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Sooke | |
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| District of Sooke[1] | |
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  Sooke Sooke (Capital Regional District) Location of Sooke within the Capital Regional District | |
  Sooke Location of Sooke within British Columbia Show map of Vancouver Island Sooke Sooke (British Columbia) Show map of British Columbia | |
| Coordinates:48°22′34″N123°44′16″W / 48.37611°N 123.73778°W /48.37611; -123.73778 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Regional district | Capital |
| Incorporated | December 7, 1999 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Maja Tait |
| • Councillors | Jeff Bateman, Al Beddows, Megan McMath, Kevin Pearson, Tony St-Pierre. |
| • MP | Stephanie McLean(Liberal) |
| • MLA | Dana Lajeunesse (NDP) |
| Area | |
| • Land | 56.60 km2 (21.85 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 15,086 |
| • Density | 266.6/km2 (690/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| Forward sortation area | |
| Highways | 14 |
| Website | sooke |
Sooke (/ˈsuːk/) is adistrict municipality on the southern tip ofVancouver Island, Canada, 38 kilometres (24 mi) by road fromVictoria, the capital ofBritish Columbia. Sooke, the westernmost ofGreater Victoria'sWestern Communities, is to the north and west of theSooke Basin. It is a regional centre for residents in neighbouring communities, includingOtter Point,Shirley andJordan River.
Sooke has aMediterranean climate, with warm summers and mild winters, defined by theKöppen climate classification asCsb. Although its precipitation is more like dry summer climates, its temperatures resembleoceanic climates as found inIreland, for example.[3]
| Climate data for Sooke (Park-Isle Marine), elevation: 32 m or 105 ft, 1967-1990 normals and extremes | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 15.1 (59.2) | 15.6 (60.1) | 16.0 (60.8) | 23.6 (74.5) | 28.2 (82.8) | 28.3 (82.9) | 29.4 (84.9) | 29.6 (85.3) | 27.2 (81.0) | 21.5 (70.7) | 21.8 (71.2) | 15.9 (60.6) | 29.6 (85.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.7 (44.1) | 8.4 (47.1) | 10.1 (50.2) | 11.9 (53.4) | 14.2 (57.6) | 16.4 (61.5) | 18.2 (64.8) | 18.6 (65.5) | 17.1 (62.8) | 13.1 (55.6) | 9.3 (48.7) | 6.9 (44.4) | 12.6 (54.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.2 (39.6) | 5.4 (41.7) | 6.6 (43.9) | 8.1 (46.6) | 10.5 (50.9) | 12.6 (54.7) | 14.0 (57.2) | 14.3 (57.7) | 13.0 (55.4) | 9.7 (49.5) | 6.6 (43.9) | 4.5 (40.1) | 9.1 (48.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.6 (34.9) | 2.4 (36.3) | 3.0 (37.4) | 4.3 (39.7) | 6.7 (44.1) | 8.8 (47.8) | 9.9 (49.8) | 10.1 (50.2) | 8.8 (47.8) | 6.2 (43.2) | 3.8 (38.8) | 2.0 (35.6) | 5.6 (42.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −10.6 (12.9) | −12.5 (9.5) | −6.2 (20.8) | −2.2 (28.0) | 0.0 (32.0) | 3.3 (37.9) | 5.0 (41.0) | 4.4 (39.9) | 1.7 (35.1) | −2.8 (27.0) | −10.8 (12.6) | −13.9 (7.0) | −13.9 (7.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 193.1 (7.60) | 142.2 (5.60) | 108.8 (4.28) | 75.6 (2.98) | 44.7 (1.76) | 28.6 (1.13) | 21.0 (0.83) | 26.5 (1.04) | 54.8 (2.16) | 121.3 (4.78) | 213.0 (8.39) | 197.2 (7.76) | 1,226.8 (48.31) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 181.5 (7.15) | 138.4 (5.45) | 107.2 (4.22) | 75.2 (2.96) | 44.7 (1.76) | 28.6 (1.13) | 21.0 (0.83) | 26.5 (1.04) | 54.8 (2.16) | 121.3 (4.78) | 209.4 (8.24) | 189.0 (7.44) | 1,197.6 (47.16) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 11.7 (4.6) | 3.9 (1.5) | 1.6 (0.6) | 0.4 (0.2) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 3.4 (1.3) | 8.2 (3.2) | 29.2 (11.4) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 20 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 21 | 21 | 168 |
| Average rainy days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 18 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 163 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.2 cm) | 3 | 1 | trace | trace | trace | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | trace | 2 | 6 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 84 | 83 | 81 | — | — | 82 | 83 | — | — | 87 | 86 | 85 | 83 |
| Source:NOAA[4] | |||||||||||||
In the2021 Census of Population conducted byStatistics Canada, Sooke had a population of 15,086 living in 6,129 of its 6,431 total private dwellings, a change of16% from its 2016 population of 13,001. With a land area of 56.6 km2 (21.9 sq mi), it had a population density of266.5/km2 (690.3/sq mi) in 2021.[2]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 8,735 | — |
| 2006 | 9,704 | +11.1% |
| 2011 | 11,485 | +18.4% |
| 2016 | 13,001 | +13.2% |
| 2021 | 15,086 | +16.0% |
| Population counts are not adjusted for boundary changes. Source: Statistics Canada | ||
| Panethnic group | 2021[2] | 2016[5] | 2011[6] | 2006[7] | 2001[8] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |||||
| European[a] | 13,135 | 87.71% | 11,565 | 89.69% | 10,380 | 91.41% | 8,850 | 91.33% | 8,170 | 93.75% | ||||
| Indigenous | 1,065 | 7.11% | 865 | 6.71% | 655 | 5.77% | 390 | 4.02% | 315 | 3.61% | ||||
| East Asian[b] | 215 | 1.44% | 190 | 1.47% | 75 | 0.66% | 120 | 1.24% | 85 | 0.98% | ||||
| Southeast Asian[c] | 190 | 1.27% | 100 | 0.78% | 55 | 0.48% | 50 | 0.52% | 50 | 0.57% | ||||
| Latin American | 90 | 0.6% | 20 | 0.16% | 40 | 0.35% | 20 | 0.21% | 40 | 0.46% | ||||
| South Asian | 85 | 0.57% | 65 | 0.5% | 70 | 0.62% | 120 | 1.24% | 15 | 0.17% | ||||
| African | 85 | 0.57% | 35 | 0.27% | 80 | 0.7% | 80 | 0.83% | 30 | 0.34% | ||||
| Middle Eastern[d] | 25 | 0.17% | 10 | 0.08% | 0 | 0% | 20 | 0.21% | 10 | 0.11% | ||||
| Other/Multiracial[e] | 75 | 0.5% | 45 | 0.35% | 0 | 0% | 45 | 0.46% | 10 | 0.11% | ||||
| Total responses | 14,975 | 99.26% | 12,895 | 99.18% | 11,355 | 99.3% | 9,690 | 99.86% | 8,715 | 99.77% | ||||
| Total population | 15,086 | 100% | 13,001 | 100% | 11,435 | 100% | 9,704 | 100% | 8,735 | 100% | ||||
| Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses | ||||||||||||||
According to the2021 census, religious groups in Sooke included:[2]
The District of Sooke was incorporated as a municipality on December 7, 1999. It is one of 13 municipalities within theCapital Regional District and is located in the traditional territories of theT'Sou-ke andScia'new First Nations.
Sooke is governed by a mayor and six councillors, who are elected every four years. The current council was elected on October 15, 2022.[9]
Dana Lajeunesse, who had served on council since replacing the late Brenda Parkinson following a September, 2019 by-election, was elected to theLegislative Assembly of British Columbia in the2024 British Columbia general election. His successor on Sooke council, Herb Haldane, was elected in a by-election on July 12, 2025.[11]
Federally the District is in the riding ofEsquimalt-Saanich-Sooke, represented byStephanie McLean(Liberal) since April 28, 2025.
| Year | Liberal | Conservative | New Democratic | Green | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 17% | 1,256 | 26% | 1,919 | 42% | 3,124 | 7% | 542 | |
| 2019 | 15% | 1,089 | 24% | 1,728 | 37% | 2,691 | 21% | 1,530 | |
Sooke was part of the riding ofLangford-Juan de Fuca, represented by theBC NDP'sRavi Parmar. He succeededJohn Horgan, the former Premier of British Columbia (2017–2022) who first won the seat in 2009 and retired from politics for health reasons in 2023.
In April 2023, the BC Electoral Boundaries Commission created the new riding ofJuan de Fuca-Malahat. It encompasses 44,980 people in Sooke, Port Renfrew, Jordan River, Otter Point, East Sooke, Metchosin, Malahat, Mill Bay and Shawnigan Lake. Its first elected representative,Dana Lajeunesse, won election in a tight race in October, 2024 following a recount.
| Year | New Democratic | Liberal | Green | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 70% | 3,282 | 13% | 623 | 17% | 789 | |
| 2017 | 54% | 2,745 | 25% | 1,263 | 18% | 931 | |
| Conservative | |||||||
| 2024 | 39% | 9,308 | 38% | 9,167 | 23% | 5,522 | |
Well-known destinations in Sooke include Whiffin Spit Park, theSooke Potholes Regional Park and adjacentSooke Potholes Provincial Park.
Sooke is home to theSooke Region Museum.
The area is the base for visiting the wilderness parks ofVancouver Island's southwest coast — theWest Coast Trail and theJuan de Fuca Provincial Park, which includes theJuan de Fuca Marine Trail. Beaches near Sooke include Sandcut, French Beach, Fishboat Bay, China Beach, and Mystic Beach.
TheGalloping Goose Regional Trail, part of theTrans-Canada Trail, runs through Sooke as far asLeechtown, the former site of a gold-rush town circa 1865. Once a rail line, the Goose is now a popular pedestrian and cycling route connecting Sooke to Victoria.
TheSooke Fall Fair was first held in 1913 and continues on Labour Day weekends annually at the Sooke Community Hall.
In April 2022, an average single-family home in Sooke costs $887,500 based on the home price index, drawing from data from the Victoria Real Estate Board (VREB).[14] By June 2022, that number (directly from VREB) increased to $938,000.[15] The average home value as of July 1, 2022 as determined byBC Assessment was$831,000.
Sooke is a part of theSchool District 62 Sooke. There is one high school,Edward Milne Community School, and one junior high school,Journey Middle School. The four elementary schools in the area are John Muir (in the town's west end), Sooke Elementary (town centre), the French immersion Ecole Poirier (town centre), and Saseenos Elementary (east end). In 2018, SD62 announced it had purchased land to build the future Sunriver Elementary in the Sunriver neighbourhood. Continuing adult education programs are offered by theEdward Milne Community School (EMCS) Society, which also operates with day, evening and weekend programs. The closest post-secondary institutions areRoyal Roads University andCamosun College's Interurban campus. The non-profitSooke Region Lifelong Learning offers a diverse set of educational programs and workshops both virtually and at the Sooke library.
Sooke travel guide from WikivoyagePlaces adjacent to Sooke | |
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