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Campbell River, British Columbia

Coordinates: 50°1′28″N 125°14′51″W / 50.02444°N 125.24750°W / 50.02444; -125.24750
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Campbell River, British Columbia
Nickname: 
Salmon Capital of the World.
CountryCanada
ProvinceBritish Columbia
RegionMid-Island
Regional DistrictStrathcona Regional District
Founded1855
Incorporated1947
Government
 • MayorWalter Jakeway
 • MPJohn Duncan
 • MLAClaire Trevena
Area
 • City
143.12 km2 (55.26 sq mi)
Elevation
24 m (79 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • City
31,186
 • Density217.9/km2 (564/sq mi)
 • Metro
36,461
 • Metro density20.8/km2 (54/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-8 (PST)
Postal code
V9H, V9W
Area code(s)250, 778
HighwaysHighway 19
Highway 19A
WaterwaysDiscovery Passage, Strait of Georgia
WebsiteOfficial website

Campbell River (Kwak'wala: Wiwek̓a̱m)[1] is a coastal city in British Columbia on the east coast of Vancouver Island at the south end of Discovery Passage, which lies along the important coastal Inside Passage shipping route. Campbell River claims a population (2011 census) of 31,186 and has long been touted as "the Salmon Capital of the World". Campbell River and Region is in close proximity to the neighboring communities of Quadra and the Discovery Islands, Sayward, Oyster River, Gold River, Tahsis and Zeballos.

History

The first settlers known in the area were members of the Island Comox and related Coast Salish peoples. During the 18th Century a migration of Kwakwaka'wakw (Kwak'wala-speaking) people of the Wakashan cultural and linguistic group migrated south from the area of Fort Rupert and established themselves in the Campbell River area, at first enslaving and then absorbing the Comox, and became infamous as raiders of the Coast Salish peoples farther south, known to history as the Euclataws, which is also spelled Yucultas and is a variant on their name for themselves, the Laich-kwil-tach, Lekwiltok or Legwildok. Of this group, also known as the Southern Kwakiutl, there are two subdivisions, the Wekayi or Weiwaikai of the Cape Mudge Indian Band on Quadra Island and the Weiwaikum of the Campbell River Band located in and around the city of Campbell River.

Captain George Vancouver reached Campbell River in 1792 aboard the ships HMS Discovery and HMS Chatham. The channel between Quadra Island and Campbell River is named Discovery Passage after HMS Discovery. The captain and his botanist, Mr Archibald Menzies, discovered a small tribe of 350 natives who spoke the Salish language. A Lekwiltok war party, heavily armed with European rifles, paddled south from Johnstone Strait in the middle of the 19th Century and were in control of the area when the HMS Plumper came through on a cartography mission under Captain George Henry Richards around 1859. Dr Samuel Campbell was the ship surgeon, and historians believe his name was given to the river by Richards. The community took the name of "Campbell River" when its post office was constructed in 1907.[2] Likewise, the name of HMS Discovery’s First Lieutenant Zachary Mudge is preserved in the nearby Cape Mudge.

Sports fishermen travelled to the area as early as the 1880s, especially after the tales from noted anglers such as Sir Richard Musgrave and Sir John Rogers. The formation of the Campbell River Tyee Club in 1924, over concern regarding over-fishing of the salmon stocks, actually served to increase the popularity of the area. E.P. Painter, for instance, moved to Campbell River the following year and opened his Painter's Lodge in 1929. Painter's Lodge attracted clientele from Hollywood and regular patrons included Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. Commercial fishing was a large industry for many years. The town's magistrate Roderick Haig-Brown purchased a fishing cabin on Campbell River and wrote a number of books on fly fishing that are influential and well-loved around the world for both sport fishermen and conservationists.

Industrial logging took off in the 1920s with Merrill Ring and Company, Bloedel, Stewart and Welch and Comox Logging. A large forest fire started near Buttle Lake and burned much of the valley in 1938. Rock Bay, Menzies Bay, and Englewood all were big logging camps.

Campbell River prospered after 1912 and it became a supply point for northern Vancouver Island, Quadra Island and Cortes Island. The E and N Railway was surveyed to Campbell River, yet it only reached Courtenay, forty miles south; in its original conception it would have been the last leg of the transcontinental railway, which had been proposed to run down Bute Inlet after cross the British Columbia Interior, connecting to Vancouver Island just north of Campbell River at Seymour Narrows. After the Second World War, Campbell River became a boom town and industrial centre with the building of the Elk River pulp mill, and nearby mills in Tahsis and Gold River. Logging and mining in the area prospered. There is a lead zinc mine nearby, and coal mines, while a large copper mine operated to the north.

A panoramic picture of Campbell River from the Strait of Georgia

Climate

Campbell River enjoys a mild climate, with temperatures usually between -2°C (28°F) and 23°C (73°F) year-round. The most precipitation is measured in November, at 231 millimeters (9 in) on average. While January sees the most average snow, 152 millimeters (6 in), only 10 millimeters (3/8 in) will be seen actually accumulating. In the winter months occasional Arctic bursts from the interior of British Columbia can make their way onto the coast bringing temperatures below zero. If a Pacific low reaches the coast a large snowfall can occur. Snowfalls in excess of 45 centimetres (16 in) have been recorded in a 24-hour period and the greatest snowfall was 53.3 centimetres (1 ft, 9 in) in 1978.

Climate data for Campbell River Airport
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high humidex 13.9 16.1 18.6 28 32.4 35 40.9 40 33.4 27.7 17.9 15.7 40.9
Record high °C (°F) 16.1
(61.0) 		17.5
(63.5) 		20.6
(69.1) 		28.5
(83.3) 		33.2
(91.8) 		36.9
(98.4) 		37.2
(99.0) 		37.8
(100.0) 		31.6
(88.9) 		24.2
(75.6) 		17.8
(64.0) 		15.1
(59.2) 		37.8
(100.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 5.5
(41.9) 		7.2
(45.0) 		9.7
(49.5) 		13.2
(55.8) 		17
(63) 		20.1
(68.2) 		23
(73) 		23.3
(73.9) 		19.8
(67.6) 		13.1
(55.6) 		7.7
(45.9) 		4.9
(40.8) 		13.7
(56.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) 2.4
(36.3) 		3.2
(37.8) 		5.2
(41.4) 		8
(46) 		11.6
(52.9) 		14.7
(58.5) 		17.3
(63.1) 		17.2
(63.0) 		13.7
(56.7) 		8.6
(47.5) 		4.4
(39.9) 		2.1
(35.8) 		9
(48)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −0.8
(30.6) 		−0.7
(30.7) 		0.7
(33.3) 		2.8
(37.0) 		6.2
(43.2) 		9.3
(48.7) 		11.5
(52.7) 		11.1
(52.0) 		7.6
(45.7) 		4
(39) 		1
(34) 		−0.8
(30.6) 		4.3
(39.7)
Record low °C (°F) −23.9
(−11.0) 		−17.8
(0.0) 		−12.8
(9.0) 		−5.6
(21.9) 		−2.2
(28.0) 		−0.6
(30.9) 		2.2
(36.0) 		1.7
(35.1) 		−2.8
(27.0) 		−9.7
(14.5) 		−20.4
(−4.7) 		−18.5
(−1.3) 		−23.9
(−11.0)
Record low wind chill −29.7 −23.4 −15.5 −7.6 −3.9 0 0 0 −4.9 −11.8 −26.1 −24.4 −29.7
Average precipitation mm (inches) 217.5
(8.56) 		149.5
(5.89) 		140
(5.5) 		92.1
(3.63) 		68.4
(2.69) 		62.9
(2.48) 		39.4
(1.55) 		44.6
(1.76) 		55.2
(2.17) 		162.2
(6.39) 		231.9
(9.13) 		225.7
(8.89) 		1,489.3
(58.63)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 194.6
(7.66) 		135.5
(5.33) 		128.4
(5.06) 		91.6
(3.61) 		68.4
(2.69) 		62.9
(2.48) 		39.4
(1.55) 		44.6
(1.76) 		55.2
(2.17) 		161
(6.3) 		222.1
(8.74) 		204.2
(8.04) 		1,407.8
(55.43)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 23.3
(9.2) 		14.4
(5.7) 		11.7
(4.6) 		0.5
(0.2) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		1.2
(0.5) 		10.5
(4.1) 		22.6
(8.9) 		84.3
(33.2)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 20.8 16.4 19.7 17.1 15.5 13.7 9.4 9.3 9.7 18.4 21.6 21.2 192.8
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 18.7 15 18.9 17.1 15.5 13.7 9.4 9.3 9.7 18.4 21 19.3 185.9
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 4.3 3 2.7 0.4 0 0 0 0 0 0.1 1.8 4.1 16.3
Average relative humidity (%) 84.9 75.1 67.8 59.6 57.2 57.6 54.4 55.1 59.1 74 83.3 86.3 67.9
Source: [4]

Demographics

Canada 2006 Census Population % of Total Population
Visible minority group
Source:[5]		 Chinese 180 0.6%
South Asian 85 0.3%
Black 45 0.2%
Filipino 240 0.8%
Latin American 105 0.4%
Southeast Asian 235 0.8%
Arab 10 0%
West Asian 0 0%
Korean 35 0.1%
Japanese 100 0.3%
Other visible minority 25 0.1%
Mixed visible minority 20 0.1%
Total visible minority population 1,100 3.7%
Aboriginal group
Source:[6]		 First Nations 2,540 8.6%
Métis 0 0%
Inuit 0 0%
Total Aboriginal population 2,540 8.6%
White 25,730 87.6%
Total population 29,370 100%

Economy

Campbell River has a variety of growing industries that enhance the oceanside community. As of 2012 the focus of business is directed towards aquaculture, agrifoods, clean energy development, construction, creative industries, forestry, health care, international education, mining, technology and tourism. The existing small businesses including those in succession planning stage as well as new business start-ups have significant potential for growth. Business ownership in Campbell River presents an opportunity to market self-employment to youth, immigrants from other parts of Canada and International locations. Since the Catalyst Mill, one of the largest employers in the area, shut down in 2009 there have been some cases of people moving away to other places with higher demands for a similar labour force, particularly Fort McMurray, AB.

Education

Public schools are administered by School District 72 Campbell River. North Island College has a campus in Campbell River. Campbell River has recently developed a new international program accepting students from Germany, Austria, and various other countries across Europe, South America and Asia. Along with School District 72, there is also a private school. Campbell River Christian School, is located on Dogwood St. and is grades K - 12. Visit http://crcs.bc.ca/ for more information. The public High schools in Campbell River include Timberline Secondary School and Carihi Secondary School.

Politics

In the Canadian House of Commons, Campbell River is represented by the riding of Vancouver Island North (John Duncan, Conservative). In the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Campbell River is represented by the North Island (Claire Trevena, NDP) riding.

The mayor of Campbell River is Walter Jakeway.

Transportation

The City is served by Campbell River Airport (YBL), a seaplane base called YHH at Campbell River Harbour, a BC Ferries route to Quadra Island, and an inland island highway and an oceanside island highway which connect the community to the rest of Vancouver Island. Campbell River Transit System provides bus service to the city and neighbouring communities. Operated by Watson and Ash Transportation, the transit system is funded under a partnership between the City of Campbell River and BC Transit, the provincial agency which plans and manages municipal transit systems.

Movies filmed in Campbell River

Notable residents

Media

References

  1. ^ "FirstVoices: Kwak̓wala. Nature / Environment - place names: words". Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  2. ^ Artibise, Alan F.J: Canadian Encyclopedia.
  3. ^ Weatheroffice.gc.ca - Climate statistics
  4. ^ "Calculation Information for 1981 to 2010 Canadian Normals Data". Environment Canada. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  5. ^ "Community Profiles from the 2006 Census, Statistics Canada - Census Subdivision". 2.statcan.gc.ca. 6 December 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  6. ^ "Aboriginal Peoples - Data table". 2.statcan.ca. 6 October 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Campbell River, British Columbia.

50°1′28″N 125°14′51″W / 50.02444°N 125.24750°W / 50.02444; -125.24750

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