North Saanich, British Columbia
Encyclopedia

North Saanich is located on the Saanich Peninsula
Saanich Peninsula
The Saanich Peninsula is located north of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is bounded by the Saanich Inlet on the west, and various straits of the Gulf of Georgia on the east, chiefly Haro Strait The exact southern boundary of what is referred to as the "Saanich Peninsula" is somewhat fluid...

, approximately 25 km (16 mi) north of Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...

 on southern Vancouver Island. The District is surrounded on three sides by 20 km (12 mi) of ocean shoreline, and consists of rural/residential areas and a large agricultural base and is home to the Victoria International Airport
Victoria International Airport
Victoria International Airport serves Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is north northwest of the city, in North Saanich, quite close to the town of Sidney on the Saanich Peninsula...

 and the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal
Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal
The Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal is a major transportation facility at Swartz Bay in North Saanich, British Columbia. It is located north of Victoria on Vancouver Island...

.

History


In July 1905, North Saanich, then including the townsite of Sidney, was incorporated with the original Municipal Hall located in Sidney. Lacking population and a firm tax base, the municipality was dissolved in 1911. In 1940, the site of the present Victoria International Airport
Victoria International Airport
Victoria International Airport serves Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is north northwest of the city, in North Saanich, quite close to the town of Sidney on the Saanich Peninsula...

 was selected as a military forces base and the area boomed with the influx of 10,000 military personnel, leading to incorporation for the Village of Sidney
Sidney, British Columbia
Sidney is a town located at the northern end of the Saanich Peninsula, on Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is one of the 13 Greater Victoria municipalities. It has a population of approximately 11,300. Sidney is located just east of Victoria International Airport,...

 in 1952. Four years later, the residents of the North Saanich unorganized area, numbering 2,865, requested that letters patent be issued to form the "North Saanich Fire Prevention District" with power to own property, to tax and to borrow. In 1965, after a favourable public vote, the letters patent were withdrawn and the North Saanich Municipal District was established with offices at the present location on Mills Road. north Saanich is a part of greater Victoria.

Fauna

The largest animal likely to be found in North Saanich is the black-tailed deer
Black-tailed Deer
Two forms of black-tailed deer or blacktail deer occupying coastal temperate rainforest on North America's Pacific coast are subspecies of the mule deer. They have sometimes been treated as a species, but virtually all recent authorities maintain they are subspecies...

. Other native mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...

s include the mink
Mink
There are two living species referred to as "mink": the European Mink and the American Mink. The extinct Sea Mink is related to the American Mink, but was much larger. All three species are dark-colored, semi-aquatic, carnivorous mammals of the family Mustelidae, which also includes the weasels and...

, otter
Otter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....

, raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...

, and deer mouse. Of introduced mammal species, the cottontail rabbit
Cottontail rabbit
The cottontail rabbits are among the 16 lagomorph species in the genus Sylvilagus, found in the Americas.In appearance, most cottontail rabbits closely resemble the wild European Rabbit...

 and gray squirrel
Gray squirrel
Gray squirrel or grey squirrel may refer to several species of squirrel indigenous to North America:*The Eastern gray squirrel , from the eastern United States and southeastern Canada; introduced into Britain, Ireland, western North America, Italy, and South Africa;*The Western Gray Squirrel , from...

 are often seen. Common native bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...

s include the northwestern crow
Northwestern Crow
The Northwestern Crow is an all-black passerine bird of the crow genus native to the northwest of North America. It is very similar to the more western forms of the widespread American Crow , but it averages slightly smaller with proportionately smaller feet and a slightly more slender bill...

, common raven
Common Raven
The Common Raven , also known as the Northern Raven, is a large, all-black passerine bird. Found across the northern hemisphere, it is the most widely distributed of all corvids...

, bald eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...

, turkey vulture
Turkey Vulture
The Turkey Vulture is a bird found throughout most of the Americas. It is also known in some North American regions as the Turkey Buzzard , and in some areas of the Caribbean as the John Crow or Carrion Crow...

, American robin
American Robin
The American Robin or North American Robin is a migratory songbird of the thrush family. It is named after the European Robin because of its reddish-orange breast, though the two species are not closely related, with the European robin belonging to the flycatcher family...

, varied thrush
Varied Thrush
The Varied Thrush is a member of the thrush family Turdidae.It breeds in western North America from Alaska to northern California. It is migratory, with northern breeders moving south within or somewhat beyond the breeding range...

, Steller's Jay
Steller's Jay
The Steller's Jay is a jay native to western North America, closely related to the Blue Jay found in the rest of the continent, but with a black head and upper body. It is also known as the Long-crested Jay, Mountain Jay, and Pine Jay...

, and several species of gull
Gull
Gulls are birds in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to the terns and only distantly related to auks, skimmers, and more distantly to the waders...

. Introduced birds are represented by the abundant common starling and the declining skylark
Skylark
The Skylark is a small passerine bird species. This lark breeds across most of Europe and Asia and in the mountains of north Africa. It is mainly resident in the west of its range, but eastern populations are more migratory, moving further south in winter. Even in the milder west of its range,...

.

Flora

The most common native tree in North Saanich is Douglas-fir
Douglas-fir
Douglas-fir is one of the English common names for evergreen coniferous trees of the genus Pseudotsuga in the family Pinaceae. Other common names include Douglas tree, and Oregon pine. There are five species, two in western North America, one in Mexico, and two in eastern Asia...

. The other common large conifers are grand fir
Grand Fir
Abies grandis is a fir native to the Pacific Northwest and Northern California of North America, occurring at altitudes of sea level to 1,800 m...

 and western red cedar. Western hemlock
Western Hemlock
Tsuga heterophylla. the Western Hemlock, is a species of hemlock native to the west coast of North America, with its northwestern limit on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, and its southeastern limit in northern Sonoma County, California.-Habitat:...

 is occasionally found. Pacific yew is a frequent understory tree. The arbutus
Pacific Madrone
Arbutus menziesii, commonly known as the Pacific Madrone, is a species of Arbutus found on the west coast of North America, from British Columbia to California...

 is a large broadleaf evergreen species. Large deciduous trees are black cottonwood
Balsam poplar
The balsam poplars — also known as Populus sect. Tacamahaca — are a group of about 10 species of poplars, indigenous to North America and eastern Asia, distinguished by the balsam scent of their buds, the whitish undersides of their leaves, and the leaf petiole being round in cross-section...

, bigleaf maple
Bigleaf Maple
Acer macrophyllum is a large deciduous tree in the genus Acer.It can grow to be up to 35 m tall, but more commonly grows 15 m to 20 m tall. It is native to western North America, mostly near the Pacific coast, from southernmost Alaska to southern California...

, red alder
Red Alder
Alnus rubra, the Red alder, is a deciduous broadleaf tree native to western North America.-Description:It is the largest species of alder in North America and one of the largest in the world, reaching heights of 20–35 m. The official tallest red alder stands 32 meters tall in Clatsop County, Oregon...

, and Garry oak
Garry Oak
Quercus garryana, the Garry Oak, Oregon White Oak or Oregon Oak, has a range from southern California to extreme southwestern British Columbia, particularly southeastern Vancouver Island and the adjacent Gulf Islands. It grows from sea level to 210 m altitude in the northern part of its range, and...

. Small deciduous species include bitter cherry
Bitter Cherry
Oregon cherry or Bitter cherry is a species of Prunus native to western North America, from British Columbia south to California, and east to western Wyoming and Arizona...

, cascara
Cascara
Cascara may refer to:*Rhamnus purshiana, a plant known for its laxative properties*Cascara, a fictional Caribbean island in the film Water*Cáscara, a rhythm found in some Cuban music*Coffee cherry tea, from Spanish cáscara, meaning "shell, husk"....

, Pacific crab apple, Pacific dogwood
Pacific Dogwood
The Pacific Dogwood, Cornus nuttallii , is a species of dogwood native to western North America from lowlands of southern British Columbia to mountains of southern California. An inland population occurs in central Idaho. Cultivated examples are found as far north as Haida Gwaii...

, quaking aspen
Populus tremuloides
Populus tremuloides is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America, commonly called quaking aspen, trembling aspen, American aspen, and Quakies,. The trees have tall trunks, up to 25 metres, with smooth pale bark, scarred with black. The glossy green leaves, dull beneath, become golden...

, Douglas maple, Common Hawthorn
Common Hawthorn
Crataegus monogyna, known as common hawthorn or single-seeded hawthorn, is a species of hawthorn native to Europe, northwest Africa and western Asia. It has been introduced in many other parts of the world where it is an invasive weed...

 and willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...

.

Council

The current council is:
  • Mayor Alice Finall
  • Councillor Peter Chandler
  • Councillor Sheila Fea
  • Councillor Cairine Green
  • Councillor Anny Scoones
  • Councillor Bob Shaw
  • Councillor Ruby Commandeur

Education

North Saanich is served by School District #63 - Saanich. There are eight elementary schools in school district#63 being: Deep cove, Sidney, kelset, Keating, Brentwood, Cordova bay, Prospect Lake & Lochside. There are 3 Middle schools being: North Saanich, Bayside & Royal oak. There is also 3 high schools in the district being: Parkland, Stellys & Claremont.

Neighbourhoods

  • Ardmore
  • Cloake Hill
  • Dean Park
  • Deep Cove
  • Land's End
  • Patricia Bay ("Pat Bay")
  • Sandown

Attractions

  • British Columbia Aviation Museum
    British Columbia Aviation Museum
    The British Columbia Aviation Museum is located in Sidney, Greater Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is on the grounds of the Victoria International Airport at 1910 Norseman Road on the north edge of the airport....

  • Dunsmuir Lodge Conference Centre of the University of Victoria
  • Institute of Ocean Sciences
    Institute of Ocean Sciences
    The Institute of Ocean Sciences is operated by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and is one of the largest marine research centres in Canada. It is located on Patricia Bay and the former British Columbia Highway 17A in Sidney, British Columbia on Vancouver Island just west of Victoria International...

  • North Saanich Bike Park
  • 443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron (Canadian Forces)
    No. 443 Squadron RCAF
    443 "City of New Westminster" Maritime Helicopter Squadron is a Canadian Forces helicopter squadron under Royal Canadian Air Force, located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia...

  • Sandown Park Race Track
  • Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal
    Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal
    The Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal is a major transportation facility at Swartz Bay in North Saanich, British Columbia. It is located north of Victoria on Vancouver Island...

  • Victoria International Airport
    Victoria International Airport
    Victoria International Airport serves Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is north northwest of the city, in North Saanich, quite close to the town of Sidney on the Saanich Peninsula...


External links



http://northsaanichonline.com
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