parkway bypassing Nanaimo.
2. A lightly signalized four-lane divided arterial highway from Nanaimo to Parksville.
3. A stretch of four-lane high-speed freeway/expressway from Parksville to Campbell River.
4. A moderate-speed two-lane arterial highway north from Campbell River to Port Hardy.

Proposals have been made for a mainland-to-island fixed link for over a century. Because of the extreme depth and soft seabed of the Georgia Strait, and the potential for seismic activity, a bridge or tunnel would face monumental engineering, safety, and environmental challenges at a prohibitive cost.

Another north–south route is Highway 17 a four-lane divided highway that has a mix of interchanges and traffic lights. It connects Victoria with the Saanich Peninsula, terminating the Vancouver Island portion of its route at the Swartz Bay ferry terminal.

The main east–west routes are mostly two-lane but are generally free of the congestion seen on some of the four-lane highways. They comprise the following:

• Highway 4 between Qualicum Beach and Tofino;
• Highway 14 between Greater Victoria and Port Renfrew;
• Highway 18 between Duncan and Lake Cowichan;
• Highway 28 between Campbell River and Gold River; and
• Highway 30 between Port McNeill and Port Alice.

Vancouver Island is also well served by secondary routes, a growing number of which have efficient roundabouts in place of the traffic lights that can back up traffic on the main highway routes. Numerous active and decommissioned logging and forest service roads provide access to the backcountry.

Many communities are served by public and private transit. Greater Victoria is one of the few places in North America where double-decker buses are used in the regular public transit system. Tofino Bus All Island Express serves all major cities on Vancouver Island.

Air

There are 52 certified airports, registered aerodromes and heliports on Vancouver Island. This number includes seven aerodromes and airports in Greater Victoria.

Victoria International Airport, (IATA: YYJ, ICAO: CYYJ), is the major airport on Vancouver Island. In 2018, it was the 11th busiest airport in Canada in terms of passenger movements (1,924,385). As of 2020, carriers include Air Canada Express, Air Canada Rouge, Air North, Alaska Airlines, Pacific Coastal Airlines, WestJet and WestJet Encore. They offer a variety of direct flights of short and medium distances including to and from Seattle, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Whitehorse and Toronto. Air Canada Rouge, Pacific Coastal Airlines, Sunwing Airlines, Swoop and WestJet offer seasonal services to several destinations including Mexico.

Other land-based airports with scheduled services are Campbell River, CFB Comox, (Comox Valley Airport), Nanaimo, Port Hardy, Qualicum Beach and Tofino/Long Beach. In addition, there are seven water airports with scheduled services, Campbell River, Comox, Nanaimo Harbour, Port Alberni, Tofino Harbour, Victoria and Victoria Inner Harbour.

Much of the floatplane traffic is downtown-to-downtown service between Victoria Inner Harbour, Nanaimo Harbour and Vancouver Harbour, the primary carriers being Harbour Air Seaplanes, Seair Seaplanes and Corilair. Harbour Air also flies to other areas around Vancouver, service to Kenmore Air Harbor Seaplane Base on Seattle's Lake Union is provided by Kenmore Air. Smaller airlines include Tofino Air, Pacific Seaplanes and Sunshine Coast Air. These carriers make several daily scheduled flights, weather permitting. Helicopter service is provided by Helijet in Victoria and various private operators elsewhere.