List of district municipalities in British Columbia
A district municipality is a classification of municipalities used in the Canadian province of 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 less than 5 people per hectare, and at least 50% of the affected residents vote in favour of the proposed incorporation.[1]
British Columbia has 50 district municipalities[2][3][4] that had a cumulative population of 746,125 and an average population of 14,923 in the 2011 Census.[5] British Columbia's largest and smallest district municipalities are Saanich and Wells with populations of 109,752 and 245 respectively.[5]
Of British Columbia's 50 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.[2][3] Although portrayed as a regional municipality in its name, the NRRM is classified as a district municipality.[3]
List
District municipality |
Corporate name[2] |
Regional district[2] |
Incorporation date[2] |
Population (2011)[5] |
Population (2006)[5] |
Change (%)[5] |
Area (km²)[5] |
Population density[5] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
100 Mile House | 100 Mile House, District of | Cariboo | July 27, 1965 | 1,886 | 1,885 | 0.1 | 53.29 | 35.4 |
Barriere | Barriere, District of | Thompson-Nicola | December 4, 2007 | 1,773 | 1,432 | 23.8 | 10.77 | 164.7 |
Central Saanich | Central Saanich, The Corporation of the District of | Capital | December 12, 1950 | 15,936 | 15,745 | 1.2 | 41.33 | 385.6 |
Chetwynd | Chetwynd, District of | Peace River | September 25, 1962 | 2,635 | 2,633 | 0.1 | 63.04 | 41.8 |
Clearwater | Clearwater, District of | Thompson-Nicola | December 3, 2007 | 2,331 | 2,225 | 4.8 | 55.68 | 41.9 |
Coldstream | Coldstream, The Corporation of the District of | North Okanagan | December 21, 1906 | 10,314 | 9,471 | 8.9 | 66.28 | 155.6 |
Elkford | Elkford, District of | East Kootenay | July 16, 1971 | 2,523 | 2,463 | 2.4 | 108.42 | 23.3 |
Esquimalt | Esquimalt, Corporation of the Township of | Capital | September 1, 1912 | 16,209 | 16,840 | −3.7 | 7.08 | 2,290.1 |
Fort St. James | Fort St. James, District of | Bulkley-Nechako | December 19, 1952 | 1,691 | 1,350 | 25.3 | 23.47 | 72.0 |
Highlands | Highlands, District of | Capital | December 7, 1993 | 2,120 | 1,903 | 11.4 | 38.05 | 55.7 |
Hope | Hope, District of | Fraser Valley | April 6, 1929 | 5,969 | 6,185 | −3.5 | 41.14 | 145.1 |
Houston | Houston, District of | Bulkley-Nechako | March 4, 1957 | 3,147 | 3,163 | −0.5 | 72.94 | 43.1 |
Hudson's Hope | Hudson's Hope, District of | Peace River | November 16, 1965 | 970 | 1,012 | −4.2 | 827.36 | 1.2 |
Invermere | Invermere, District of | East Kootenay | May 22, 1951 | 2,955 | 3,002 | −1.6 | 10.73 | 275.3 |
Kent | Kent, The Corporation of the District of | Fraser Valley | January 1, 1895 | 5,664 | 4,738 | 19.5 | 168.39 | 33.6 |
Kitimat | Kitimat, District of | Kitimat-Stikine | March 31, 1953 | 8,335 | 8,987 | −7.3 | 240.01 | 34.7 |
Lake Country | Lake Country, District of | Central Okanagan | May 2, 1995 | 11,708 | 9,606 | 21.9 | 122.19 | 95.8 |
Langley | Langley, The Corporation of the Township of | Greater Vancouver | April 26, 1873 | 104,177 | 93,726 | 11.2 | 308.03 | 338.2 |
Lantzville | Lantzville, District of | Nanaimo | June 25, 2003 | 3,601 | 3,661 | −1.6 | 27.66 | 130.2 |
Lillooet | Lillooet, District of | Squamish-Lillooet | December 31, 1946 | 2,321[6] | 2,324 | −0.1 | 27.51 | 84.4 |
Logan Lake | Logan Lake, District of | Thompson-Nicola | November 10, 1970 | 2,073 | 2,162 | −4.1 | 325.33 | 6.4 |
Mackenzie | Mackenzie, District of | Fraser-Fort George | May 19, 1966 | 3,507 | 4,539 | −22.7 | 155.41 | 22.6 |
Metchosin | Metchosin, District of | Capital | December 3, 1984 | 4,803 | 4,795 | 0.2 | 71.09 | 67.6 |
Mission | Mission, District of | Fraser Valley | June 2, 1892 | 36,426 | 34,505 | 5.6 | 225.70 | 161.4 |
New Hazelton | New Hazelton, District of | Kitimat-Stikine | December 15, 1980 | 666 | 627 | 6.2 | 24.36 | 27.3 |
North Cowichan | North Cowichan, The Corporation of the District of | Cowichan Valley | June 18, 1873 | 28,807 | 27,557 | 4.5 | 195.54 | 147.3 |
North Saanich | North Saanich, District of | Capital | August 19, 1965 | 11,089 | 10,823 | 2.5 | 37.25 | 297.7 |
North Vancouver | North Vancouver, The Corporation of the District of | Greater Vancouver | May 13, 1907 | 84,412 | 82,562 | 2.2 | 160.76 | 525.1 |
Northern Rockies[3] | Northern Rockies Regional Municipality | Northern Rockies | February 6, 2009 | 5,290[6] | 5,702 | −7.2 | 85,014.52 | 0.1 |
Oak Bay | Oak Bay, The Corporation of the District of | Capital | July 2, 1906 | 18,015 | 17,908 | 0.6 | 10.53 | 1,710.3 |
Peachland | Peachland, The Corporation of the District of | Central Okanagan | January 1, 1909 | 5,200 | 4,883 | 6.5 | 15.75 | 330.2 |
Port Edward | Port Edward, District of | Skeena-Queen Charlotte | June 29, 1966 | 544 | 577 | −5.7 | 168.01 | 3.2 |
Port Hardy | Port Hardy, District of | Mount Waddington | May 5, 1966 | 4,008 | 3,822 | 4.9 | 38.73 | 103.5 |
Saanich | Saanich, The Corporation of the District of | Capital | March 1, 1906 | 109,752 | 108,265 | 1.4 | 103.78 | 1,057.6 |
Sechelt | Sechelt, District of | Sunshine Coast | February 15, 1956 | 9,291 | 8,454 | 9.9 | 39.01 | 238.2 |
Sicamous | Sicamous, District of | Columbia Shuswap | December 4, 1989 | 2,441 | 2,676 | −8.8 | 12.71 | 192.0 |
Sooke | Sooke, District of | Capital | December 7, 1999 | 11,435 | 9,699 | 17.9 | 56.72 | 201.6 |
Spallumcheen | Spallumcheen, The Corporation of the Township of | North Okanagan | July 21, 1892 | 5,055 | 4,960 | 1.9 | 255.77 | 19.8 |
Sparwood | Sparwood, District of | East Kootenay | October 6, 1964 | 3,667 | 3,618 | 1.4 | 191.01 | 19.2 |
Squamish | Squamish, District of | Squamish-Lillooet | May 18, 1948 | 17,158 | 14,949 | 14.8 | 104.88 | 163.6 |
Stewart | Stewart, District of | Kitimat-Stikine | May 16, 1930 | 494 | 496 | −0.4 | 552.08 | 0.9 |
Summerland | Summerland, The Corporation of the District of | Okanagan-Similkameen | December 21, 1906 | 11,280 | 10,828 | 4.2 | 74.06 | 152.3 |
Taylor | Taylor, District of | Peace River | August 23, 1958 | 1,373 | 1,384 | −0.8 | 17.09 | 80.4 |
Tofino | Tofino, District of | Alberni-Clayoquot | February 5, 1932 | 1,876 | 1,655 | 13.4 | 10.53 | 178.2 |
Tumbler Ridge[a] | Tumbler Ridge, District of | Peace River | April 9, 1981 | 2,710 | 2,454 | 10.4 | 1,558.97 | 1.7 |
Ucluelet | Ucluelet, District of | Alberni-Clayoquot | February 26, 1952 | 1,627 | 1,487 | 9.4 | 6.81 | 238.9 |
Vanderhoof | Vanderhoof, District of | Bulkley-Nechako | January 22, 1926 | 4,480 | 4,064 | 10.2 | 54.83 | 81.7 |
Wells[b] | Wells, District of | Cariboo | June 29, 1998 | 245 | 236 | 3.8 | 158.28 | 1.5 |
West Vancouver | West Vancouver, The Corporation of the District of | Greater Vancouver | March 15, 1912 | 42,694 | 42,131 | 1.3 | 87.26 | 489.3 |
Total district municipalities |
— | — | — | 777,017 | 743,030 | 4.6 | 92,425.88 | 8.4 |
Notes:
- ^ Incorporated in 1981, Tumbler Ridge was developed as a company town by Denison Mines, Teck Corporation and the Japanese Steel Industry in cooperation with the Government of British Columbia.[7]
- ^ Wells was founded as a company town for the Cariboo Gold Quartz Mine.[8]
Former district municipalities
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See also
References
- ^ "Local Government Act: Part 2 — Incorporation of Municipalities". Government of British Columbia Queen's Printer. November 12, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e "British Columbia Regional Districts, Municipalities, Corporate Name, Date of Incorporation and Postal Address" (XLS). British Columbia Ministry of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Order of the Lieutenant Governor in Council (Order in Council No. 033)" (PDF). Province of British Columbia. January 29, 2009. p. 3. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
The class of the municipality is a district municipality.
- ^ "Order in Council No. 357". Province of British Columbia. June 26, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2011 and 2006 censuses (British Columbia)". Statistics Canada. May 28, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
- ^ a b "Corrections and updates: Population and dwelling count amendments, 2011 Census". Statistics Canada. March 21, 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
- ^ "History, in a nutshell". District of Tumbler Ridge. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
- ^ "Wells". District of Wells. Archived from the original on June 20, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2013.