Sechelt (Redirected from Sechelt, British Columbia)

Sechelt
District of Sechelt
Downtown Sechelt in 2011
Downtown Sechelt in 2011
Motto(s): 
Blessed by Sun and Seas
Sechelt is located in British Columbia
Sechelt
Sechelt
Location of Sechelt in British Columbia
Coordinates: 49°28′27″N 123°45′15″W / 49.47417°N 123.75417°W / 49.47417; -123.75417
CountryCanada
ProvinceBritish Columbia
RegionSunshine Coast
Regional DistrictSunshine Coast RD
Founded1862 (Roman Catholic mission)
Incorporated (Village)Feb. 15, 1956
District MunicipalityJune 30, 1986
Government
 • MayorJohn Henderson
 • Governing bodySechelt Municipal Council
 • MLAsNicholas Simons, NDP
Area
 • Total39.71 km2 (15.33 sq mi)
Elevation8 m (26 ft)
Population
(2021)
 • Total10,847
 • Density212.9/km2 (551/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-8 (PST)
Postal code span
V7Z and V0N 3A0
Area code+1-604
Websitewww.sechelt.ca Edit this at Wikidata

Sechelt (/ˈsiːʃɛlt/, shíshálh Language: ch'atlich) is a district municipality located on the lower Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. Approximately 50 km northwest of Vancouver, it is accessible from mainland British Columbia by a 40-minute ferry trip between Horseshoe Bay and Langdale, and a 25-minute drive from Langdale along Highway 101, also known as the Sunshine Coast Highway. The name Sechelt is derived from the she shashishalhem word shíshálh, the name of the First Nations people who first settled the area thousands of years ago.

The original Village of Sechelt was incorporated on February 15, 1956. Sechelt later expanded its boundaries in 1986 with the inclusion of a number of adjacent unincorporated areas. The District of Sechelt, as it is known today, encompasses some 39.71 km² (15.33 sq mi) at the isthmus of the Sechelt Peninsula, between the southern tip of Sechelt Inlet (Porpoise Bay) and the Strait of Georgia that separates the provincial mainland from Vancouver Island.

Sechelt is a seaside community with approx. 35 kilometers of Pacific Ocean shoreline that extends primarily along the coastline of the Sunshine Coast, and is bounded to the west and east by the unincorporated communities of Halfmoon Bay and Roberts Creek, respectively. The 2016 Canadian census placed its population at 10,200. The regional offices of the Sunshine Coast Regional District of British Columbia are located in Sechelt.

Although its population is relatively small for its geographical area, Sechelt has several distinct neighbourhoods. From east to west, they are ts'uḵw'um (Wilson Creek), Davis Bay, Selma Park, the original Village of Sechelt, and West Sechelt. Several neighbourhoods around Sechelt Inlet were also included in Sechelt's 1986 incorporation as a district; these include West Porpoise Bay, East Porpoise Bay, Sandy Hook, Tillicum Bay and Tuwanek. The shíshálh Nation Government District, which contains a substantial commercial district, is immediately east of Sechelt's "downtown" village.

History

The original inhabitants of Sechelt are the shíshálh Nation, a British Columbian First Nation. The town of Sechelt is known as "ch'atlich" in she shashishalhem (the shíshálh language). For thousands of years, the shíshálh People practiced a hunting and gathering subsistence strategy, making extensive use of the natural food resources located around ch'atlich, and its strategic location for access into the Sechelt Inlet.

Europeans began settling in the ch'atlich area in the 1860s and by the 1880s, developing an active centre of the logging and fishing industries with the construction of sawmills and wharves. With sustained contact with European settlers, the shíshálh People's semi-nomadic way of life began to be substituted for a more sedentary life in Sechelt, a change heavily influenced by the establishment of a Roman Catholic church by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Our Lady of the Rosary was completed in 1890 and cost the Sechelt people a sum of $8,000 to construct. In 1906, this church was destroyed in a fire, and a year later another church was erected in its place called Our Lady of Lourdes but this too was also destroyed by fire in October, 1970.

The natural beauty of the Sunshine Coast soon attracted tourists, who arrived at the wharves at Trail Bay via steamship. The construction of the original provincial highway in 1952, Highway 101, now also known as Sunshine Coast Highway, and the accompanying commencement of ferry service to Horseshoe Bay (near Vancouver) and Powell River (hence to Vancouver Island) accelerated tourism and residential growth, which continues today.

In 2019, the Seawatch subdivision was evacuated due to a risk of sinkholes. The subdivision was built in 2006 and covenants were placed on the land to release Sechelt from claims relating to the land, including sinkholes. Since the evacuation, multiple lawsuits have been filed between the 14 homeowners, Sechelt, the province of British Columbia, and the property developer over issues including an unnecessarily long state of emergency (awards granted to 2 residents), Sechelt's claim that residents have an obligation to repair infrastructure and pay legal fees (ongoing), Sechelt's withholding of documents (set of documents released to resident), covenants on the properties (deemed valid), and Sechelt's approval of the subdivision (negligence not found).

Geography

Sechelt is a municipality on the Sunshine Coast, west northwest of Vancouver BC. Sechelt is located on an isthmus, a narrow strip of land that bridges between the Sechelt Peninsula and the BC mainland. This isthmus is bounded on the north by the Sechelt Inlet, and on the south by the Strait of Georgia.

The municipality consists of 4 non-contiguous areas, all separated by the shíshálh Nation Government District.

Climate

Sechelt's climate is Cfb (Temperate Oceanic) according to the Köppen climate classification, and is designated as USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 9a (8b inland) by Environment Canada. It has the warmest nights in Canada.

Climate data for Merry Island Lightstation (1981-2010 normals, extremes 1960-present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high humidex 15.3 13.3 14.9 19.4 33.3 46.0 38.0 37.0 35.0 22.1 16.3 12.2 46.0
Record high °C (°F) 14.5
(58.1)
14.3
(57.7)
17.5
(63.5)
21.0
(69.8)
28.4
(83.1)
40.8
(105.4)
35.3
(95.5)
35.4
(95.7)
33.0
(91.4)
21.1
(70.0)
15.6
(60.1)
14.0
(57.2)
40.8
(105.4)
Average high °C (°F) 7.1
(44.8)
7.7
(45.9)
9.6
(49.3)
12.4
(54.3)
16.1
(61.0)
19.0
(66.2)
21.4
(70.5)
21.3
(70.3)
18.1
(64.6)
12.9
(55.2)
9.0
(48.2)
6.8
(44.2)
13.5
(56.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) 5.4
(41.7)
5.7
(42.3)
7.3
(45.1)
9.7
(49.5)
13.0
(55.4)
16.0
(60.8)
18.2
(64.8)
18.2
(64.8)
15.2
(59.4)
10.8
(51.4)
7.3
(45.1)
5.2
(41.4)
11.0
(51.8)
Average low °C (°F) 3.6
(38.5)
3.6
(38.5)
4.9
(40.8)
6.9
(44.4)
10.0
(50.0)
12.9
(55.2)
14.9
(58.8)
15.1
(59.2)
12.3
(54.1)
8.7
(47.7)
5.5
(41.9)
3.5
(38.3)
8.5
(47.3)
Record low °C (°F) −7.2
(19.0)
−10.1
(13.8)
−3.6
(25.5)
−1.1
(30.0)
2.5
(36.5)
5.6
(42.1)
9.0
(48.2)
8.9
(48.0)
3.9
(39.0)
−0.4
(31.3)
−7.3
(18.9)
−11.7
(10.9)
−11.7
(10.9)
Record low wind chill −15 −13 −7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 −14 −21 −21
Average precipitation mm (inches) 135.5
(5.33)
92.2
(3.63)
90.1
(3.55)
69.9
(2.75)
62.5
(2.46)
53.9
(2.12)
34.7
(1.37)
35.7
(1.41)
48.7
(1.92)
106.1
(4.18)
165.0
(6.50)
134.5
(5.30)
1,028.8
(40.50)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 130.1
(5.12)
88.5
(3.48)
87.8
(3.46)
69.9
(2.75)
62.4
(2.46)
53.9
(2.12)
34.7
(1.37)
35.7
(1.41)
48.7
(1.92)
106.0
(4.17)
161.3
(6.35)
127.0
(5.00)
1,006
(39.61)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 5.3
(2.1)
3.8
(1.5)
2.4
(0.9)
0.1
(0.0)
0.1
(0.0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0.1
(0.0)
3.6
(1.4)
7.5
(3.0)
22.8
(9.0)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 20.0 15.6 18.0 15.0 13.2 11.0 6.3 6.8 8.7 16.2 20.7 19.8 171.3
Average rainy days 19.0 14.9 17.7 14.9 13.2 11.0 6.3 6.8 8.7 16.1 20.2 19.0 167.8
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 1.7 1.3 0.5 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.9 1.2 5.9
Mean monthly sunshine hours 54.1 87.0 130.3 180.6 228.3 220.7 282.0 270.8 214.6 117.4 57.4 50.4 1,893.6
Percent possible sunshine 20.1 30.5 35.4 43.9 48.0 45.4 57.5 60.6 56.6 35.0 20.9 19.7 39.5
Source:
  1. ^ 1981–2010 normals are for Merry Island Lightstation, while extreme high and low temperatures are from Sechelt Aut (August 2007 to present), and Merry Island Lightstation (February 1960 to present).

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Sechelt had a population of 10,847 living in 5,128 of its 5,738 total private dwellings, a change of 6.2% from its 2016 population of 10,216. With a land area of 39.02 km2 (15.07 sq mi), it had a population density of 278.0/km2 (720.0/sq mi) in 2021.

Ethnicity

Panethnic groups in the District of Sechelt (2001−2021)
Panethnic
group
2021 2016 2011 2006 2001
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
European 8,805 82.99% 8,500 84.92% 8,345 91.65% 7,665 92.02% 7,290 94.68%
Indigenous 525 4.95% 605 6.04% 330 3.62% 280 3.36% 240 3.12%
Southeast Asian 455 4.29% 315 3.15% 245 2.69% 95 1.14% 35 0.45%
East Asian 355 3.35% 325 3.25% 130 1.43% 115 1.38% 80 1.04%
South Asian 250 2.36% 110 1.1% 25 0.27% 10 0.12% 15 0.19%
Middle Eastern 80 0.75% 25 0.25% 0 0% 40 0.48% 0 0%
African 70 0.66% 30 0.3% 0 0% 55 0.66% 35 0.45%
Latin American 45 0.42% 25 0.25% 0 0% 60 0.72% 0 0%
Other/Multiracial 95 0.9% 85 0.85% 0 0% 30 0.36% 10 0.13%
Total responses 10,610 97.82% 10,010 97.98% 9,105 98% 8,330 98.53% 7,700 99.04%
Total population 10,847 100% 10,216 100% 9,291 100% 8,454 100% 7,775 100%
Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses

Religion

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Sechelt included:

Attractions

The village itself, the original locus of Sechelt, includes Clayton's Heritage Market (a grocery store named after its pioneering family owners) in Trail Bay Mall. A new public library with municipal hall opened in 1997, and a combined provincial courthouse and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) building, and a public recreation aquatic centre serving Sechelt and the surrounding area, have also been completed since that time.

Immediately to the east of the downtown village is the shíshálh Nation Government District municipality, home of the tems swiya Museum and gift shop, a shopping centre, movie theatre.

Other Sechelt area landmarks include:

  • Sechelt (shíshálh) Hospital (originally St. Mary's, the Sunshine Coast's first hospital, renamed in 2015)
  • A satellite campus of Capilano University
  • The local regional government offices of the Sunshine Coast Regional District
  • Sechelt airport, presently a small regional aerodrome, a few kilometres east of the downtown village in the ts'uw'um (Wilson Creek) neighbourhood
  • Davis Bay, with a public seawall walk, wharf, and lands for a public waterfront park, presently known as Mission Point Park
  • Sechelt Quarry, operated by Heidelberg Materials, one of the largest open-pit gravel quarries in North America.

Recreation and tourism

Like other parts of the Sunshine Coast, Sechelt is known for its natural beauty, and is a popular destination for outdoor activities that include kayaking, diving, snowshoeing and skiing, hiking and backpacking, camping and mountain biking. There is an 18-hole public golf course, and a number of small marinas are available around Sechelt Inlet. Sechelt has several municipal parks, and larger provincial parks are nearby.

Auto enthusiasts come from around the Pacific Northwest for Sechelt's annual Sleepy Hollow Rod Run, and the "Show and Shine" held in conjunction with the August drag races at Sechelt Airport.

Notable parks and conservation areas

Hidden Groves

The Hidden Groves area of old growth forest adjoins the Sandy Hook neighbourhood, 6 km from downtown Sechelt and 2 km from Porpoise Bay Provincial Park. It has trails for walkers and hikers of various abilities, from easy walks of around 15 minutes to more strenuous treks of 3 or 4 kilometres. A wheelchair-accessible trail of 480 metres into the Ancient Grove area is also suitable for people with walkers, strollers, and those not so fit. A second 400-metre accessibility trail loops from the entrance kiosk through pristine forest and back.

The entrance kiosk features a large map of the trails. All trails are well-marked and maintained. There are signs at all intersections with directions, maps and guides.

The Groves includes giant ancient trees, maple wetland, and rocky promontories with views of Vancouver Island and Sechelt Inlet. There is parking at the entrance to the trails. It is a legal off-leash area for dogs.

The Sechelt Heritage Forest portion of the Groves is a protected interpretive forest as designated by the Province. Hidden Grove is currently part of the BC Forest and under a special tenure to the Sechelt Community Forest, which has declared the Grove a special high-priority recreational area and mandated it shall not be logged. Volunteers provide daily maintenance.

Porpoise Bay Provincial Park

Porpoise Bay Provincial Park is some 4 km north of downtown Sechelt, on the east side of Sechelt Inlet. It is characterized by second-growth forest, open grassy areas and sandy beaches.

Education

The School District 46 Sunshine Coast operates public schools in the region.

The Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique operates two Francophone schools in that city: the école du Pacifique primary school and école secondaire Chatelech.

Gallery

See also


This page was last updated at 2023-11-05 03:24 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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