Victoria Harbour (British Columbia)
Encyclopedia
Victoria Harbour is a harbour
, seaport
, and seaplane
airport
located in the Canadian
city of Victoria
, British Columbia
. It serves as a cruise ship
and ferry
destination for tourists and visitors to the city and Vancouver Island
. It is both a port of entry
and an airport of entry
for general aviation
. Historically it was a shipbuilding
and commercial fishing
centre. While the Inner Harbour is fully within the City of Victoria, separating the city's downtown
on its east side from the Victoria West
neighbourhood, the Upper Harbour serves as the boundary between the City of Victoria and the City of Esquimalt
. The inner reaches are also bordered by the district of Saanich
and the town of View Royal
. Victoria is a federal "public harbour" as defined by Transport Canada
. Several port facilities in the harbour are overseen and developed by the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, however the harbour master
's position is with Transport Canada.
people lived in settlements to the east of the harbour and the Esquimalt people
lived to the west of it. They cultivated camas root
and other crops in meadows lined with cultivated Garry Oak trees along the harbour. Shell midden
s along the Gorge Waterway are evidence of human habitation dating back 4000 years.
In the summer of 1790 Manuel Quimper
, Gonzalo López de Haro
, and Juan Carrasco
aboard the Princesa Real
explored the Juan de Fuca Strait
where they claimed Esquimalt Harbour
for Spain, naming it Puerto de Córdova.
led the effort to construct an outpost on Vancouver Island for the Hudson's Bay Company
. He rejected Esquimalt Harbour due to dense tree growth and chose instead to site Fort Victoria
overlooking the Victoria Harbour (at a location that is about 1 block east of today's Wharf Street).
On 11 March 1850 was docked in the harbour to witness Richard Blanshard
assume the Governorship of the newly formed Colony of Vancouver Island
and issued a seventeen gun salute
.
In 1852 sailors from the British naval ship built a trail through the forest linking the Esquimalt Harbour with Victoria Harbour and Fort Victoria. The trail would eventually be paved and is now known as Old Esquimalt Road (it runs parallel to and just north of Esquimalt Road).
The Fisgard Light
and Race Rocks Light were built on islands outside of Esquimalt and Victoria harbours in the years 1859 and 1860. The former light was constructed by Joseph Despard Pemberton
as supervising engineer, the latter light was constructed by the crew of the HMS Topaze
. The two lighthouses were the first built on Canada's west coast
and still serve as active aids to navigation
.
In 1858 the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush
took place. In 1861 and 1862 the Cariboo Gold Rush
took place. Both of the gold rush
es swelled traffic through the harbour as a massive influx of people came to Fort Victoria to buy permits and supplies before setting out for the mainland. Victoria was incorporated as a city on 2 August 1862.
In 1858 Captain William Moore
moved from San Francisco Bay
to Victoria. He built several barges and steamships in Victoria and participated in trade associated with the gold rushes in British Columbia
and eventually the Klondike Gold Rush
in Yukon
. Moore died in Victoria 29 March 1909. As a steamship captain Moore was a rival of both William and John Irving.
In 1859 Captain William Irving
(1816–1872) became a partner in the Victoria Steam Navigation Company that provided ferry service between New Westminster and Victoria. The Irving family lived for a time in Victoria then in New Westminster. In 1882 William's son Captain John Irving
(1854–1936), then 28, ordered the construction of the R.P. Rithet
sternwheeler
to expand his fleet of the Pioneer Line. R.P. Rithet was constructed by Alexander Watson's shipbuilding company in Victoria. Later in 1882 Irving helped to form the Canadian Pacific Navigation Company (CPNC) and the Pioneer Line ceased to exist. The following year John Irving was made the general manager of the CPNC and he ordered the purchase of the Yosemite
from California and brought it up to Vancouver
to serve as a ferry from Vancouver to Victoria. In that first year of service Yosemite set a speed record of four hours and 20 minutes for the 72 nautical miles (133.3 km) run from Vancouver to Victoria. The record stood until 1901 when the ocean liner Moana made the run in four hours and one minute.
_and_schooner_marguerite_at_victoria_bc_1890s.jpg)
On 24 September 1860 a 14 year old American named Charles Mitchell hid on board the - a ferry that was making its way from Olympia, Washington
to Victoria - when it was revealed to the crew on board that the young man was a stowaway
and may have been a fugitive slave
. Upon reaching Victoria Harbour Mitchell was held on board. Soon a group of local Victorians descended to the dock to protest Mitchell's confinement. Legal proceedings ensued and Mitchell was eventually released to become a free Canadian.
In February 1863 carpenters in Victoria established one of British Columbia's first trade union
s the Journeymen Shipwright
s Association of Victoria & Vancouver Island. On 4 May 1863 Joseph Spratt and Johann Kriemler started the Albion Iron Works that would later become the Victoria Machinery Depot
shipbuilding company on property adjacent to the Upper Harbour. In 1888 the company launched their first vessel Princess a tugboat
built for the Department of Public Works.
In 1865 the British Royal Navy
relocated the headquarters of its Pacific fleet
from Valparaíso
, Chile
, to the Esquimalt Royal Navy Dockyard in Esquimalt Harbour. The move meant that Esquimalt's harbour took on more of a military character and allowed Victoria's to develop more commercially. Five years after the 1905 departure of the Royal Navy the Pacific
base of the new Royal Canadian Navy
occupied Esquimalt in 1910 which operates today as CFB Esquimalt
.
A shipyard started operating in 1873 at Point Hope on the Upper Harbour. Over the years the shipyard had traded hands several times and by 1938 was known as Point Hope Shipyards Limited. Today the yard continues to operate as Point Hope Maritime.
The prominent building at 1002 Wharf Street was constructed as a customs house overlooking the Inner Harbour in 1876. The building would house the organization during a part of the 20th century and become known as the Malahat Building.
On 29 March 1888 the first Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway service started over the first railway bridge to span the harbour. The successor to that line is the Victoria – Courtenay train train operated by Via Rail
over the Johnson Street Bridge
(which opened in January 1924).
The Victoria Yacht Club was founded on 8 June 1892 by a group of 46 yachtsmen and is the oldest sailing association in Western Canada. In 1911 King George V
recognized the club's success and granted permission to add a "Royal" prefix to the club's name thereby allowing for the change to the Royal Victoria Yacht Club. On 13 July 1913 the club completed its move from an older clubhouse that was floating on pontoons in the Inner Harbour to a new clubhouse on the shore of Caboro Bay in the nearby community of Oak Bay
. By moving out of the crowded harbour the club members could enjoy sailing with less concern for traffic.
Construction of the current provincial Parliament Buildings
overlooking the south side of James Bay (Inner Harbour) was started in 1893 and they were officially opened on 10 February 1898.
.
After purchasing the Canadian Pacific Navigation Company in 1901 to form the British Columbia Coast Steamships division, the Canadian Pacific Railway
company, through its Canadian Pacific Hotels
division, then built the Empress Hotel
overlooking James Bay in the Inner Harbour which opened in 1908. The Canadian Pacific Steamship Company
operated ships out of Victoria on the so called triangle route: Victoria, Vancouver, Seattle. From Vancouver passengers could then board an ocean going Empress liner. The creation of BC Ferries
in 1960 put the CP Ships passenger triangle route trade out of business and the ship terminal building was leased to become a wax museum by 1969.
In 1901 Captain John Voss
and Norman Luxton
set sail from Oak Bay to circumnavigate the world's oceans in the 38 feet (11.6 m) dugout canoe
Tilikum
. They stopped in Victoria before setting out across the Pacific Ocean and reached London
in 1904. Nowadays the Tilikum may be seen on exhibit at the Maritime Museum of British Columbia in Victoria.
In 1905 the British Columbia Electric Railway
opened Gorge Park along the Gorge Waterway. The electric streetcar
system was abandoned in 1948 and the park was donated to Esquimalt in 1955.
After the 1914 opening of the Panama Canal
the city of Victoria sought to increase ship traffic to the harbour and built the breakwater and Ogden Point
piers in 1916 and 1918 respectively for $5 millon. In 1925 the city and Panama Pacific Grain Terminal Elevator Co. Ltd. built a 93 ft (28.3 m) high grain storage bins to ship Prairie Provinces
grain worldwide. In 1928 the federal government granted control over Ogden Point to the Canadian National Railway
(CNR). Around 1928 the British Columbia Packers Ltd. (BC Packers) company built a fish processing
and cold storage
plant at Ogden Point.
After passage of the 1917 Migratory Birds Convention Act
1700 hectares (4,200.8 acre) of Victoria Harbour were designated a federal Migratory Bird Sanctuary in 1923.
The first floatplane
landed in Victoria in 1919 when William Boeing
and Eddie Hubbard beached their plane near Shoal Point as part of a new U.S. International Air Mail
service that also stopped at Vancouver and Seattle.
In the spring of 1931 the Imperial Oil
Causeway Garage was opened at 812 Wharf Street. The Art Deco
building featured a 24.4 metres (80.1 ft) high tower that was used as an illuminated aerodrome beacon
for aviators to put in to Victoria Harbour at night. The light was used until World War II
when it was turned off. The garage was used until 1974 then it was acquired by the province in 1975 and lastly by the British Columbia Provincial Capital Commission
in 1978. The building currently serves as a visitor's information centre and houses other retail outlets.
During World War II the Victoria Machinery Depot launched 25 ships including 5 Flower class corvette
warships for the Royal Canadian Navy, 14 dry cargo ship
s, 5 tankers
, and a stores ship
(hull numbers 14 through 39). To carry out the wartime work in 1941 VMD bought the Rithet piers at the Outer Wharf and 11 hectares (27.2 acre) of surrounding land. On 20 June 1942 the Victoria built , which was based at Esquimalt, responded to a torpedo attack by the Japanese submarine I-25
upon the SS Fort Camosun off of Cape Flattery
in Washington, USA. The British coal burning freighter Fort Camosun was on her maiden voyage carrying zinc, lead, and plywood from Victoria to Britain. The Quesnel rescued the 31 man crew of the Fort Camosun then escorted her as she was towed first to Neah Bay
then to Esquimalt Harbour and Victoria Harbour. Fort Camosun was eventually towed to the Port of Seattle
for repairs before returning to service.
After the war commercial fishing
increased in Victoria. To accommodate the increase a $ 100,000 Fisherman's Wharf was built near Erie Street, opening 31 March 1948. The 120 metres (393.7 ft) wharf could moor 60 fish packing ships
along six finger float piers.
From February 1954 to February 1964 the HMCS Malahat organization occupied the old custom house
at 1002 Wharf Street. As a result the building has been nicknamed the Malahat Building and it is the oldest extant federal building in Western Canada
. After February 1964 the HMCS Malahat organization occupied building 61 at CFB Esquimalt before moving into
the current location at 20 Huron Street overlooking Victoria Harbour on 14 March 1992.
In 1968 Victoria Machinery Depot launched their last vessel the MV Doris Yorke which was later named Seaspan Doris, having completed the massive SEDCO 135-F oil platform
for Transocean
the previous year.
Following a 1969 dredging and expansion by CNR, Ogden Point became a sizable lumber shipping operation. On 8 August 1977 a large fire that was visible from Port Angeles
destroyed many of the buildings at Ogden Point. The following year CNR ceded Ogden Point back to the federal government's Transport Canada. However, in 1984 the last of the Victoria Harbour lumber shipping companies, Sooke Forest Products, filed for bankruptcy.
In 1883 Robert P. Rithet
(after whom the R.P. Rithet sternwheeler was named) built a large dock facility near Shoal Point, known as the Outer Wharves, which was initially used for sugar warehousing. After the construction of the Empress Hotel in 1908 the Outer Wharves started to land more passenger vessels. In 1975 the Outer Wharves were demolished and construction began on a new Canadian Coast Guard
station that opened in 1980.
On 31 March 1990 the BC Packers' cold storage fish factory shut down due to the low catch in Victoria, and in 1993 the five storey plant was torn down.
In 1997 students and faculty from Lester B. Pearson College
took over the management of the Race Rocks Lighthouse station.
The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) was incorporated as a non-profit organization
in February 2002. In a 2005 report the provincial government noted that Victoria Harbour was still involved in the process of federal harbour divestiture. The GVHA is an associate (non-voting) member of the Association of Canadian Port Authorities
.
Victoria sponsored a boat in the 2005–2006 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and the race boats put in to the Causeway Floats facility in the Inner Harbour during one of the stops.
The active portions of Victoria Harbour that can accommodate large and mid sized vessels (Outer, Middle, Inner, and Upper) are spread along 4 km (2.5 mi; 2.2 nmi
) of estuary
. The width of the active harbour goes from 0.74 km (0.46 mi; 0.4 nmi) out at the Ogden Point breakwater
entrance down to 137 m (449 ft; 0.074 nmi) along the Middle Harbour then widens out in the Inner and Upper Harbour areas. Harbour depths vary from 6 m (3.3 fathom; 19.7 ft) up to 20 m (10.9 fathom; 65.6 ft) in the Inner Harbour.
The approach to the harbour from the Juan de Fuca Strait is through the Royal Roads
strait or roadstead
. On approach to the Outer Harbour the city of Victoria will lie to starboard
and the town of Esquimalt to port. The BC Geographical Names Information System
mentions that the former Ports & Harbours Authority of Navigation Canada defined the outer limits of Victoria Harbour extending to a line drawn from Albert Head
to the Trial Islands but excluded Esquimalt Harbour.
Large vessel operators should note that traffic on the approach to the Juan de Fuca Strait is handled by MCTS Tofino, within the Juan de Fuca Strait by Puget Sound Seattle Vessel Traffic Service, and north of Race Rocks
, the Marine Communications and Traffic Services centre for the approach to Victoria Harbour is the MCTS Victoria station in Patricia Bay.
docking facility at Ogden Point.
. Within the Inner Harbour the area in front of the Empress Hotel was known as "James Bay" in the 19th century as well as in 21st century harbour traffic maps, however most tourists refer to the whole area as "Inner Harbour". Adjacent to the Causeway Floats marina in James Bay lies the Victoria neighbourhood of James Bay
. Most regularly scheduled ferries and seaplanes dock within the Inner Harbour. There is a Canada Border Services Agency
office at Ogden Point and another adjacent to the Inner Harbour.
Curiously, despite having offices in the city of Victoria the British Columbia Ferry Services crown corporation
offers no scheduled service to Victoria Harbour. Instead, BC Ferries serves the transportation needs of the Capital Regional District via the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal
, which is further north along the Saanich Peninsula
and provides service to the mainland, as well as with the which links Brentwood Bay
to the town of Mill Bay
across the Saanich Inlet
. Other companies do provide ferry service to the harbour (see table below).
The Inner Harbour is home to the boarding jetties for the Canadian and US airlines that use the Victoria Inner Harbour Airport
. In 2007 the seaplane link from Victoria to Vancouver Harbour Water Airport was, according to the Official Airline Guide
, Canada's busiest air route by the number of weekly flights. The water runways and taxiways for the airport extend out through the Middle Harbour and Outer Harbour.
Bridge). The small area of water in the northeast of the Upper Harbour is known as "Rock Bay". Adjacent to the Rock Bay body of water is the Rock Bay neighbourhood. The Upper Harbour is home to the Sail and Life Training Society and their topsail schooner Pacific Swift
.
In 1896 a predecessor of the Bay Street Bridge was the site of a streetcar bridge collapse disaster
that was one of the worst in BC history.
.
. The Victoria Canoe and Kayak Club is located along Gorge Waters as well. Some charts split the Gorge Waters into a "Lower Gorge Waterway" and an "Upper Gorge Waterway" with the split being the fixed Tillicum Road Bridge between them.
The Craigflower Bridge, which carries Highway 1A (locally "Admiral's Road") over the Harbour was, in 1997, the site of the murder of Reena Virk
.
which in turn drains O'Donnel Creek. The Victoria City Rowing Club
rows at Elk Lake along with local University and High School crews.
In addition to the facilities owned and operated by the GVHA there are others:
The graving dock at adjacent Esquimalt Harbour can drydock a Panamax
sized vessel.
Victoria Harbour is home port
for a number of sailing and boating events:
.jpg)
Despite the small size of the watershed
land area of the Victoria and Saanich Peninsulas, Victoria Harbour is an estuary
.
Some of the fresh water
tributaries of the harbour include:
In Portage Inlet there are 70 ha (173 acre) of eelgrass
growing under water. Portage Inlet and the Gorge Waterway may also be home to the largest colony of Pacific oyster
s on the west coast. Craigflower Creek, one of the tributaries of Portage Inlet, is a spawning area for Coho salmon
and Chum salmon
. Pacific herring
also use Portage Inlet and the Gorge Waterway for spawning
.
Victoria Harbour was recognized as a Migratory Bird Sanctuary in 1923. The Upper and Lower Thetis Lakes, which discharge into Portage Inlet, were Canada's first nature sanctuary in 1958.
In 1965 the city of Victoria started using the former Mud Bay on the south shore of Victoria West as a garbage dump. When Mud Bay was filled in it was superseded by the Hartland landfill
.
In 1998 the Cecelia Creek Clean Up Committee was formed to work on restoring the environment in and around the Cecelia Creek that flows into Selkirk Water.
Between 2002 and 2006 Transport Canada spent over $4 million to clean up properties in the harbour to stricter environmental standards. BC Hydro
and the Federal Government
have undertaken a $2 million clean-up of the eastern shore of Rock Bay which was once the site of a coal gasification
plant. The plant had been the last run by the Victoria Gas Company which had started in 1860 and was one of the forerunners of BC Hydro.
Through the coordination and services of the Capital Regional District (CRD) the municipalities of Colwood, Esquimalt, Langford, Oak Bay, Saanich, Victoria, and View Royal discharged an average of 129000000 litre of filtered but untreated sewage into the ocean every day in 2006. At two filtration facilities (Clover Point in Victoria and Macauley Point in Esquimalt) sewage is screened to exclude objects larger than 6 millimetres before being released into the Juan de Fuca Strait via marine outfall
s. Solid matter that is filtered out of the effluent is trucked to the Hartland landfill. In 2006 Barry Penner
, BC Minister of Environment at the time, concluded that wastewater treatment should be taking place in Victoria and surrounding communities. The CRD has started planning the construction of wastewater treatment plants.
Harbor
A harbor or harbour , or haven, is a place where ships, boats, and barges can seek shelter from stormy weather, or else are stored for future use. Harbors can be natural or artificial...
, seaport
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
, and seaplane
Seaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
located in the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
city of Victoria
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...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. It serves as a cruise ship
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
and ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
destination for tourists and visitors to the city and Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
. It is both a port of entry
Port of entry
In general, a port of entry is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has a staff of people who check passports and visas and inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not imported. International airports are usually ports of entry, as are road and rail crossings on a...
and an airport of entry
International airport
An international airport is any airport that can accommodate flights from other countries and are typically equipped with customs and immigration facilities to handle these flights to and from other countries...
for general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
. Historically it was a shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
and commercial fishing
Commercial fishing
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often pursue fish far into the ocean under adverse conditions...
centre. While the Inner Harbour is fully within the City of Victoria, separating the city's downtown
Downtown Victoria
Downtown Victoria is a neighbourhood of Victoria, British Columbia that acts as the commercial and entertainment hub of the city and surrounding region....
on its east side from the Victoria West
Victoria West, Greater Victoria
Victoria West, commonly called Vic West, is an historic neighbourhood of the city of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, located just west of downtown across Victoria Harbour, bordering on the Township of Esquimalt....
neighbourhood, the Upper Harbour serves as the boundary between the City of Victoria and the City of Esquimalt
Esquimalt, British Columbia
The Township of Esquimalt is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the east by the provincial capital, Victoria, to the south by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, to the west by Esquimalt Harbour and Royal Roads, to the northwest by the...
. The inner reaches are also bordered by the district of Saanich
Saanich, British Columbia
The District of Saanich is a municipality on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. It is located north of the provincial capital, Victoria. It has a population of 108,265 people, making it the most populous municipality on Vancouver Island, and the seventh most populous in the province...
and the town of View Royal
View Royal, British Columbia
View Royal is a town in Greater Victoria and a member municipality of the Capital Regional District of British Columbia, Canada. View Royal has a population of approximately 8000 residents and was incorporated as a municipality in December 1988....
. Victoria is a federal "public harbour" as defined by Transport Canada
Transport Canada
Transport Canada is the department within the government of Canada which is responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities portfolio...
. Several port facilities in the harbour are overseen and developed by the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, however the harbour master
Harbourmaster
A harbourmaster is an official responsible for enforcing the regulations of a particular harbour or port, in order to ensure the safety of navigation, the security of the harbour and the correct operation of the port facilities.-Responsibilities:Harbourmasters are normally responsible for issuing...
's position is with Transport Canada.
History
Before European development the Coast Salish SongheesSonghees
The Songhees or Songish, also known as the Lekwungen or Lekungen, are an indigenous North American Coast Salish people who reside on southeastern Vancouver Island, British Columbia in the Greater Victoria area...
people lived in settlements to the east of the harbour and the Esquimalt people
Esquimalt people
The Esquimalt people are a group of the Coast Salish peoples living today in the area of Esquimalt, of which they are the namesake. Their government is the Esquimalt First Nation....
lived to the west of it. They cultivated camas root
Camassia
Camassia is a genus of six species native to western North America, from southern British Columbia to northern California, and east to Utah, Wyoming and Montana...
and other crops in meadows lined with cultivated Garry Oak trees along the harbour. Shell midden
Midden
A midden, is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, vermin, shells, sherds, lithics , and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human occupation...
s along the Gorge Waterway are evidence of human habitation dating back 4000 years.
In the summer of 1790 Manuel Quimper
Manuel Quimper
Manuel Quimper Benítez del Pino was a Spanish Peruvian explorer, cartographer, naval officer, and colonial official. He participated in charting the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Sandwich Islands in the late 18th century. He was later appointed a colonial governor in his native Peru at the...
, Gonzalo López de Haro
Gonzalo López de Haro
Gonzalo López de Haro was a Spanish explorer, notable for his expeditions in the Pacific Northwest in the late 18th century....
, and Juan Carrasco
Juan Carrasco (explorer)
Juan Carrasco was a Spanish naval officer, explorer, and navigator. He is remembered mainly for his work in the Pacific Northwest during the late 18th century. He was second in command of the 1791 voyage of José María Narváez, the first European exploration of the Strait of Georgia.Many details...
aboard the Princesa Real
Princess Royal (sloop)
Princess Royal was a British merchant ship that sailed on fur trading ventures in the late 1780s, and was captured at Nootka Sound by Esteban José Martínez of Spain during the Nootka Crisis of 1789...
explored the Juan de Fuca Strait
Strait of Juan de Fuca
The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a large body of water about long that is the Salish Sea outlet to the Pacific Ocean...
where they claimed Esquimalt Harbour
Esquimalt Harbour
Esquimalt Harbour is a sheltered body of water in Greater Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is connected to the Strait of Juan de Fuca by a narrow channel known as Royal Roads. Its entrance is marked by Fisgard Lighthouse....
for Spain, naming it Puerto de Córdova.
19th century
In 1843 James DouglasJames Douglas (Governor)
Sir James Douglas KCB was a company fur-trader and a British colonial governor on Vancouver Island in northwestern North America, particularly in what is now British Columbia. Douglas worked for the North West Company, and later for the Hudson's Bay Company becoming a high-ranking company officer...
led the effort to construct an outpost on Vancouver Island for the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
. He rejected Esquimalt Harbour due to dense tree growth and chose instead to site Fort Victoria
Fort Victoria (British Columbia)
Fort Victoria was a fur trading post of the Hudson’s Bay Company, the headquarters of HBC operations in British Columbia. The fort was the beginnings of a settlement that eventually grew into the modern Victoria, British Columbia, the capital city of British Columbia.The headquarters of HBC...
overlooking the Victoria Harbour (at a location that is about 1 block east of today's Wharf Street).
On 11 March 1850 was docked in the harbour to witness Richard Blanshard
Richard Blanshard
Richard Blanshard MA was an English barrister and first governor of the Colony of Vancouver Island from its foundation in 1849 to his resignation in 1851....
assume the Governorship of the newly formed Colony of Vancouver Island
Colony of Vancouver Island
The Colony of Vancouver Island , was a crown colony of British North America from 1849 to 1866, after which it was united with British Columbia. The united colony joined the Dominion of Canada through Confederation in 1871...
and issued a seventeen gun salute
21-gun salute
Gun salutes are the firing of cannons or firearms as a military or naval honor.The custom stems from naval tradition, where a warship would fire its cannons harmlessly out to sea, until all ammunition was spent, to show that it was disarmed, signifying the lack of hostile intent...
.
In 1852 sailors from the British naval ship built a trail through the forest linking the Esquimalt Harbour with Victoria Harbour and Fort Victoria. The trail would eventually be paved and is now known as Old Esquimalt Road (it runs parallel to and just north of Esquimalt Road).
The Fisgard Light
Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Site
Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Site in Colwood, British Columbia, on Fisgard Island at the mouth of Esquimalt Harbour, is the site of Fisgard Lighthouse, the first lighthouse on the west coast of Canada.-History:...
and Race Rocks Light were built on islands outside of Esquimalt and Victoria harbours in the years 1859 and 1860. The former light was constructed by Joseph Despard Pemberton
Joseph Despard Pemberton
Joseph Despard Pemberton was a surveyor for the Hudson's Bay Company, Surveyor General for the Colony of Vancouver Island, a pre-Confederation politician, a businessman and a farmer. He was born in 1821 in Dublin, Ireland and died in 1893 in Oak Bay, British Columbia...
as supervising engineer, the latter light was constructed by the crew of the HMS Topaze
HMS Topaze (1858)
HMS Topaze was a 24-gun Liffey class wooden screw frigate of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 12 May 1858, at Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth. Her crew assisted in the building of the Race Rocks Lighthouse in British Columbia, Canada, and laid a bronze tablet in 1863 at the Juan Fernández Islands...
. The two lighthouses were the first built on Canada's west coast
British Columbia Coast
The British Columbia Coast or BC Coast is Canada's western continental coastline on the Pacific Ocean. The usage is synonymous with the term West Coast of Canada....
and still serve as active aids to navigation
Navigational aid
A navigational aid is any sort of marker which aids the traveler in navigation; the term is most commonly used to refer to nautical or aviation travel...
.
Fraser Canyon Gold Rush
The Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, began in 1858 after gold was discovered on the Thompson River in British Columbia at its confluence with the Nicoamen River. This was a few miles upstream from the Thompson's confluence with the Fraser River at present-day Lytton...
took place. In 1861 and 1862 the Cariboo Gold Rush
Cariboo Gold Rush
The Cariboo Gold Rush was a gold rush in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Although the first gold discovery was made in 1859 at Horsefly Creek, followed by more strikes at Keithley Creek and Antler Horns lake in 1860, the actual rush did not begin until 1861, when these discoveries were...
took place. Both of the gold rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
es swelled traffic through the harbour as a massive influx of people came to Fort Victoria to buy permits and supplies before setting out for the mainland. Victoria was incorporated as a city on 2 August 1862.
In 1858 Captain William Moore
William Moore (steamship captain)
William Moore was a steamship captain, businessman, miner and explorer in British Columbia and Alaska. During most of British Columbia's gold rushes Moore could be found at the center of activity, either providing transportation to the miners, working claims or delivering mail and...
moved from San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
to Victoria. He built several barges and steamships in Victoria and participated in trade associated with the gold rushes in British Columbia
British Columbia Gold Rushes
The presence of gold in the region that is now British Columbia is mentioned in old legends that, in part, led to its discovery. The Strait of Anian, claimed to have been sailed by Juan de Fuca for whom today's Strait of Juan de Fuca is named, was described as passing through a land "rich in gold,...
and eventually the Klondike Gold Rush
Klondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...
in Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
. Moore died in Victoria 29 March 1909. As a steamship captain Moore was a rival of both William and John Irving.
In 1859 Captain William Irving
William Irving (steamship captain)
William Irving was a steamship captain and entrepreneur in Oregon, U.S. and British Columbia, Canada.The Irvington neighborhood in Portland, Oregon is named in his honor and in New Westminster, British Columbia his home, "Irving House", is now a heritage site.He was one of the earliest pioneers of...
(1816–1872) became a partner in the Victoria Steam Navigation Company that provided ferry service between New Westminster and Victoria. The Irving family lived for a time in Victoria then in New Westminster. In 1882 William's son Captain John Irving
John Irving (steamship captain)
John Irving was a steamship captain in British Columbia, Canada. He began on the Fraser River at the age of 18 and would become one of the most famous and prosperous riverboat captains of the era...
(1854–1936), then 28, ordered the construction of the R.P. Rithet
R.P. Rithet (sternwheeler)
R.P. Rithet was a sternwheel steamer that operated in British Columbia from 1882 to 1917. The common name for this vessel was the Rithet. After 1909 this vessel was known as the Baramba.-Design and Construction:...
sternwheeler
Paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
to expand his fleet of the Pioneer Line. R.P. Rithet was constructed by Alexander Watson's shipbuilding company in Victoria. Later in 1882 Irving helped to form the Canadian Pacific Navigation Company (CPNC) and the Pioneer Line ceased to exist. The following year John Irving was made the general manager of the CPNC and he ordered the purchase of the Yosemite
Yosemite (sidewheeler)
The steamboat Yosemite operated for almost fifty years on San Francisco Bay, the Sacramento River, inland coastal waters and the lower Fraser River in British Columbia, and Puget Sound.-Design:...
from California and brought it up to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
to serve as a ferry from Vancouver to Victoria. In that first year of service Yosemite set a speed record of four hours and 20 minutes for the 72 nautical miles (133.3 km) run from Vancouver to Victoria. The record stood until 1901 when the ocean liner Moana made the run in four hours and one minute.
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
to Victoria - when it was revealed to the crew on board that the young man was a stowaway
Stowaway
A stowaway is a person who secretly boards a vehicle, such as an aircraft, bus, ship, cargo truck or train, to travel without paying and without being detected....
and may have been a fugitive slave
Fugitive slave
In the history of slavery in the United States, "fugitive slaves" were slaves who had escaped from their master to travel to a place where slavery was banned or illegal. Many went to northern territories including Pennsylvania and Massachusetts until the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed...
. Upon reaching Victoria Harbour Mitchell was held on board. Soon a group of local Victorians descended to the dock to protest Mitchell's confinement. Legal proceedings ensued and Mitchell was eventually released to become a free Canadian.
In February 1863 carpenters in Victoria established one of British Columbia's first trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
s the Journeymen Shipwright
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
s Association of Victoria & Vancouver Island. On 4 May 1863 Joseph Spratt and Johann Kriemler started the Albion Iron Works that would later become the Victoria Machinery Depot
Victoria Machinery Depot
Victoria Machinery Depot Ltd. was a ship builder located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.This was a historic metalworks and shipyard in Victoria, Canada. From the late 1850s on, with the Fraser Canyon and Cariboo Gold Rushes British Columbia was dependent upon Californian supplies and ships...
shipbuilding company on property adjacent to the Upper Harbour. In 1888 the company launched their first vessel Princess a tugboat
Tugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...
built for the Department of Public Works.
In 1865 the British Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
relocated the headquarters of its Pacific fleet
Pacific Station
The Pacific Station, often referred to as the Pacific Squadron, was one of the geographical divisions into which the Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities...
from Valparaíso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, to the Esquimalt Royal Navy Dockyard in Esquimalt Harbour. The move meant that Esquimalt's harbour took on more of a military character and allowed Victoria's to develop more commercially. Five years after the 1905 departure of the Royal Navy the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
base of the new Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
occupied Esquimalt in 1910 which operates today as CFB Esquimalt
CFB Esquimalt
Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt is Canada's Pacific Coast naval base and home port to Maritime Forces Pacific and Joint Task Force Pacific Headquarters....
.
A shipyard started operating in 1873 at Point Hope on the Upper Harbour. Over the years the shipyard had traded hands several times and by 1938 was known as Point Hope Shipyards Limited. Today the yard continues to operate as Point Hope Maritime.
The prominent building at 1002 Wharf Street was constructed as a customs house overlooking the Inner Harbour in 1876. The building would house the organization during a part of the 20th century and become known as the Malahat Building.
On 29 March 1888 the first Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway service started over the first railway bridge to span the harbour. The successor to that line is the Victoria – Courtenay train train operated by Via Rail
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
over the Johnson Street Bridge
Johnson Street Bridge
The Johnson Street Bridge is a bascule bridge that spans the harbour of Victoria, British Columbia. It is commonly referred to as the "Blue Bridge" because of its distinctive blue colour....
(which opened in January 1924).
The Victoria Yacht Club was founded on 8 June 1892 by a group of 46 yachtsmen and is the oldest sailing association in Western Canada. In 1911 King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
recognized the club's success and granted permission to add a "Royal" prefix to the club's name thereby allowing for the change to the Royal Victoria Yacht Club. On 13 July 1913 the club completed its move from an older clubhouse that was floating on pontoons in the Inner Harbour to a new clubhouse on the shore of Caboro Bay in the nearby community of Oak Bay
Oak Bay, British Columbia
Oak Bay is a municipality located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in the Canadian Province of British Columbia, Canada. A member municipality of the Capital Regional District, it is a community east of and adjacent to the City of Victoria...
. By moving out of the crowded harbour the club members could enjoy sailing with less concern for traffic.
Construction of the current provincial Parliament Buildings
British Columbia Parliament Buildings
The British Columbia Parliament Buildings are located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and are home to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia....
overlooking the south side of James Bay (Inner Harbour) was started in 1893 and they were officially opened on 10 February 1898.
20th century
An 1861 map of Victoria by Joseph Despard Pemberton shows a small wooden piling bridge (built 1859) carrying Government Street over James Bay (named for James Douglas) when it had not yet been filled in. In 1869 a newer more substantial James Bay bridge was opened. The stone James Bay Causeway was constructed starting in 1901, it was finished and appearing in postcards by 1906. The Upper Causeway was built from stone quarried on Nelson IslandNelson Island (British Columbia)
Nelson Island is an island in the Sunshine Coast region of the South Coast region of British Columbia. It is surrounded by Hotham Sound, Agamemnon Channel, and Malaspina Strait. The closest communities are Pender Harbour, British Columbia and Egmont, both on the Sechelt Peninsula.The island is...
.
After purchasing the Canadian Pacific Navigation Company in 1901 to form the British Columbia Coast Steamships division, the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
company, through its Canadian Pacific Hotels
Canadian Pacific hotels
Canadian Pacific Hotels was a division of Canadian Pacific Railway that operated a series of hotels across Canada. Most of these resort hotels were originally built and operated by the railway's Hotel Department, while a few were acquired from Canadian National Hotels...
division, then built the Empress Hotel
The Empress (Hotel)
The Fairmont Empress is one of the oldest and most famous hotels in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Located on Government Street facing the Inner Harbour, the Empress has become an iconic symbol for the city itself...
overlooking James Bay in the Inner Harbour which opened in 1908. The Canadian Pacific Steamship Company
CP Ships
CP Ships was a large Canadian container shipping company, prior to being taken over by Hapag Lloyd in late 2005. CP Ships had its head office in the City of Westminster in London and later in the City Place Gatwick development on the property of London Gatwick Airport in Crawley, West Sussex.The...
operated ships out of Victoria on the so called triangle route: Victoria, Vancouver, Seattle. From Vancouver passengers could then board an ocean going Empress liner. The creation of BC Ferries
BC Ferries
British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. or BC Ferries is a de facto Crown Corporation that provides all major passenger and vehicle ferry services for coastal and island communities in the Canadian province of British Columbia...
in 1960 put the CP Ships passenger triangle route trade out of business and the ship terminal building was leased to become a wax museum by 1969.
In 1901 Captain John Voss
John Voss
John Claus Voss was a Canadian sailor best known for sailing around the world in a modified dug-out canoe he named Tilikum . He started in 1901 with his friend Norman Luxton and ending alone in 1904...
and Norman Luxton
Norman Luxton
Norman K. Luxton was a pioneer in the Canadian Rockies known as "Mr. Banff" . With John Voss, he attempted to sail around the world in a dug-out canoe...
set sail from Oak Bay to circumnavigate the world's oceans in the 38 feet (11.6 m) dugout canoe
Dugout (boat)
A dugout or dugout canoe is a boat made from a hollowed tree trunk. Other names for this type of boat are logboat and monoxylon. Monoxylon is Greek -- mono- + ξύλον xylon -- and is mostly used in classic Greek texts. In Germany they are called einbaum )...
Tilikum
Tilikum (boat)
The Tilikum was a dugout canoe that was used in an effort to circumnavigate the globe starting in 1901. The boat was a "Nootkan" canoe which was already old when it was obtained by captain John Voss in April 1901. The boat was built in the early 19th century as a dugout canoe made from a large...
. They stopped in Victoria before setting out across the Pacific Ocean and reached London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1904. Nowadays the Tilikum may be seen on exhibit at the Maritime Museum of British Columbia in Victoria.
In 1905 the British Columbia Electric Railway
British Columbia Electric Railway
The British Columbia Electric Railway was a historic Canadian railway which operated in southwestern British Columbia.Originally the parent company, and later a division, of BC Electric, the BCER operated public transportation in southwestern British Columbia from its establishment in the...
opened Gorge Park along the Gorge Waterway. The electric streetcar
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
system was abandoned in 1948 and the park was donated to Esquimalt in 1955.
After the 1914 opening of the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
the city of Victoria sought to increase ship traffic to the harbour and built the breakwater and Ogden Point
Ogden Point
Ogden Point is a deep water port facility located in the southwestern corner of the city of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Its location in the historic and beautiful city on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, by the Strait of Juan de Fuca not far from Vancouver and Seattle, USA, has made it...
piers in 1916 and 1918 respectively for $5 millon. In 1925 the city and Panama Pacific Grain Terminal Elevator Co. Ltd. built a 93 ft (28.3 m) high grain storage bins to ship Prairie Provinces
Canadian Prairies
The Canadian Prairies is a region of Canada, specifically in western Canada, which may correspond to several different definitions, natural or political. Notably, the Prairie provinces or simply the Prairies comprise the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, as they are largely covered...
grain worldwide. In 1928 the federal government granted control over Ogden Point to the Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
(CNR). Around 1928 the British Columbia Packers Ltd. (BC Packers) company built a fish processing
Fish processing
The term fish processing refers to the processes associated with fish and fish products between the time fish are caught or harvested, and the time the final product is delivered to the customer...
and cold storage
Refrigeration
Refrigeration is a process in which work is done to move heat from one location to another. This work is traditionally done by mechanical work, but can also be done by magnetism, laser or other means...
plant at Ogden Point.
After passage of the 1917 Migratory Birds Convention Act
Migratory Birds Convention Act
The Migratory Birds Convention Act is a Canadian law established in 1917 and significantly updated in June 1994 which contains regulations to protect migratory birds, their eggs, and their nests from hunting, trafficking and commercialization...
1700 hectares (4,200.8 acre) of Victoria Harbour were designated a federal Migratory Bird Sanctuary in 1923.
The first floatplane
Floatplane
A floatplane is a type of seaplane, with slender pontoons mounted under the fuselage; only the floats of a floatplane normally come into contact with water, with the fuselage remaining above water...
landed in Victoria in 1919 when William Boeing
William Boeing
William Edward Boeing was an American aviation pioneer who founded The Boeing Company.-Biography:Boeing was born to a wealthy German mining engineer named Wilhelm Böing who had made a fortune and who had a sideline as a timber merchant...
and Eddie Hubbard beached their plane near Shoal Point as part of a new U.S. International Air Mail
Airmails of the United States
Airmails of the United States or U.S. Air Mail relates to the servicing of flown mails by the U.S. postal system within the United States, its possessions, and/or territories, marked as "Via Air Mail" , appropriately franked, and afforded any then existing class or sub-class of U.S...
service that also stopped at Vancouver and Seattle.
In the spring of 1931 the Imperial Oil
Imperial Oil
Imperial Oil Limited is Canada's largest petroleum company. The company is engaged in the exploration, production and sale of crude oil and natural gas. It is controlled by US based ExxonMobil, which owns 69.6% of its stock...
Causeway Garage was opened at 812 Wharf Street. The Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
building featured a 24.4 metres (80.1 ft) high tower that was used as an illuminated aerodrome beacon
Aerodrome beacon
An aerodrome beacon or rotating beacon is a beacon installed at an airport or aerodrome to indicate its location to aircraft pilots at night....
for aviators to put in to Victoria Harbour at night. The light was used until World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when it was turned off. The garage was used until 1974 then it was acquired by the province in 1975 and lastly by the British Columbia Provincial Capital Commission
Provincial Capital Commission
The Provincial Capital Commission is a government-owned Crown Agency of the province of British Columbia, Canada.Its function is to provide stewardship for historical buildings, and promote British Columbia's capital city, Victoria.-Managed Sites:...
in 1978. The building currently serves as a visitor's information centre and houses other retail outlets.
Flower class corvette
The Flower-class corvette was a class of 267 corvettes used during World War II, specifically with the Allied navies as anti-submarine convoy escorts during the Battle of the Atlantic...
warships for the Royal Canadian Navy, 14 dry cargo ship
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
s, 5 tankers
Tanker (ship)
A tanker is a ship designed to transport liquids in bulk. Major types of tankship include the oil tanker, the chemical tanker, and the liquefied natural gas carrier.-Background:...
, and a stores ship
Combat stores ship
Combat stores ships, or Storeships were originally a designation given to captured ships in the Age of Sail and immediately afterward, used to stow supplies and other goods for naval purposes. Modern combat store ships are operated by the United States Navy...
(hull numbers 14 through 39). To carry out the wartime work in 1941 VMD bought the Rithet piers at the Outer Wharf and 11 hectares (27.2 acre) of surrounding land. On 20 June 1942 the Victoria built , which was based at Esquimalt, responded to a torpedo attack by the Japanese submarine I-25
Japanese submarine I-25
was a B1-Type submarine of the Imperial Japanese Navy that served in World War II, took part in the Attack on Pearl Harbor, and carried out the only aerial bombing on the continental United States during wartime; during the so-called Lookout Air Raid; and the Bombardment of Fort Stevens, both...
upon the SS Fort Camosun off of Cape Flattery
Cape Flattery
Cape Flattery may refer to:* Cape Flattery * Cape Flattery , between North Direction Island, South Direction Island and Three Islands...
in Washington, USA. The British coal burning freighter Fort Camosun was on her maiden voyage carrying zinc, lead, and plywood from Victoria to Britain. The Quesnel rescued the 31 man crew of the Fort Camosun then escorted her as she was towed first to Neah Bay
Neah Bay, Washington
Neah Bay is a census-designated place on the Makah Indian reservation in Clallam County, Washington, United States. The population was 794 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Neah Bay is located at ....
then to Esquimalt Harbour and Victoria Harbour. Fort Camosun was eventually towed to the Port of Seattle
Port of Seattle
The Port of Seattle is a port district that runs Seattle's seaport and airport. Its creation was approved by the voters of King County, Washington, on September 5, 1911, authorized by the Port District Act. It is run by a five-member commission. The commissioners' terms run four years...
for repairs before returning to service.
After the war commercial fishing
Commercial fishing
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often pursue fish far into the ocean under adverse conditions...
increased in Victoria. To accommodate the increase a $ 100,000 Fisherman's Wharf was built near Erie Street, opening 31 March 1948. The 120 metres (393.7 ft) wharf could moor 60 fish packing ships
Factory ship
A factory ship, also known as a fish processing vessel, is a large ocean-going vessel with extensive on-board facilities for processing and freezing caught fish...
along six finger float piers.
From February 1954 to February 1964 the HMCS Malahat organization occupied the old custom house
Custom House
A custom house or customs house was a building housing the offices for the government officials who processed the paperwork for the import and export of goods into and out of a country. Customs officials also collected customs duty on imported goods....
at 1002 Wharf Street. As a result the building has been nicknamed the Malahat Building and it is the oldest extant federal building in Western Canada
Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces and commonly as the West, is a region of Canada that includes the four provinces west of the province of Ontario.- Provinces :...
. After February 1964 the HMCS Malahat organization occupied building 61 at CFB Esquimalt before moving into
the current location at 20 Huron Street overlooking Victoria Harbour on 14 March 1992.
In 1968 Victoria Machinery Depot launched their last vessel the MV Doris Yorke which was later named Seaspan Doris, having completed the massive SEDCO 135-F oil platform
Oil platform
An oil platform, also referred to as an offshore platform or, somewhat incorrectly, oil rig, is a lаrge structure with facilities to drill wells, to extract and process oil and natural gas, and to temporarily store product until it can be brought to shore for refining and marketing...
for Transocean
Transocean
Transocean Ltd. is one of the world's largest offshore drilling contractors. The company rents floating mobile drill rigs, along with the equipment and personnel for operations, to oil and gas companies at an average daily rate of US$282,700...
the previous year.
Following a 1969 dredging and expansion by CNR, Ogden Point became a sizable lumber shipping operation. On 8 August 1977 a large fire that was visible from Port Angeles
Port Angeles, Washington
Port Angeles is a city in and the county seat of Clallam County, Washington, United States. The population was 19,038 at the 2010 census. The area's harbor was dubbed Puerto de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles by Spanish explorer Francisco de Eliza in 1791, but by the mid-19th century the name had...
destroyed many of the buildings at Ogden Point. The following year CNR ceded Ogden Point back to the federal government's Transport Canada. However, in 1984 the last of the Victoria Harbour lumber shipping companies, Sooke Forest Products, filed for bankruptcy.
In 1883 Robert P. Rithet
Robert Paterson Rithet
Robert Paterson Rithet was a Scottish-born businessman and political figure in British Columbia, Canada. He represented Victoria City in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1894 to 1898...
(after whom the R.P. Rithet sternwheeler was named) built a large dock facility near Shoal Point, known as the Outer Wharves, which was initially used for sugar warehousing. After the construction of the Empress Hotel in 1908 the Outer Wharves started to land more passenger vessels. In 1975 the Outer Wharves were demolished and construction began on a new Canadian Coast Guard
Canadian Coast Guard
The Canadian Coast Guard is the coast guard of Canada. It is a federal agency responsible for providing maritime search and rescue , aids to navigation, marine pollution response, marine radio, and icebreaking...
station that opened in 1980.
On 31 March 1990 the BC Packers' cold storage fish factory shut down due to the low catch in Victoria, and in 1993 the five storey plant was torn down.
In 1997 students and faculty from Lester B. Pearson College
Lester B. Pearson College
Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific is one of thirteen United World Colleges around the world. It is named after the late Canadian Prime Minister Lester Bowles Pearson, winner of the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize and originator of the United Nations Peace Keeping program...
took over the management of the Race Rocks Lighthouse station.
21st century
In 2001 the Norwegian Sky arrived from Seattle, becoming the first weekly cruise vessel to call on Ogden Point.Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
in February 2002. In a 2005 report the provincial government noted that Victoria Harbour was still involved in the process of federal harbour divestiture. The GVHA is an associate (non-voting) member of the Association of Canadian Port Authorities
Port authority
In Canada and the United States a port authority is a governmental or quasi-governmental public authority for a special-purpose district usually formed by a legislative body to operate ports and other transportation infrastructure.Port authorities are usually governed by boards or...
.
Victoria sponsored a boat in the 2005–2006 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and the race boats put in to the Causeway Floats facility in the Inner Harbour during one of the stops.
Hydrography
Victoria Harbour comprises the Outer Harbour, Middle Harbour, Inner Harbour, James Bay, Upper Harbour, Selkirk Water, Gorge Waters, and Portage Inlet. Just to the west of Victoria Harbour is the Esquimalt Harbour.The active portions of Victoria Harbour that can accommodate large and mid sized vessels (Outer, Middle, Inner, and Upper) are spread along 4 km (2.5 mi; 2.2 nmi
Nautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
) of estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
. The width of the active harbour goes from 0.74 km (0.46 mi; 0.4 nmi) out at the Ogden Point breakwater
Breakwater (structure)
Breakwaters are structures constructed on coasts as part of coastal defence or to protect an anchorage from the effects of weather and longshore drift.-Purposes of breakwaters:...
entrance down to 137 m (449 ft; 0.074 nmi) along the Middle Harbour then widens out in the Inner and Upper Harbour areas. Harbour depths vary from 6 m (3.3 fathom; 19.7 ft) up to 20 m (10.9 fathom; 65.6 ft) in the Inner Harbour.
Approach
Royal Roads
Royal Roads is a roadstead or anchorage located in Strait of Juan de Fuca near the entrance to Esquimalt Harbour in Greater Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. In 1790, Sub-Lt Don Manuel Quimper of the Spanish navy anchored his ship the Princess Royal there and claimed the territory for Carlos IV....
strait or roadstead
Roadstead
A roadstead is a place outside a harbor where a ship can lie at anchor. It is an enclosed area with an opening to the sea, narrower than a bay or gulf. It has a surface that cannot be confused with an estuary. It can be created artificially by jetties or dikes...
. On approach to the Outer Harbour the city of Victoria will lie to starboard
Port and starboard
Port and starboard are nautical terms which refer to the left and right sides, respectively, of a ship or aircraft as perceived by a person on board facing the bow . At night, the port side of a vessel is indicated with a red navigation light and the starboard side with a green one.The starboard...
and the town of Esquimalt to port. The BC Geographical Names Information System
BC Geographical Names Information System
The BC Geographical Names is a geographic name web service and database for British Columbia, Canada, which is run and maintained by the Base Mapping and Geomatic Services Branch of the Integrated Land Management Bureau...
mentions that the former Ports & Harbours Authority of Navigation Canada defined the outer limits of Victoria Harbour extending to a line drawn from Albert Head
Albert Head, Metchosin
Albert Head is a neighbourhood in Metchosin, British Columbia, Canada, part of the Western Communities area of Greater Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is located on, and named after, the headland of Albert Head. CFB Esquimalt operates the Albert Head Air Cadet Summer Training Centre in the...
to the Trial Islands but excluded Esquimalt Harbour.
Large vessel operators should note that traffic on the approach to the Juan de Fuca Strait is handled by MCTS Tofino, within the Juan de Fuca Strait by Puget Sound Seattle Vessel Traffic Service, and north of Race Rocks
Race Rocks Marine Protected Area
Race Rocks is a marine ecological reserve in the eastern entrance of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The reserve served as a Marine Protected Area pilot project and is now seeking Marine Protected Area designation after the first bid in 2000 was derailed in Ottawa. Started in 1978 as a marine science...
, the Marine Communications and Traffic Services centre for the approach to Victoria Harbour is the MCTS Victoria station in Patricia Bay.
Outer Harbour
The entrance line to the Outer Harbour extends from the breakwater just south of Pier A at Ogden Point in Victoria to Macaulay Point in Esquimalt. There is a large cruise ship and cable laying shipCable layer
A cable layer or cable ship is a deep-sea vessel designed and used to lay underwater cables for telecommunications, electricity, and such. Cable ships are distinguished by large cable sheaveshttp://atlantic-cable.com/Cableships/Monarch%284%29/ | History of the Atlantic Cable & Undersea...
docking facility at Ogden Point.
Middle Harbour
The Middle Harbour is entered between Shoal Point on the Victoria side and Colville Island on the Esquimalt side. It extends east to the Inner Harbour. The Victoria Canadian Coast Guard station lies on Shoal Point. The fisherman's wharf docks are in the Middle Harbour.Inner Harbour
The Inner Harbour is entered between Laurel Point in Victoria and Songhees Point in Victoria West. It extends northeast to the Johnson Street BridgeJohnson Street Bridge
The Johnson Street Bridge is a bascule bridge that spans the harbour of Victoria, British Columbia. It is commonly referred to as the "Blue Bridge" because of its distinctive blue colour....
. Within the Inner Harbour the area in front of the Empress Hotel was known as "James Bay" in the 19th century as well as in 21st century harbour traffic maps, however most tourists refer to the whole area as "Inner Harbour". Adjacent to the Causeway Floats marina in James Bay lies the Victoria neighbourhood of James Bay
James Bay, Greater Victoria
James Bay is a high density neighbourhood of Victoria, BC. It is the oldest residential neighbourhood on the West coast of North America that is north of San Francisco. James Bay occupies the south side of the Inner Harbour close to downtown...
. Most regularly scheduled ferries and seaplanes dock within the Inner Harbour. There is a Canada Border Services Agency
Canada Border Services Agency
The Canada Border Services Agency is a federal law enforcement agency that is responsible for border enforcement, immigration enforcement and customs services....
office at Ogden Point and another adjacent to the Inner Harbour.
Curiously, despite having offices in the city of Victoria the British Columbia Ferry Services crown corporation
Crown corporations of Canada
Canadian Crown corporations are enterprises owned by the federal government of Canada , one of Canada's provincial governments or one of the territorial governments. Crown corporations have a long standing presence in the country and have been instrumental in the formation of the state...
offers no scheduled service to Victoria Harbour. Instead, BC Ferries serves the transportation needs of the Capital Regional District via 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...
, which is further north along 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...
and provides service to the mainland, as well as with the which links Brentwood Bay
Brentwood Bay, British Columbia
Brentwood Bay, is a small neighbourhood in the municipality of Central Saanich, on the Saanich Peninsula. It lies north of the city of Victoria and south of Sidney on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Situated on the Saanich Inlet, it includes the Butchart Gardens, the Victoria Butterfly...
to the town of Mill Bay
Mill Bay, British Columbia
Mill Bay is a commuter town of about 3,200 people located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada about north of Victoria, the capital.Mill Bay was founded in the 1860s with lumber and milling as its primary industries, done at the mill on the bay...
across the Saanich Inlet
Saanich Inlet
Saanich Inlet is a body of salt water that lies between the Saanich Peninsula and the Malahat highlands of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Located just northwest of Victoria, the inlet is 24 km long , has a surface area of 65 km2 , and its maximum depth is 225 m . Great...
. Other companies do provide ferry service to the harbour (see table below).
The Inner Harbour is home to the boarding jetties for the Canadian and US airlines that use the Victoria Inner Harbour Airport
Victoria Inner Harbour Airport
Victoria Harbour Airport or Victoria Harbour Water Aerodrome, , is located in Victoria Harbour, adjacent to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada....
. In 2007 the seaplane link from Victoria to Vancouver Harbour Water Airport was, according to the Official Airline Guide
Official Airline Guide
OAG, formerly Official Airline Guide, is a United Kingdom based business providing aviation information and analytical services sourced from its proprietary airline schedules, flight status, fleet, MRO and cargo logistics databases....
, Canada's busiest air route by the number of weekly flights. The water runways and taxiways for the airport extend out through the Middle Harbour and Outer Harbour.
| Company | Vessel(s) | Destination | notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Ball Ferry Line Puget Sound Navigation Company The Puget Sound Navigation Company was founded by Joshua Green in 1913. It operated a fleet of steamboats and ferries on Puget Sound in Washington and the Georgia Strait in British Columbia... |
Port Angeles, WA Port Angeles, Washington Port Angeles is a city in and the county seat of Clallam County, Washington, United States. The population was 19,038 at the 2010 census. The area's harbor was dubbed Puerto de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles by Spanish explorer Francisco de Eliza in 1791, but by the mid-19th century the name had... |
can carry cars | |
| Clipper Navigation | Victoria Clipper, Victoria Clipper III, Victoria Clipper IV | Seattle, WA | fast catamaran Catamaran A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas... s |
| Victoria Harbour Ferry Company and H2O Taxi | 12 small launch Launch (boat) A launch in contemporary usage refers to a large motorboat. The name originally referred to the largest boat carried by a warship. The etymology of the word is given as Portuguese lancha "barge", from Malay lancha, lancharan, "boat," from lanchar "velocity without effort," "action of gliding... es |
intra harbour | seasonal tours and water taxi Water taxi A water taxi or water bus, also known as a commuter boat, is a watercraft used to provide public transport, usually but not always in an urban environment. Service may be scheduled with multiple stops, operating in a similar manner to a bus, or on demand to many locations, operating in a similar... |
| Company | Vessel(s) | Destination | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria San Juan Cruises | Victoria Star 2 Victoria Star 2 Victoria Star 2 is a passenger only foot ferry owned and operated by San Juan Cruises. The ferry has operated during the summer months between Bellingham, Washington, United States, and the Inner Harbour in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, making one round trip daily... |
Bellingham, WA Bellingham, Washington Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia... |
|
| Victoria Express Victoria Express Victoria Express, also known as Victoria Rapid Transit, was the name of a private, seasonal ferry operation based in Port Angeles, Washington. They operated two passenger-only ferries, on routes between Port Angeles and Victoria, British Columbia and Friday Harbor, Washington during the summer,... |
Victoria Express, Victoria Express II | Port Angeles, WA Port Angeles, Washington Port Angeles is a city in and the county seat of Clallam County, Washington, United States. The population was 19,038 at the 2010 census. The area's harbor was dubbed Puerto de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles by Spanish explorer Francisco de Eliza in 1791, but by the mid-19th century the name had... |
|
Upper Harbour
The Upper Harbour extends north from the Johnson Street Bridge to the Point Ellice Bridge (also known as the Bay StreetBay Street (Victoria)
Bay Street is an east-west arterial road in Victoria, British Columbia. On the east side the road starts at Richmond Road. in front of the Royal Jubilee Hospital and on the west side at Catherine Street. The Point Ellice Bridge is the bridge that Bay Streer. uses to cross the Upper Harbour....
Bridge). The small area of water in the northeast of the Upper Harbour is known as "Rock Bay". Adjacent to the Rock Bay body of water is the Rock Bay neighbourhood. The Upper Harbour is home to the Sail and Life Training Society and their topsail schooner Pacific Swift
Pacific Swift (ship)
The Pacific Swift is a square topsail schooner, built by S.A.L.T.S. as a working exhibit at Expo '86 in Vancouver, British Columbia. She provides 5-10 day sail training programs for young people and day sails for S.A.L.T.S...
.
In 1896 a predecessor of the Bay Street Bridge was the site of a streetcar bridge collapse disaster
Point Ellice Bridge Disaster
On May 26, 1896 in Victoria, British Columbia, a streetcar crowded with 143 holidaymakers on their way to attend celebrations of Queen Victoria’s birthday, crashed through Point Ellice Bridge into the Upper Harbour. 55 men, women and children were killed in the accident, making this one of the...
that was one of the worst in BC history.
Selkirk Water
Selkirk Water extends northwest from the Point Ellice Bridge to Chapman Point. The Galloping Goose Regional Trail traverses Selkirk Water on a bridge known as the Selkirk Trestle that was originally built by the Canadian National RailwayCanadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
.
Gorge Waters
Gorge Waters extends northwest from Chapman Point to Maple Point and the Craigflower Bridge. The shore of Gorge Waters is home to the Gorge Waterway Discovery Centre and the Craigflower Manor and SchoolhouseCraigflower Manor and Schoolhouse
The Craigflower Manor and Craigflower Schoolhouse are National Historic Sites of Canada located in View Royal, British Columbia near Victoria. The centerpiece of each historic site is a 19th century building — a manor and schoolhouse commissioned by the Hudson's Bay Company to provide education...
. The Victoria Canoe and Kayak Club is located along Gorge Waters as well. Some charts split the Gorge Waters into a "Lower Gorge Waterway" and an "Upper Gorge Waterway" with the split being the fixed Tillicum Road Bridge between them.
The Craigflower Bridge, which carries Highway 1A (locally "Admiral's Road") over the Harbour was, in 1997, the site of the murder of Reena Virk
Murder of Reena Virk
Reena Virk was a resident of Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. Her status as a bullying and murder victim attracted substantial media attention in Canada.Virk was first swarmed by eight teenagers...
.
Portage Inlet
The inner most portion of the harbour is called Portage Inlet and it extends north and west of Craigflower Bridge. The most noticeable feature of Portage Inlet seen from above is the Craigowan Road peninsula that extends into the water body north of the Shoreline Community School. Just south of Portage Inlet is the Portage Regional Park in View Royal that runs north from Thetis Cove in Esquimalt Harbour. Flowing into Portage Inlet's northeast side is Colquitz Creek which drains Elk LakeElk Lake (British Columbia)
Elk Lake is a large lake located in Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park in Saanich, British Columbia. Elk Lake and Beaver Lake are actually one lake as a shallow channel connects them....
which in turn drains O'Donnel Creek. The Victoria City Rowing Club
Victoria City Rowing Club
The Victoria City Rowing Club is a non-profit rowing club located at Elk Lake in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.VCRC offers a variety of recreational and seasonal rowing programs and services including programs for beginners, corporate retreats, customized training camps, and private coaching...
rows at Elk Lake along with local University and High School crews.
Facilities
The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority operates several docks and marinas in the harbour including:- Ogden PointOgden PointOgden Point is a deep water port facility located in the southwestern corner of the city of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Its location in the historic and beautiful city on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, by the Strait of Juan de Fuca not far from Vancouver and Seattle, USA, has made it...
- has cruise ship and break bulk cargoBreak bulk cargoIn shipping, break bulk cargo or general cargo is a term that covers a great variety of goods that must be loaded individually, and not in intermodal containers nor in bulk as with oil or grain. Ships that carry this sort of cargo are often called general cargo ships...
docks in the Outer Harbour. Vessels up to 300 m (984.3 ft) can be accommodated. - Fisherman's Wharf - is a long term and fishing vessel dock in the Middle Harbour with no transient docking. There is a GVHA fuel dock.
- Causeway Floats - in the Inner Harbour can handle vessels up to 75 m (246.1 ft).
- Ship Point - can accommodate vessels up to 75 m (246.1 ft) and is often used for floatplanes.
- Wharf Street Marina - in the Inner Harbour is for transient mooring.
- Mermaid's Wharf Marina - in the Inner Harbour is for transient mooring.
- Johnson Street Floats - in the Inner Harbour is for transient mooring.
In addition to the facilities owned and operated by the GVHA there are others:
- Westbay Marine Village - marina is in the Outer Harbour.
- Victoria Coast Guard Station - is on Shoal Point. - is on Shoal Point.
- Coast Harbourside Floats - 42 slip marina is part of a hotel between Raymur Point and Laurel Point in the Middle Harbour.
- International Ferry Dock - is in the Inner Harbour.
- Black Ball FerryPuget Sound Navigation CompanyThe Puget Sound Navigation Company was founded by Joshua Green in 1913. It operated a fleet of steamboats and ferries on Puget Sound in Washington and the Georgia Strait in British Columbia...
Dock - is in the Inner Harbour. - Pacific Undersea Gardens - is in the Inner Harbour (at former CP Ships dock).
- Ocean Pointe Floats - are on the western side of the Inner Harbour in Victoria West.
- Point Hope ShipyardShipyardShipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
s - are along the west bank of the Upper Harbour. - Village Marina - is along the east bank of the Upper Harbour.
- Canoe Marina - is on the east bank of the Upper Harbour.
- Island Asphalt Company Barge Dock - is at Rock Bay in the Upper Harbour.
- Butler Brothers Barge Dock - is at Rock Bay in the Upper Harbour.
- LafargeLafargeLafarge is a French industrial company specialising in four major products: cement, construction aggregates, concrete and gypsum wallboard. In 2010 the company was the world's second-largest cement manufacturer by mass shipped behind Holcim.-History:...
Barge Dock - is near Rock Bay in the Upper Harbour.
The graving dock at adjacent Esquimalt Harbour can drydock a Panamax
Panamax
Panamax and New Panamax are popular terms for the size limits for ships traveling through the Panama Canal. Formally, the limits and requirements are published by the Panama Canal Authority titled "Vessel Requirements"...
sized vessel.
Sailing events
Home port
A vessel's home port is the port at which it is based, which may not be the same as its port of registry shown on its registration documents and lettered on the stern of the ship's hull...
for a number of sailing and boating events:
- The Swiftsure Yacht RaceSwiftsure Yacht RaceThe Swiftsure International Yacht Race is the premier long distance sailing race in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia area. Starting and ending in Victoria, BC, Canada, the Swiftsure is international because the mid-point markers are in U.S. waters...
out into the Juan de Fuca Strait and back has been held yearly since 1930 and is sponsored by the Royal Victoria Yacht Club. - The Vic-Maui Yacht RaceVic-Maui Yacht RaceThe Victoria to Maui International Yacht Race , the longest offshore sailing race off the west coast of North America, is the pinnacle of Pacific Northwest ocean racing. First contested in 1968, the Vic-Maui runs every second year, starting in June or July off Victoria, British Columbia, Canada...
between Victoria and Lahaina, Hawaii has been held in even numbered years since 1968. - The Victoria SymphonyVictoria SymphonyThe Victoria Symphony is a Canadian orchestra based in Victoria, British Columbia. It is considered by some to be Vancouver Island's premiere active performing arts organization. Currently directed by Tania Miller - one of North America's first female musical directors - the staff consist of both...
holds its annual Symphony SplashSymphony SplashThe Symphony Splash is an annual event held in Victoria, British Columbia on the first Sunday in August . The event consists of the Victoria Symphony playing, live on a barge, in the middle of Victoria's Inner Harbour. Also included in the event is a very large fireworks display, as well as live...
concert on BC DayCivic HolidayCivic Holiday is the most widely used name for a public holiday celebrated in parts of Canada on the first Monday in August, though it is only officially known by that term in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, Prince Edward Island, and Manitoba...
staged on a barge docked in the Inner Harbour, and has been doing so since 1991. Many spectators view the concert from canoes or kayaks, as well as from boats docked at the "Causeway Floats" and "Ship Point" marinaMarinaA marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
s. - The Victoria Dragon BoatDragon boatA dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft traditionally made, in the Pearl River delta region of southern China - Guangdong Province, of teak wood to various designs and sizes. In other parts of China different woods are used to build these traditional watercraft...
Festival has been held in the Inner Harbour annually since 1995. - A Gorge Canada DayCanada DayCanada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire...
Picnic is held by the Gorge Tillicum Community Association and has brought more than 5,000 visitors to the parks along the Gorge Waterway on 1 July each year since 1999. - The Victoria Tall ShipTall shipA tall ship is a large, traditionally-rigged sailing vessel. Popular modern tall ship rigs include topsail schooners, brigantines, brigs and barques. "Tall Ship" can also be defined more specifically by an organization, such as for a race or festival....
s Festival has been held every third year since 2005, although the 2011 event was cancelled due to high costs of staging the festival. The festival is part of the Tall Ships ChallengeTall Ships ChallengeThe Tall Ships Challenge is an annual event organized by the American Sail Training Association alternating in a three year cycle between the Great Lakes, the Pacific and the Atlantic coasts of North America....
event. - Since 2000, the Gorge Rowing and Paddling Centre (GRPC) has hosted the Brotchie Reach Outrigger Canoe Races. This is a 13.4 kilometres (8.3 mi) race for OC6 (six-person outrigger canoeOutrigger canoeThe outrigger canoe is a type of canoe featuring one or more lateral support floats known as outriggers, which are fastened to one or both sides of the main hull...
) and small boats (OC1, canoe-kayak, surf-ski). The race hosts up to 200 paddling racers each year - the race course starts at GRPC on the Gorge Waterway then transits through Victoria's Inner, Middle, and Outer Harbours out to the Brotchie Navigational marker and back.
Ecology
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
land area of the Victoria and Saanich Peninsulas, Victoria Harbour is an estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
.
Some of the fresh water
Fresh Water
Fresh Water is the debut album by Australian rock and blues singer Alison McCallum, released in 1972. Rare for an Australian artist at the time, it came in a gatefold sleeve...
tributaries of the harbour include:
- Colquitz Creek
- Beaver Lake
- Elk LakeElk Lake (British Columbia)Elk Lake is a large lake located in Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park in Saanich, British Columbia. Elk Lake and Beaver Lake are actually one lake as a shallow channel connects them....
- O'Donnel Creek
- Elk Lake
- Durrell Creek
- Swan Lake Creek
- Swan LakeSwan Lake Nature SanctuarySwan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary is a nature reserve located in Saanich, British Columbia. The sanctuary includes a lake, adjacent marshy lowlands, and a nature centre, as well as a good part of the summit regions of Christmas Hill.-1960-1980:...
- Blenkinsop Lake
- Swan Lake
- Beaver Lake
- Craigflower Creek
- Thetis LakeThetis LakeThetis Lake is a name that refers to two freshwater lakes connected by a narrow culvert in the 834 hectare Thetis Lake Regional Park outside Victoria, British Columbia, about 12km from the city centre. It was established as Canada's first nature sanctuary in 1958...
s (Upper and Lower)
- Thetis Lake
- Cecelia Creek
- James Bay Creek (this tributary now runs in culvertCulvertA culvert is a device used to channel water. It may be used to allow water to pass underneath a road, railway, or embankment. Culverts can be made of many different materials; steel, polyvinyl chloride and concrete are the most common...
s under landfill, see also Beacon Hill ParkBeacon Hill ParkBeacon Hill Park is a 75 ha park located along the shore of Juan de Fuca Strait in Victoria, British Columbia. The park is popular both with tourists and locals, and contains a number of amenities including woodland and shoreline trails, two playgrounds, a waterpark, playing fields, a petting...
)
In Portage Inlet there are 70 ha (173 acre) of eelgrass
Zostera
Zostera is a small genus of widely distributed seagrass, commonly called marine eelgrass or simply eelgrass . The genus Zostera contains sixteen species.-Ecology:Zostera is found on sandy substrates or in estuaries submerged or partially floating...
growing under water. Portage Inlet and the Gorge Waterway may also be home to the largest colony of Pacific oyster
Pacific oyster
The Pacific oyster, Japanese oyster or Miyagi oyster , is an oyster native to the Pacific coast of Asia. It has become an introduced species in North America, Australia, Europe, and New Zealand.- Etymology :...
s on the west coast. Craigflower Creek, one of the tributaries of Portage Inlet, is a spawning area for Coho salmon
Coho salmon
The Coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon or "silvers". It is the state animal of Chiba, Japan.-Description:...
and Chum salmon
Chum salmon
The chum salmon, Oncorhynchus keta, is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family. It is a Pacific salmon, and may also be known as dog salmon or Keta salmon, and is often marketed under the name Silverbrite salmon...
. Pacific herring
Pacific herring
The Pacific herring, Clupea pallasii, is a species of the herring family associated with the Pacific Ocean environment of North America and northeast Asia. This species is a silvery fish with unspined fins and a deeply forked caudal fin...
also use Portage Inlet and the Gorge Waterway for spawning
Spawn (biology)
Spawn refers to the eggs and sperm released or deposited, usually into water, by aquatic animals. As a verb, spawn refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, also called spawning...
.
Victoria Harbour was recognized as a Migratory Bird Sanctuary in 1923. The Upper and Lower Thetis Lakes, which discharge into Portage Inlet, were Canada's first nature sanctuary in 1958.
In 1965 the city of Victoria started using the former Mud Bay on the south shore of Victoria West as a garbage dump. When Mud Bay was filled in it was superseded by the Hartland landfill
Hartland landfill
The Hartland landfill is the waste disposal site for the city of Victoria, British Columbia and the Greater Victoria area. Since 1985, it has been run by the Capital Regional District environmental services. It is located on top of a hill, between Victoria and Sidney, at the end of Hartland Avenue...
.
In 1998 the Cecelia Creek Clean Up Committee was formed to work on restoring the environment in and around the Cecelia Creek that flows into Selkirk Water.
Between 2002 and 2006 Transport Canada spent over $4 million to clean up properties in the harbour to stricter environmental standards. BC Hydro
BC Hydro
The BC Hydro and Power Authority is a Canadian electric utility in the province of British Columbia generally known simply as BC Hydro. It is the main electric distributor, serving 1.8 million customers in most areas, with the exception of the Kootenay region, where FortisBC, a subsidiary of Fortis...
and the Federal Government
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
have undertaken a $2 million clean-up of the eastern shore of Rock Bay which was once the site of a coal gasification
Coal gasification
Coal gasification is the process of producing coal gas, a type of syngas–a mixture of carbon monoxide , hydrogen , carbon dioxide and water vapour –from coal...
plant. The plant had been the last run by the Victoria Gas Company which had started in 1860 and was one of the forerunners of BC Hydro.
Through the coordination and services of the Capital Regional District (CRD) the municipalities of Colwood, Esquimalt, Langford, Oak Bay, Saanich, Victoria, and View Royal discharged an average of 129000000 litre of filtered but untreated sewage into the ocean every day in 2006. At two filtration facilities (Clover Point in Victoria and Macauley Point in Esquimalt) sewage is screened to exclude objects larger than 6 millimetres before being released into the Juan de Fuca Strait via marine outfall
Marine outfall
A marine outfall is a pipeline or tunnel that discharges municipal or industrial wastewater, stormwater, combined sewer overflows, cooling water, or brine effluents from water desalination plants to the sea. Usually they discharge under the sea's surface...
s. Solid matter that is filtered out of the effluent is trucked to the Hartland landfill. In 2006 Barry Penner
Barry Penner
Barry Penner, QC is a former Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Chilliwack-Hope. He previously served as Attorney General of British Columbia, Deputy House Leader , and Minister of Environment and Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation.Born in Kitimat in 1966,...
, BC Minister of Environment at the time, concluded that wastewater treatment should be taking place in Victoria and surrounding communities. The CRD has started planning the construction of wastewater treatment plants.