British Columbia (BC), Canada Information

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British Columbia

British Columbia, often also referred to as B.C. or BC (French: Colombie-Britannique, C.-B.), is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu ("Splendour without diminishment"). It was the sixth province to join Confederation (in 1871). As of 1 January 2006, its population is estimated at 4,279,462 by StatsCan. Residents are referred to as British Columbians.

Geography

British Columbia is bordered by the Pacific Coast on its west, by the American state of Alaska on its Northwest, and to the north by the Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories, on the east by the province of Alberta, and on the south by the states of Washington, Idaho, and Montana. The current southern border of British Columbia was established by the 1846 Oregon Treaty, although its history is tied up with lands as far south as the Columbia River.

British Columbia's capital is Victoria, located at the southeastern tip of Vancouver Island. BC's most populous city is Vancouver, located in southwest corner of the BC mainland called the Lower Mainland. Other major cities include Surrey, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Richmond, Delta, and New Westminster in the Lower Mainland; Abbotsford and Langley in the Fraser Valley; Nanaimo on Vancouver Island; and Kelowna and Kamloops in the Interior. Prince George is the major city nearest the centre of the province; however, a small town called Vanderhoof, 100 km to the west, is much nearer to the geographic centre.

Mount Robson, Canadian Rockies, B.C.

The Canadian Rockies and the Inside Passage's many inlets provide some of British Columbia's renowned and spectacular scenery, which forms the backdrop and context for a growing outdoor adventure and ecotourism industry. The Okanagan area is one of only three wine-growing regions in Canada and also produces excellent ciders, but exports little of either beverage. The small rural towns of Penticton, Oliver, and Osoyoos have some of the warmest and longest summer climates in Canada.

Much of Vancouver Island is covered by temperate rain forest, one of a mere handful of such ecosystems in the world (notable others being on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington and in Chile and Tasmania). The province's mainland outside of the lower mainland has snowy, cold winters, especially in the north. The coast and Vancouver Island are temperate in many places, where the climate is moderated by the Pacific Ocean. In the interior, summer temperatures can be quite warm, even notably hot and there are large semi-arid areas and a few localities classifiable as pocket deserts, including the towns of Osoyoos and Lillooet. There is more than one spot in British Columbia that has recorded peak summer temperatures of 43.3 °C (110 °F) and an ongoing rivalry exists between the Fraser Canyon towns of Lytton and Lillooet for the title of "Canada's Hot Spot".

Demographics

• White - 71.28%
• Asian - 14.33%
• Indian - 5.65%
• Black - 1.11%
• Hispanic - 0.83%
• Arab - 1.05%
• Aboriginal - 5.75%

Politics

BC has a 79-member elected Legislative Assembly, elected by the plurality voting system. The head of state is the Lieutenant-Governor, who is appointed by the federal cabinet. The head of government is the Premier, usually the leader of the largest party in the Legislature.

The Legislative Buildings, Victoria, BC

Currently, the province is governed by the British Columbia Liberal Party under Gordon Campbell. The provincial Liberal Party is unrelated to the federal Liberal Party and does not share its ideology. The BC Liberal party is made up of the remnants of the Social Credit Party (which ruled BC for 40 years), many federal Liberals, federal Conservatives, and those who would otherwise support right-of-centre or 'free enterprise' parties.

The main opposition party is the social democratic New Democratic Party.

Economy

British Columbia has a resource dominated economy. While employment in the resource sector has fallen steadily, unemployment is currently at a 30-year low of 4.5%. New jobs are mostly in the construction and retail/service sectors.

Transportation

Highways

Due to its sheer size and rugged, varying geography, British Columbia requires thousands of miles of provincial highways to connects its communities together. There is no extensive freeway system in the province - only a number of highways in the southwestern portion of the province have large freeway segments. Those highways are Highways 1, 17, and 19 on Vancouver island, 1, 7, 17, 91, and 99 in the Vancouver area, and 1, 3, 5, 97, and 97C in the Coquihalla, Thompson, and Okanagan valleys. East of Kamloops, there are very few freeway segments. Much of the province is still easily accessible by well-maintained two-or-four lane arterial highways.

Major east-west routes in the province are as follows:

* The Trans Canada Highway (Highway 1), which runs from Victoria to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, and then from Horseshoe Bay, through the Vancouver area, Abbotsford, Hope, Kamloops, Salmon Arm, and Revelstoke to Kicking Horse Pass on the BC/Alberta border. This is the major east-west route in the province, and varies from eight-lane freeway to two-lane highway.

* The Crowsnest Highway (Highway 3), which runs from Hope, then through Osoyoos, Trail, and Cranbrook, right to Crowsnest Pass on the BC/Alberta border. This is a southern alternate route to the Trans Canada, and runs very close to the American border.

* The Yellowhead Highway (Highway 16), which starts on the Queen Charlotte Islands; after a ferry ride to the mainland, it runs from Prince Rupert, through Smithers and Prince George, and then meets the Alberta border at Yellowhead Pass.

* The Lougheed Highway (Highway 7), is a major alternate route that runs from Vancouver to Hope, through the Fraser Valley.

* The Okanagan Connector (Highway 97C), is the major route that connects the coastal regions of British Columbia (notably Vancouver) to the Okanagan Valley. The freeway portion of the route starts in Merritt and ends in Peachland, just south of Kelowna.

Major north-south routes in the province are:

* The Island Highway (Highway 19), which is an extension of Highway 1 on Vancouver Island; it runs from Nanaimo and provides access to all points northbound on Vancouver Island, including Parksville, Courtenay, Comox, and Port Hardy.

* The Patricia Bay Highway (Highway 17), which starts in Victoria and heads northbound as a freeway through Saanich to the Swartz Bay ferry terminal; after a crossing to Tsawwassen, it continues as a freeway to Highway 99. This route is the main land route between the major cities of Vancouver and Victoria.

* The Sea to Sky Highway (Highway 99); the highway starts as an extension of Interstate 5 at the US border in Surrey, and is a freeway until entering the city of Vancouver. After Vancouver, the highway is a two-to-four lane highway that accesses Squamish and Whistler, before meeting with Highway 97 north of Cache Creek.

* The Coquihalla Highway/Yellowhead Highway South (Highway 5), which is a freeway that bypasses the slower Fraser Canyon portion of the Trans Canada Highway, connecting the cities of Hope, Merritt, and Kamloops. The segment between Hope and Merritt is a toll highway. North of Kamloops, the route is only known as the Yellowhead Highway south, and meets up with the main route of the Yellowhead Highway near the Alberta border.

* Highway 97, the longest highway in the province. The highway starts at the American border near Osoyoos. The highway, here known as the Okanagan Highway, passes through the major Okanagan Valley cities of Penticton, Kelowna, and Vernon, before ending in Kamloops. From Kamloops, it is known as the Cariboo Highway, and passes through Cache Creek, Williams Lake, Quesnel, and ends in Prince George. North from there, it is known as the John Hart Highway, and ends in Dawson Creek. From there, the highway then is known as the famed Alaska Highway, and travels northwest through the province until it reaches the Yukon border.

Parks and protected areas

There are 14 designations of parks and protected areas in the province that reflects the different administration and creation of these areas in a modern context. There are 141 ecological Reserves, 35 provincial marine parks, 7 Provincial Heritage Sites, 6 National Historic Sites, 4 National Parks and 3 National Park Reserves. 12.5% (114,000 km²) of BC is currently considered 'protected' under one of the 14 different designations that includes over 800 distinct areas.

British Columbia contains seven of Canada's national parks:

* Glacier National Park
* Gulf Islands National Park Reserve
* Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site
* Kootenay National Park
* Mount Revelstoke National Park
* Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
* Yoho National Park

BC also contains a large network of provincial parks, run by BC Parks of the Ministry of Environment. BC's provicial parks system is the second largest parks system in Canada (the largest is Canadian National Parks system).

In addition to these areas, over 4.7 million hectares of arable land are protected by the Agricultural Land Reserve.

Recreation

Given its varied mountainous terrain and its coasts, lakes, rivers, and forests, British Columbia has long been enjoyed for pursuits like hiking and camping, rock climbing and mountaineering, hunting and fishing.

Whistler-Blackcomb

Much of the province is wild or semi-wild, so that populations of very many mammalian species that have become rare in much of the United States still flourish in B.C. Watching animals of various sorts, including a very wide range of birds, has also long been popular. Bears (grizzly, black), and the Kermode bear or spirit bear--only found in British Columbia, live here, as do deer, elk, moose, caribou, big-horn sheep, mountain goats, beavers, muskrat, coyotes, wolves, mustelids (such as wolverines and fishers) mountain lions, eagles, ospreys, herons, Canada geese, swans, loons, hawks, owls, ravens, and many sorts of ducks. Smaller birds (robins, jays, grosbeaks, chickadees, etc.) also abound.

Healthy populations of many sorts of fish are found in the waters (including salmonids such as several species of salmon, trout, char, etc.). Besides salmon and trout, sport-fishers in B.C. also catch halibut, steelhead, bass, and sturgeon.

Water sports, both motorized and non-motorized, are enjoyed in many places. Sea kayaking opportunities abound on the B.C. coast with its fjords. Whitewater rafting and kayaking are popular on many inland rivers. Sailing and sailboarding are widely enjoyed.

In winter, cross-country and telemark skiing are much enjoyed, and in recent decades high-quality downhill skiing has been developed in the Coast Mountain range and the Rockies, as well as in the southern areas of the Shuswap Highlands and the Columbia Mountains. Snowboarding has mushroomed in popularity since the early 1990s. The 2010 Winter Olympics downhill events will be held in Whistler-Blackcomb area of the province, while the indoor events will be in the Vancouver area.

In Vancouver and Victoria (as well as some other cities), opportunities for joggers and bicyclists have been developed. Cross-country bike touring has been popular since the ten-speed bike became available many years ago. Since the advent of more robust mountain bikes, trails in more rugged and wild places have been developed for them. Some of the province's retired rail beds have been converted and maintained for hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing.

Horseback riding is enjoyed by many British Columbians. Opportunities for trail riding, often into especially scenic areas, have been established for tourists in numerous areas of the province.

Of course, British Columbians have not failed to enjoy all the traditional sports, like golf, tennis, soccer, hockey, rugby, softball, basketball, curling, figure skating, and so on. B.C. has produced many outstanding athletes, especially in aquatic and winter sports. Also, today programs of training and toning systems like aerobics and hatha yoga are widespread. Most communities of several thousand people or more have developed facilities for these (as, in some cases, have communities of even a few hundred).

Consistent with both increased tourism and increased participation in diverse recreations by British Columbians themselves has been the proliferation of lodges, chalets, bed and breakfasts, motels, hotels, fishing camps, and park-camping facilities in recent decades.

In certain areas, there are businesses, non-profit societies, or municipal governments dedicated to promoting ecotourism in their region.

Famous British Columbians

• Bryan Adams, musician
• Pamela Anderson, actress
• Gil Bellows, actor
• Earle Birney, poet
• Michael Bublé, singer
• Raymond Burr, actor
• Kim Campbell, former Prime Minister
• Yvonne de Carlo, actress
• Kim Cattrall, actress
• Hayden Christensen, actor
• James Doohan, actor
• Peter Dyakowski, athlete
• Edward Dmytryk, film director
• Atom Egoyan, screenwriter/director
• Arthur Erickson, architect
• Judith Forst, opera singer (contralto)
• David Foster, musician
• Dan George, native leader and actor
• Matthew Good, musician
• Michael J. Fox, actor and Parkinson's activist
• Terry Fox, athlete
• Don Francks, actor
• Nelly Furtado, singer/songwriter
• Nancy Greene-Raine, Olympic medalist (skiing)
• Rick Hansen, former Paralympian and disability activist
• Doug Hepburn, Empire Games medalist and founder of the sport of powerlifting
• Ben Heppner, opera singer (tenor)
• Joshua Jackson, actor
• Paul Kariya, hockey player
• Joe Keithley, punk singer/songwriter
• Gene Kiniski, professional wrestler
• Diana Krall, musician
• Kristin Kreuk, actress
• Evelyn Lau, author
• Silken Laumann, Olympic medalist (rower)
• Malcolm Lowry, novelist
• Sarah McLachlan, musician
• Leon Mandrake, magician ("Mandrake the Magician")
• Greg Moore, race car driver
• Carrie-Anne Moss, actress
• Steve Nash, NBA MVP
• Cam Neely, hockey player
• Scott Niedermayer, hockey player
• Rob Niedermayer, Scott's brother
• Jim Pattison, businessperson and Fortune 500 member
• Tony Pep, boxer/boxing coach-promoter
• Al Purdy, poet
• Jason Priestley, actor
• Ryan Reynolds, actor
• Joe Sakic, hockey player
• Jack Shadbolt, painter/sculptor
• Michael Shanks, actor
• Dorothy Stratten, actress/model
• David Suzuki, environmental advocate
• Devin Townsend, musician
• Margaret Trudeau, ex-wife of Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau
• Larry Walker, baseball player
• George Woodcock, author
• Steve Yzerman, hockey player

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