The District of North Saanich is located on the Saanich Peninsula 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 ...

, approximately north of Victoria on southern

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 ...

. It is one of the 13 Greater Victoria municipalities. The district is surrounded on three sides by of ocean shoreline, and consists of rural/residential areas and a large agricultural base. It is home to the Victoria International Airport and the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal.

History

In July 1905, North Saanich, then including the townsite of Sidney, was incorporated with the original Municipal Hall located in Sidney. Lacking population and a firm tax base, the municipality was dissolved in 1911. In 1940, the site of the present Victoria International Airport was selected as a military forces base and the area boomed with the influx of 10,000 military personnel, leading to incorporation for the Village of Sidney in 1952. Four years later, the residents of the North Saanich unorganized area, numbering 2,865, requested that letters patent be issued to form the "North Saanich Fire Prevention District" with power to own property, to tax and to borrow. In 1965, after a favourable public vote, the letters patent were withdrawn and the North Saanich Municipal District was established with offices at the present location on Mills Road.

Geography

Climate

North Saanich has a warm-summer

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 ...

(Köppen ''Csb'') with short, warm, and dry summers and long, cool, and wet winters.

Demographics

In the

2021 Canadian census The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canada, Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, whic ...

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 ...

, North Saanich had a population of 12,235 living in 5,010 of its 5,235 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 11,249. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Ethnicity

Religion

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in North Saanich included: *

Irreligion Irreligion is the absence or rejection of religious beliefs or practices. It encompasses a wide range of viewpoints drawn from various philosophical and intellectual perspectives, including atheism, agnosticism, religious skepticism, ...

(6,910 persons or 56.7%) *

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 ...

(4,905 persons or 40.2%) *

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 ...

(150 persons or 1.2%) *

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 ...

(100 persons or 0.8%) *

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 ...

(20 persons or 0.2%) *Other (110 persons or 0.9%)

Government

The 2022 – 2026 council is: * Mayor: Peter Jones * Councilors: ** Jack McClintock ** Sanjiv Shrivastava ** Celia Stock ** Irene McConkey ** Phil DiBattista ** Kristine Marshall (elected in a 2023 by-election) The next election is scheduled for October 17, 2026, following provincial law. All municipalities in British Columbia will also hold elections on this date (the third Saturday of October every 4 years). Voters will vote for councilors, school board trustees and the mayor on the same ballot.

Attractions

* North Saanich Farm Market * British Columbia Aviation Museum * Institute of Ocean Sciences * North Saanich Freeride Park * 443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron (Canadian Forces) * Panorama Recreation CentrePanorama Recreation
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Notable people

* Muriel Wylie Blanchet, travel writer (1891–1961) best known for '' The Curve of Time'', lived on Curteis Point in North Saanich.

Notes

References

External links

* {{authority control District municipalities in British Columbia Populated places in the Capital Regional District Greater Victoria Saanich Peninsula