Capital Regional District

Capital
Capital Regional District
Official seal of Capital
Nickname: 
CRD
Motto: 
Making a difference...together
Major communities
Location in British Columbia
Location in British Columbia
CountryCanada
ProvinceBritish Columbia
Incorporated1966
Administrative office locationVictoria
Government
 • BodyBoard of directors
 • ChairColin Plant (Saanich)
 • Vice chairMaja Tait (Sooke)
 • Electoral areas
  • Juan de Fuca
  • Salt Spring Island
  • Southern Gulf Islands
Area
 • Total2,340.49 km2 (903.67 sq mi)
Population
(2021)
 • Total415,451
 • Density177.7/km2 (460/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-8 (PST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
Area code250 / 778 / 236
Websitewww.crd.bc.ca Edit this at Wikidata

The Capital Regional District (CRD) is a local government administrative district encompassing the southern tip of Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The CRD is one of several regional districts in British Columbia and had an official population of 415,451 as of the Canada 2021 Census.

The CRD encompasses the thirteen municipalities of Greater Victoria and three unincorporated areas: Juan de Fuca Electoral Area on Vancouver Island, Salt Spring Island Electoral Area, and Southern Gulf Islands Electoral Area. The CRD also acts as the local government for most purposes in the Electoral Areas. CRD headquarters is in the City of Victoria, although there are many office and operational facilities throughout the region. The total land area is 2,341.11 km2 (903.91 sq mi).

The CRD was formed in 1966 as a federation of seven municipalities and five electoral areas to provide coordination of regional issues and local government in rural areas in the Greater Victoria region.

Demographics

As a census division in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Capital Regional District had a population of 415,451 living in 185,206 of its 198,435 total private dwellings, a change of 8.4% from its 2016 population of 383,360. With a land area of 2,338.22 km2 (902.79 sq mi), it had a population density of 177.7/km2 (460.2/sq mi) in 2021.

Ethnicity

Panethnic groups in the Capital Regional District (2001−2021)
Panethnic
group
2021 2016 2011 2006 2001
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
European 320,205 78.85% 304,005 81.53% 297,865 84.85% 294,380 86.57% 284,025 88.56%
East Asian 23,415 5.77% 21,205 5.69% 16,270 4.63% 16,015 4.71% 13,900 4.33%
Indigenous 20,195 4.97% 17,880 4.8% 14,780 4.21% 11,365 3.34% 9,100 2.84%
South Asian 13,825 3.4% 10,280 2.76% 7,620 2.17% 7,300 2.15% 5,805 1.81%
Southeast Asian 12,490 3.08% 8,700 2.33% 6,260 1.78% 4,410 1.3% 3,085 0.96%
African 5,175 1.27% 3,535 0.95% 2,975 0.85% 2,380 0.7% 2,235 0.7%
Latin American 4,015 0.99% 2,675 0.72% 1,885 0.54% 1,890 0.56% 1,190 0.37%
Middle Eastern 3,535 0.87% 2,575 0.69% 1,725 0.49% 1,095 0.32% 690 0.22%
Other 3,225 0.79% 2,010 0.54% 1,675 0.48% 1,230 0.36% 685 0.21%
Total responses 406,080 97.74% 372,875 97.26% 351,060 97.52% 340,055 98.52% 320,710 98.45%
Total population 415,451 100% 383,360 100% 359,991 100% 345,164 100% 325,754 100%
  • Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses.

Political divisions

The CRD comprises the 13 municipalities of Greater Victoria, three electoral areas and 10 Indigenous reserves. The reserves have a relatively small portion of the population with 5,244 participating in the 2016 census. Some reserves did not participate; those that did are included in the population figures of the municipality or electoral area encompassing them, however the CRD regional government and local governments have no jurisdiction over reserves. Saanich and Victoria together have over 50 percent of the region's population.

Division Census Subdivision type Population
(2021)
Population
(2016)
Change
(2016-2021)
Saanich District municipality 117,735 114,148 3.1%
Victoria City 91,867 85,792 7.1%
Langford City 46,584 35,342 31.8%
Oak Bay District municipality 17,990 18,094 -0.6%
Esquimalt Town 17,533 17,655 -0.7%
Colwood City 18,961 16,859 12.5%
Central Saanich District municipality 17,385 16,814 3.4%
Sooke District municipality 15,086 13,001 16.0%
Sidney Town 12,318 11,672 5.5%
North Saanich District municipality 12,235 11,249 8.8%
View Royal Town 11,575 10,408 11.2%
Metchosin District municipality 5,067 4,708 7.6%
Highlands District municipality 2,482 2,225 11.6%
Salt Spring Island Regional district electoral area 11,635 10,557 10.2%
Juan de Fuca Regional district electoral area 5,531 4,860 13.8%
Southern Gulf Islands Regional district electoral area 6,101 4,732 28.9%
Total Capital Regional District 415,451 383,360 8.4%

Electoral Areas

Salt Spring Island Electoral Area

The Salt Spring Island Electoral Area of the Capital Regional District (CRD) of British Columbia consists of unincorporated areas in the CRD located on Salt Spring Island. It is represented by one director on the CRD.

The major localities encompassed by the electoral area are:

According to the Canada 2021 Census:

  • Population: 11,635
  • % Change (2016-2021): 28.9
  • Area (km².): 182.23
  • Density (persons per km².): 63.8

Southern Gulf Islands Electoral Area

Southern Gulf Islands (British Columbia) in the Strait of Georgia

The Southern Gulf Islands Electoral Area of the Capital Regional District (CRD) of British Columbia consists of unincorporated districts in the CRD located on Galiano, Saturna, Mayne, and North and South Pender Islands, as well as many smaller islands located in the Gulf of Georgia north and east of Victoria. It is previously known as the Outer Gulf Islands Electoral Area. Its population of 6,101 is represented by one director on the CRD.

The major localities encompassed by the electoral area are:

Juan de Fuca Electoral Area

The Juan de Fuca Electoral Area is an Electoral Area of the CRD. It consists of the District's unincorporated land on Vancouver Island, including the neighbourhood of Willis Point (Greater Victoria) on the Saanich Inlet, Malahat, on the western shore of Saanich Inlet, and the Western Communities localities of East Sooke, Jordan River, Otter Point, Shirley, Port Renfrew, inclusive of the First Nations reserves of Gordon River 2 and Pacheena 1, which are within its territory. Its population of 5,531 is represented by a single director of the CRD. The total land area is 1,502.24 km² (580.0 sq mi). Population figures do not included residents of Indian Reserves, whether band members or non-indigenous persons.

Administrative role

The board of directors are either directly elected officials or are appointed from within the region's elected municipal councils.

The CRD's responsibilities include recycling, operating the regional landfill, building and operating sewage treatment plants, a sewer source control program, regional water supply, funding for non-profit arts groups, regional planning, funding health facilities, and overseeing thirty regional parks, trails, and regional park reserves encompassing over 100 km². The CRD is the sole shareholder of the Capital Region Housing Corporation, which owns and operates over 1200 rental housing units. In certain areas, the CRD can pass bylaws that are binding on a portion of the geographical area or the entire geographical area. These include a "clean air bylaw" smoking ban in all public places and patios in restaurants/pubs.

The CRD assumes responsibilities ordinarily undertaken by municipalities in unincorporated areas of the CRD. These responsibilities include animal control, building inspection, fire protection, and bylaw enforcement. Some of the region's municipalities avail themselves of some of these services in a contractual arrangement with the CRD.

Capital Regional Hospital District

The CRHD's primary responsibility is to provide the region's share of capital funding for the region's health facilities and equipment. The region's health care delivery is the responsibility of the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA). The CRHD shares the same Board of Directors with the CRD.

See also


This page was last updated at 2024-03-15 04:45 UTC. Update now. View original page.

All our content comes from Wikipedia and under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.


Top

If mathematical, chemical, physical and other formulas are not displayed correctly on this page, please useFirefox or Safari