Sooke () is a district municipality on the southern tip of

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...

, Canada, by road from Victoria, the capital of

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. Sooke, the westernmost of Greater Victoria's Western Communities, is to the north and west of the Sooke Basin. It is a regional centre for residents in neighbouring communities, including Otter Point, Shirley and

Jordan River The Jordan River or River Jordan (, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn''; , ''Nəhar hayYardēn''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Sharieat'' (), is a endorheic river in the Levant that flows roughly north to south through the Sea of Galilee and drains to the Dead ...

Geography

Climate

Sooke has a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

, with warm summers and mild winters, defined by the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

as ''Csb''. Although its precipitation is more like dry summer climates, its temperatures resemble

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

s as found in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, for example.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Sooke had a population of 15,086 living in 6,129 of its 6,431 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 13,001. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Ethnicity

Religion

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Sooke included: * No religion or secular perspectives: 9,825 persons *

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

: 4,755 persons *

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

: 70 persons *

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

: 504 persons *

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

: 10 persons *

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

: 50 persons * Indigenous Spirituality: 20 persons *

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

: 10 persons *

Sikhism Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...

: 10 persons

Governance

The District of Sooke was incorporated as a municipality on December 7, 1999. It is one of 13 municipalities within the Capital Regional District and is located in the traditional territories of the T'Sou-ke and Scia'new First Nations.

Municipal

Sooke is governed by a mayor and six councillors, who are elected every four years. The current council was elected on October 15, 2022. *Mayor: Maja Tait *Councilor: ** Jeff Bateman ** Al Beddows ** Megan McMath ** Kevin Pearson ** Tony St-Pierre Dana Lajeunesse, who had served on council since replacing the late Brenda Parkinson following a September, 2019 by-election, was elected to the

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia () is the deliberative assembly of the Legislature of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The other component of the Legislature is the lieutenant governor of British Columbi ...

in the 2024 British Columbia general election. His successor on Sooke council will be determined following a by-election in 2025.

Federal

Federally the District is in the riding of Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke, represented by Stephanie McLean (Liberal) since April 28, 2025.

Provincial

Sooke was part of the riding of Langford-Juan de Fuca, represented by the BC NDP's Ravi Parmar. He succeeded John Horgan, the former Premier of British Columbia (2017–2022) who first won the seat in 2009 and retired from politics for health reasons in 2023. In April 2023, the BC Electoral Boundaries Commission created the new riding of Juan de Fuca-Malahat. It encompasses 44,980 people in Sooke, Port Renfrew, Jordan River, Otter Point, East Sooke, Metchosin, Malahat, Mill Bay and Shawnigan Lake. Its first elected representative, Dana Lajeunesse, won election in a tight race in October, 2024 following a recount.

Tourism and recreation

Well-known destinations in Sooke include Whiffin Spit Park, the Sooke Potholes Regional Park and adjacent Sooke Potholes Provincial Park. Sooke is home to the Sooke Region Museum. The area is the base for visiting the wilderness parks of

's southwest coast — the West Coast Trail and the Juan de Fuca Provincial Park, which includes the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail. Beaches near Sooke include Sandcut, French Beach, Fishboat Bay, China Beach, and Mystic Beach. The Galloping Goose Regional Trail, part of the Trans-Canada Trail, runs through Sooke as far as Leechtown, the former site of a gold-rush town circa 1865. Once a rail line, the Goose is now a popular pedestrian and cycling route connecting Sooke to Victoria.

Arts and culture

The Sooke Fall Fair was first held in 1913 and continues on Labour Day weekends annually at the Sooke Community Hall.

Real estate

In April 2022, an average single-family home in Sooke costs $887,500 based on the home price index, drawing from data from the Victoria Real Estate Board (VREB). By June 2022, that number (directly from VREB) increased to $938,000. The average home value as of July 1, 2022 as determined by BC Assessment wa
$831,000

Education

Sooke is a part of the School District 62 Sooke. There is one high school, Edward Milne Community School, and one junior high school, Journey Middle School. The four elementary schools in the area are John Muir (in the town's west end), Sooke Elementary (town centre), the French immersion Ecole Poirier (town centre), and Saseenos Elementary (east end). In 2018, SD62 announced it had purchased land to build the future Sunriver Elementary in the Sunriver neighbourhood. Continuing adult education programs are offered by th
Edward Milne Community School (EMCS) Society
which also operates with day, evening and weekend programs. The closest post-secondary institutions are Royal Roads University and Camosun College's Interurban campus. The non-profi
Sooke Region Lifelong Learning
offers a diverse set of educational programs and workshops both virtually and at the Sooke library.

Notable residents

* Canadian poet, novelist and playwright Marilyn Bowering lives in the Sooke region.
Rebecca Collard
journalist and broadcaster (CBC, BBC, ''New York Times, TIME, Rolling Stone''), was raised in Sooke.
Adam Dobres
guitarist, songwriter and touring member of The Wailin' Jennies and the Ruth Moody band, was born and raised in Sooke.
Phoebe Dunbar
2012 recipient of the Governor General of Canada Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers.
Sara Fowler
2015 recipient of the Governor General of Canada's Caring Canadian Award.
Kingsley Jones
head coach of the Canadian men's national rugby team. * Darrel J. McLeod, Governor General's Award-winning author, lives in the Sooke region.
Wendy Morton
poet and 2017 recipient of the Order of British Columbia, lives in the Sooke region. * Bryce Soderberg, bassist and vocalist for American rock band Lifehouse.
Nicola Temple
co-author of
Sorting the Beef from the Bull: The Science of Food Fraud Forensics
', spent her teenage and young adult years in Sooke. * J. Lee Thompson (1914–2002), British film producer and director ('' Cape Fear'', '' The Guns of Navarone'') * Kevin Wenstob, Canadian logger and subject of the reality TV series '' Big Timber''.

Notes

References

External links

* * {{authority control Populated places on the British Columbia Coast District municipalities in British Columbia Populated places in the Capital Regional District Greater Victoria Juan de Fuca region