Port McNeill, British Columbia

Town of Port McNeill
—  Town  —
Location of Port McNeill in British Columbia
Coordinates: 50°35′25″N 127°05′5″W
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Region	Vancouver Island
Regional district	Regional District of Mount Waddington
Founded	1936
Incorporated	1966
Government
• Governing body	Port McNeill Town Council
• Mayor	Town Gerry Furney
Area
• Total	7.74 km2 (2.99 sq mi)
Elevation	10 m (30 ft)
Population (2006)
• Total	2,623
Time zone	PST (UTC−8)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC−7)
Highways	19
Waterways	Johnstone Strait, Queen Charlotte Strait
Website	Town of Port McNeill

Port McNeill is a town in the North Island region of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada with a population of 2,623 (2006). Located on Vancouver Island's north-east shore on Queen Charlotte Strait, it was originally a base camp for loggers, Port McNeill became a settlement in 1936. The town was named after Captain William Henry McNeill of the Hudson's Bay Company.

Services and amenities

Public services offered include a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) detachment, ambulance service, volunteer fire department and a district hospital that services Port McNeill, Sointula and Alert Bay. The town also offers amenities including:

• two grocery stores (IGA & SuperValu)
• a pharmacy (Peoples Drug Mart)
• three liquor stores
• six restaurants
• three bars/pubs
• three motels and B&Bs, and the Black Bear Resort & Spa
• two hardware stores
• a Windsor Plywood store
• a Petro-Canada gas station and Esso gas station
• a Subway restaurant,
• Fields
• The Bargain! Shop
• Few other small tourist shops
• In 2008 Port McNeill reopened their old theatre

Tourism and location

Port McNeill acts as a central hub for all of North Vancouver Island. It offers the only access to the villages of Alert Bay (Cormorant Island) and Sointula (Malcolm Island) via BC Ferries which run daily. Port McNeill Airport is located just 5 minutes South on highway 19.

The scuba diving is considered the best in North America, and has been ranked #2 in the world.^{[citation needed]}

The town is also a popular tourism destination during the summer, with a large population of animals including black bear, cougar, and deer. The town also features the world's largest burl,^{[citation needed]} a museum and a history revolving around logging.

Other information

Port McNeill is also the Hometown of Willie Mitchell, an NHL defenceman for the Los Angeles Kings, and Amateur DJ, Steven Gullett. When entering the town off the Island Highway, there used to be a sign that said "Welcome to Port McNeill - Home of the NHL's Willie Mitchell" and is also the birthplace of Minnesota Wild defenceman Clayton Stoner and Washington Capitals Alexander Ovechkin .

With accounting for 25.7% of the labour force, logging remains the primary employer in Port McNeill and contributes approximately 8% of the total BC timber harvest. The main contractors are Western Forest Products and LeMare Lake Logging.

February 2007 marked the opening day of Orca Sand & Gravel LP, the largest sand and gravel quarry in the northern hemisphere. Material is shipped via 70,000 tonne container ships to ports in California and Hawaii and via 7000 tonne barges to Vancouver.

Kwagis Power, owned by Brookfield Renewable Power and the 'Namgis First Nation, plans to construct a 45 megawatt hydroelectric facility on the Kokish River near Port McNeill. The Steelhead Society of B.C. and the Western Canada Wilderness Committee oppose the project.

References

Port McNeill Mayor Gerry Furney, a poetry-writing Irishman who has held elected office in the Vancouver Island logging town for 43 years was re-elected in 2011 for another 3 years.

External links

• Town of Port McNeill
• Pictures of Port McNeill
• "Port McNeill". BC Geographical Names. http://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/27217.html. 
• Port McNeil - Gateway to the Broughton Archipelago - Blue Book of Boats Cruising Destination