A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
Sechelt | |
|---|---|
| District of Sechelt[1] | |
 Downtown Sechelt in 2011 | |
| Motto(s): Blessed by Sun and Seas | |
  Sechelt Location of Sechelt in British Columbia | |
| Coordinates: 49°28′27″N 123°45′15″W / 49.47417°N 123.75417°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Region | Sunshine Coast |
| Regional District | Sunshine Coast RD |
| Founded | 1862 (Roman Catholic mission) |
| Incorporated (Village) | Feb. 15, 1956 |
| District Municipality | June 30, 1986 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | John Henderson |
| • Governing body | Sechelt Municipal Council |
| • MLAs | Nicholas Simons, NDP |
| Area | |
| • Total | 39.71 km2 (15.33 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 8 m (26 ft) |
| Population (2021) | |
| • Total | 10,847 |
| • Density | 212.9/km2 (551/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| Postal code span | V7Z and V0N 3A0 |
| Area code | +1-604 |
| Website | www |
Sechelt (/ˈsiːʃɛlt/, shíshálh Language: ch'atlich[3]) is a district municipality located on the lower Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. Approximately 50 km (30 miles) 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 (20 miles) 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.[4] The town of Sechelt is known as "ch'atlich" in she shashishalhem (the shíshálh language).[5] 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.[6]
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.[4] Our Lady of the Rosary was completed in 1890 and cost the Sechelt people a sum of $8,000 to construct.[7] 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.[8]
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),[9] Sechelt's claim that residents have an obligation to repair infrastructure and pay legal fees (ongoing),[10] Sechelt's withholding of documents (set of documents released to resident),[11] covenants on the properties (deemed valid),[12] and Sechelt's approval of the subdivision (negligence not found).[13][14]
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.[15] It has the warmest nights in Canada.
| Climate data for Merry Island Lightstation (1981-2010 normals, extremes 1960-present)[a] | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) |
| Mean daily maximum °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) |
| Mean daily minimum °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: [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] | |||||||||||||
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.[27]
Ethnicity
| Panethnic group |
2021[28] | 2016[29] | 2011[30] | 2006[31] | 2001[32] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| European[a] | 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[b] | 455 | 4.29% | 315 | 3.15% | 245 | 2.69% | 95 | 1.14% | 35 | 0.45% |
| East Asian[c] | 355 | 3.35% | 325 | 3.25% | 130 | 1.43% | 115 | 1.38% | 80 | Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=Sechelt|