The major
Trial Island is home to the Trial Islands Lighthouse which is operated by the
Canadian Coast Guard
The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG; french: links=no, Garde côtière canadienne, GCC) is the coast guard of Canada. Formed in 1962, the coast guard is tasked with marine search and rescue (SAR), communication, navigation, and transportation issues in ...
, and continues to be staffed by two full-time lightkeepers.
The current lighthouse was erected in 1970 to replace the original lighthouse that was constructed in 1906. The fourth order
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens developed by the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788–1827) for use in lighthouses. It has been called "the invention that saved a million ships."
The design allows the c ...
from 1906 was used until it was replaced in 1970. That original lens is now on display courtesy of the
Maritime Museum of British Columbia
The Maritime Museum of British Columbia (MMBC) is a museum in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, that engages people with the maritime culture and history of the Pacific Northwest through rotating exhibits, educational and community-based program ...
in Bastion Square in
Downtown Victoria
Downtown Victoria is a neighbourhood of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada that serves as the city centre and the central business district for the City of Victoria, and the Greater Victoria regions.
Characteristics
The downtown area is an e ...
.
Staffing
In September 2009 it was announced that the Trial Island Lighthouse would be automated to cut staffing costs.
However, in 2012, the Minister for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Keith Ashfield, said in response to the Senate study
Seeing the Light: Report on Staffed Lighthouses in Newfoundland and Labrador and British Columbia' that lighthouses currently staffed would remain so, and that the government had no plans to further study lighthouse staffing.
Heritage designation
The Oak Bay Heritage Foundation proposed Trial Island Lighthouse for protection through the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act. Community support including stories and comments are gathered through the Friends of Trial Island Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/trialislandlighthouse Trial Island Lighthouse is Victoria's landmark lighthouse. In 2015, thanks to the work of the Oak Bay Heritage Foundation and strong public support, it was announced that Trial Island Lighthouse had been granted
heritage status Parks Canada
Parks Canada (PC; french: Parcs Canada),Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 48 National Parks, th ...
cites as character-defining elements of the Trial Islands Lighthouse its prominent location in the
Strait of Juan de Fuca
The Strait of Juan de Fuca (officially named Juan de Fuca Strait in Canada) is a body of water about long that is the Salish Sea's outlet to the Pacific Ocean. The international boundary between Canada and the United States runs down the centre ...
, its structural form, and its balanced proportions.
See also
*
List of lighthouses in British Columbia
This is a list of lighthouses in the province of British Columbia, Canada.
Lighthouses
See also
*List of lighthouses in Canada
References
External links
*
List of Lights, Buoys and Fog Signals''Canadian Coast Guard''. Retrieved 19 March ...
*
List of lighthouses in Canada
This is a list of lighthouses in Canada. These may naturally be divided into lighthouses on the Pacific coast, on the Arctic Ocean, in the Hudson Bay watershed, on the Labrador Sea and Gulf of St. Lawrence, in the St. Lawrence River watershed ( ...
References
External links
Aids to NavigationCanadian Coast Guard
Lighthouses completed in 1906
Lighthouses in British Columbia
Transport in the Capital Regional District
Heritage sites in British Columbia
Lighthouses on the Canadian Register of Historic Places
1906 establishments in British Columbia
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