Victoria is thecapital city of theCanadian province ofBritish Columbia, located on the southern tip ofVancouver Island off Canada'sPacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and theGreater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The city of Victoria is the seventh most densely populated city in Canada with 4,406 inhabitants per square kilometre (11,410/sq mi).[9]
Named forQueen Victoria, the city is one of the oldest in thePacific Northwest, with British settlement beginning in 1843. The city has retained a large number of its historic buildings, in particular its two most famous landmarks, the Parliament Buildings (finished in 1897 and home of theLegislative Assembly of British Columbia) and theEmpress Hotel (opened in 1908). Thecity's Chinatown is the second oldest in North America, afterSan Francisco. The region'sCoast SalishFirst Nations peoples established communities in the area long before European settlement, which had large populations at the time of European exploration.
Known as "the Garden City", Victoria is an attractive city and a popular tourism destination and has a regional technology sector that has risen to be its largest revenue-generating private industry.[10] In 2019, Victoria was in the top 20 world cities for quality of life, according toNumbeo.[11]
The Spanish and British took up the exploration of the northwest coast, beginning with the visits ofJuan Pérez in 1774, and ofJames Cook in 1778. Although the Victoria area of the Strait of Juan de Fuca was not explored until 1790, Spanish sailors visitedEsquimalt Harbour (just west of Victoria proper) in 1790, 1791, and 1792.[citation needed]
In 1843, aHudson's Bay Company trading post was erected on a site originally calledCamosack meaning "rush of water".[13] Known briefly as "Fort Albert", the settlement was renamed Fort Victoria in November 1843, in honour ofQueen Victoria.[14][15] The Songhees established a village across the harbour from the fort. The Songhees' village was later moved north ofEsquimalt in 1911.The crown colony was established in 1849. Between 1850–1854, a series of treaty agreements known as the Douglas Treaties were made with indigenous communities to purchase certain plots of land in exchange for goods.[16] These agreements contributed to a town being laid out on the site and made the capital of the colony, though controversy has followed about the ethical negotiation and upholding of rights by the colonial government.[17] The superintendent of the fort,Chief FactorJames Douglas, was made the second governor of the Vancouver Island Colony (Richard Blanshard was first governor,Arthur Edward Kennedy was third and last governor), and would be the leading figure in the early development of the city until his retirement in 1864.[citation needed]
When news ofthe discovery of gold on the British Columbia mainland reachedSan Francisco in 1858, Victoria became the port, supply base, and outfitting centre for miners on their way to theFraser Canyon gold fields, mushrooming from a population of 300 to over 5,000 within a few days. Victoria was incorporated as a city in 1862.[18] In 1862 Victoria was the epicentre of the1862 Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemic which devastatedFirst Nations, killing about two-thirds of all natives in British Columbia. In 1865, the North Pacific home of theRoyal Navy was established inEsquimalt and today is Canada'sPacific coast naval base. In 1866 when the island was politically united with the mainland, Victoria was designated the capital ofthe new united colony instead ofNew Westminster – an unpopular move on the Mainland – and became the provincial capital when British Columbia joined theCanadian Confederation in 1871.
In the latter half of the 19th century, the Port of Victoria became one of North America's largest importers ofopium, serving the opium trade from Hong Kong and distribution into North America. Opium trade was legal and unregulated until 1865, when the legislature issued licences and levied duties on its import and sale. The opium trade was banned in 1908.[19]
A real-estate and development boom ended just beforeWorld War I, leaving Victoria with a large stock ofEdwardian public, commercial and residential buildings that have greatly contributed to the city's character. With the economic crash and an abundance of unmarried men, Victoria became an excellent location for military recruiting. Two militia infantry battalions, the88th Victoria Fusiliers and the 50th Gordon Highlanders, formed in the immediate pre-war period. Victoria was the home ofSir Arthur Currie. He had been a high-school teacher and real-estate agent prior to the war and was the Commanding Officer of the Gordon Highlanders in the summer of 1914. Before the end of the war he commanded the Canadian Corps.[20] A number of municipalities surrounding Victoria were incorporated during this period, including the Township of Esquimalt, the District of Oak Bay, and several municipalities on theSaanich Peninsula.[21]
Water in Greater Victoria had a reputation for excellent purity, and for several decades in the 20th century there was effective resistance tochlorination. However, drinking water has been chlorinated since March 1944.[22]
SinceWorld War II the Victoria area has seen relatively steady growth, becoming home to two major universities. Since the 1980s the western suburbs have been incorporated as new municipalities, such as Colwood andLangford, which are known collectively as theWestern Communities.
Greater Victoria periodically experiences calls for theamalgamation of the thirteenmunicipal governments within theCapital Regional District.[23] The opponents of amalgamation state that separate governance affords residents a greater deal of local autonomy.[24] The proponents of amalgamation argue it would reduce duplication of services,[25] while allowing for more efficient use of resources and the ability to better handle broad, regional issues and long-term planning.[26]
The landscape of Victoria was formed byvolcanism followed by water in various forms.Pleistocene glaciation put the area under a thick ice cover, the weight of which depressed the land below present sea level. These glaciers also deposited stonysandy loamtill. As they retreated, their melt water left thick deposits of sand andgravel. Marineclay settled on what would later become dry land. Post-glacial rebound exposed the present-day terrain to air, raising beach and mud deposits well above sea level. The resulting soils are highly variable in texture, and abrupt textural changes are common. In general, clays are most likely to be encountered in the northern part of town and in depressions. The southern part has coarse-textured subsoils and loamy topsoils. Sandy loams and loamy sands are common in the eastern part adjoining Oak Bay. Victoria's soils are relatively unleached and less acidic than soils elsewhere on theBritish Columbia Coast. Their thick dark topsoils denote a high level of fertility which made them valuable for farming prior to urbanization.[citation needed]
Victoria in February, shortly after rainfall. The city has distinct dry and rainy seasons, with two-thirds of its annual rainfall coming from November to February.
Victoria is farther north than many "cold-winter" cities, such asOttawa,Quebec City, andMinneapolis. However,westerly winds andPacific Ocean currents keep Victoria's winter temperatures substantially higher, with an average January temperature of 5.0 °C (41.0 °F)[30] (Gonzales) and 5.8 °C (42.4 °F)[31] (University of Victoria)[a] compared to Ottawa, the nation's capital, with −10.0 °C (14.0 °F).
At the Victoria Gonzales weather station, daily temperatures rise above 30 °C (86 °F) on average less than one day per year and fall below 0 °C (32 °F) on average only ten nights per year. Victoria has recorded completely freeze-free winter seasons four times (in 1925–26, 1939–40, 1999–2000, and 2002–03). 1999 is the only calendar year on record without a single occurrence of frost. During this time the city went 718 days without freezing, starting on 23 December 1998 and ending 10 December 2000. The second longest frost-free period was a 686-day stretch covering 1925 and 1926, marking the first and last time the city has gone the entire season without dropping below 1 °C (34 °F).[30]
During the winter, the average daily high and low temperatures are 8 and 4 °C (46 and 39 °F), respectively. The summer months are also relatively mild, with an average high temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) and low of 11 °C (52 °F), although inland areas often experience warmer daytime highs. The highest temperature ever recorded at Victoria Gonzales was 39.8 °C (103.6 °F) on 28 June 2021;[32] The coldest temperature on record is −15.6 °C (3.9 °F), first set on 2 December 1941.[30] The average annual temperature varies from a high of 11.4 °C (52.5 °F) set in 2004 to a low of 8.6 °C (47.5 °F) set in 1916.[30]
Time series of average temperatures during summer (June, July, and August) and winter (December, January, and February) in Victoria, BC from 1978 to 2019 (weather station data fromftp://ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/noaa/). For comparison, theGlobal surface temperature anomaly rose by just under one degree over the same period.
Due to therain shadow effect of the nearby Olympic Mountains, Victoria is the driest location on the British Columbia coast and one of the driest in the region. Average precipitation amounts in the Greater Victoria area range from 608 mm (23.9 in)[a] at the Gonzales observatory[30] in the City of Victoria to 661 mm (26.0 in) at theUniversity of Victoria.[31] The Victoria Airport, 25 km (16 mi) north of the city, receives about 45% more precipitation than the city proper. Regional average precipitation amounts range from as low as 406 mm (16.0 in) on the north shore of the Olympic Peninsula[33] to 3,505 mm (138.0 in) inPort Renfrew just 80 km (50 mi) away on the more exposed southwest coast of Vancouver Island. Vancouver measures 1,589 mm (62.6 in) annually and Seattle is at 952 mm (37.5 in).
One feature of Victoria's climate is its distinct dry and rainy seasons. Over 60% of the annual precipitation falls during the four wettest months, November to February at Gonzales Heights.[a][30] However, at the University of Victoria, approximately 5 km (3.1 mi) north, over 60% of the annual precipitation falls between the four wettest months, October to January.[31] Precipitation in December, the wettest month (109 mm [4.3 in]) is nearly eight times as high as in July, the driest month (14 mm [0.55 in]).[a][30] At the University of Victoria the wettest month is November with 123 mm (4.8 in).[31] Victoria experiences the driest summers in Canada (outside of the extreme northern reaches of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut).[34]
Victoria averages just 26 cm (10 in) of snow annually, about half that ofVancouver. Roughly one third of winters see virtually no snow, with less than 5 cm (2.0 in) falling during the entire season. When snow does fall, it rarely lasts long on the ground. Victoria averages just two or three days per year with at least 5 cm (2.0 in) of snow on the ground. Every few decades Victoria receives very large snowfalls including the record breaking 100 cm (39 in) of snow that fell in December 1996. That amount places Victoria 3rd for biggest snowfall among major cities in Canada.
With 2,193 hours of bright sunshine annually during the last available measurement period, Victoria is effectively tied withCranbrook as the sunniest city in British Columbia. In July 2013, Victoria received 432.8 hours of bright sunshine, which is the most sunshine ever recorded in any month in British Columbia history.[35]
Victoria's equable climate has also added to its reputation as the "City of Gardens". The city takes pride in the many flowers that bloom during the winter and early spring, including crocuses, daffodils, early-blooming rhododendrons, cherry and plum trees. Every March, the annual Greater Victoria Flower Count kicks off while the rest of the country and most of the province is still in the dead of winter.[36]
Aerial view of Victoria's inner harbour facing to the east, taken in 2018
Due to its mild climate, Victoria and its surrounding area (southeastern Vancouver Island,Gulf Islands, and parts of theLower Mainland andSunshine Coast) are also home to many rare, native plants found nowhere else in Canada, includingQuercus garryana (Garry oak),Arctostaphylos columbiana (hairy manzanita), and Canada's only broad-leaf evergreen tree,Arbutus menziesii (Pacific madrone). Many of these species exist here, at the northern end of their range, and are found as far south as southern California and parts of Mexico.
Non-native plants grown in Victoria include the cold-hardy palmTrachycarpus fortunei, which can be found in gardens and public areas of Victoria. One of these Trachycarpus palms stands in front of City Hall.[37]
In the2021 Census of Population conducted byStatistics Canada, Victoria had a population of 91,867 living in 49,222 of its 53,070 total private dwellings, a change of7.1% from its 2016 population of 85,792. With a land area of 19.45 km2 (7.51 sq mi), it had a population density of4,723.2/km2 (12,233.1/sq mi) in 2021.[4] Victoria is one of the most gender diverse cities in Canada, with approximately 0.75% of residents identifying as transgender or non-binary in the 2021 Statistics Canada Census of Population.[47]
At thecensus metropolitan area (CMA) level in the 2021 census, the Victoria CMA had a population of397,237 living in176,676 of its186,674 total private dwellings, a change of8% from its 2016 population of367,770. With a land area of 695.29 km2 (268.45 sq mi), it had a population density of571.3/km2 (1,479.7/sq mi) in 2021.[5]
Population Pyramid from the 2021 Census
Victoria is known for its disproportionately largeretiree population. Some 23.4 percent of the population of Victoria and its surrounding area are over 65 years of age, which is higher than the overall Canadian distribution of over 65 year-olds in the population (19%).[48]
The following is a list of neighbourhoods in the City of Victoria, as defined by the city planning department.[57] For a list of neighbourhoods in other area municipalities, seeGreater Victoria, or the individual entries for those municipalities.
The city's employment has 164,000 (87%) of workers in the service sector.[60] Top segments include health care and social assistance (28,900; 15.3%), public administration (27,800; 14.7%), wholesale and retail trade (24,100; 12.7%), professional, scientific and technical services (19,800; 10.4%), educational services (15,000; 7.9%) and accommodation and food services (10,100; 5.3%). The goods-producing sector is dominated by construction (16,000; 8.4%) and manufacturing (6,900; 3.6%).
There are three major shopping malls in the City of Victoria, including theBay Centre,Hillside Shopping Centre, and Mayfair Shopping Centre. Mayfair, one of the first major shopping centres in Victoria, first opened as an outdoor strip mall on 16 October 1963 with 27 stores.[61][62] It was built on the site of a former brickyard in the Maywood district, a then-semi-rural area in the northern part of Victoria.[62][63]Woodward's was Mayfair's original department store anchor upon the mall's opening.[62][64]
Mayfair was enclosed and renovated into an indoor mall in 1974.[65][66] The mall underwent three later expansions in 1984 (with the addition ofConsumers Distributing), 1985 (expansion of the mall food court) and a major expansion in 1990 that saw the addition of more retail space.[65] The Bay (laterHudson's Bay) replaced Woodward's as Mayfair's department store anchor in 1993 followingHudson's Bay Company's acquisition of the Woodward's chain.[67] The mall was more recently renovated in 2019.[68] Mayfair now offers over 100 stores and services.[69] It has 42,197.8 m2 (454,213 sq ft) of retail space and it also provides customers with rooftop parking.[70] In 2025, all Hudson's Bay Company stores across Canada closed, including at Mayfair.[71] In 2021 Mayfair was acquired byRuby Liu’s Central Walk.
Advanced technology is Victoria's largest revenue-producing private industry with $3.15 billion in annual revenues generated by more than 880 tech companies that have over 15,000 direct employees.[72] The annual economic impact of the sector is estimated at more than $4.03 billion per year.[72] With three post-secondary institutions inSaanich, eight federal research labs in the region, and Canada'sPacific Navy Base in Esquimalt, Victoria relies heavily upon the neighbouring communities for economic activity and as employment hubs. The region has many of the elements required for a strong technology sector, including Canada's highest household internet usage.[73] Over a hundred technology, software and engineering companies have an office in Victoria.[74]
Victoria is a major tourism destination with over 3.5 million overnight visitors per year who add more than a billion dollars to the local economy.[75] As well, over 500,000 daytime visitors arrive via cruise ships which dock atOgden Point near the city'sInner Harbour. Many whale watching tour companies operate from this harbour due to the whales often present near its coast. The city is also close toCanadian Forces Base Esquimalt, the Canadian Navy's primary Pacific Ocean naval base.
Downtown Victoria also serves asGreater Victoria's regional downtown, where many night clubs, theatres, restaurants and pubs are clustered, and where many regional public events occur.Canada Day fireworks displays,Symphony Splash, and many other music festivals and cultural events draw tens of thousands of Greater Victorians and visitors to the downtown core. The Rifflandia and Electronic Music Festival are other music events that draw crowds to the downtown core. Victoria relies upon neighbouring communities for many recreational opportunities including ice rinks in Oak Bay andSaanich. Victoria has one small public pool (Crystal Pool) and many residents use larger and newer pool facilities in Oak Bay, andSaanich (Commonwealth Pool and Gordon Head Pool).
Ogden Point is a deepwater port in the southwest corner of Victoria. The port sees 500,000 daytime visitors via cruise ships per year.
The Port of Victoria consists of three parts, theOuter Harbour, used by deep sea vessels, the Inner andUpper Harbours, used by coastal and industrial traffic. It is protected by abreakwater with a deep and wide opening. The port is a working harbour,tourist attraction andcruise destination.Esquimalt Harbour is also a well-protected harbour with a largegraving dock andshipbuilding and repair facilities.[77]
A point-in-time homeless count was conducted by volunteers between 11 March and 12 March 2020, that counted at least 1,523 homeless that night.[78][79] The homeless count is considered an underestimate due to the hidden homeless that may becouch surfing or have found somewhere to stay that is not on the street or homeless shelters.[79] The first homeless count was conducted in January 2005 by theVictoria Cool Aid Society and counted a homeless population of approximately 700 individuals.[80]
Like many west coast cities in North America the homeless population is both concentrated in specific areas (parts of Pandora avenue in Victoria) and is often outside due to milder climates that make homelessness more visible year-round.
The 2020 point-in-time homeless count found 35% respondents identified as beingIndigenous. This is over representative in the homeless population as only 4.7% of the overall population of Victoria identify as Indigenous.[81]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia, many homeless people sheltered in camping tents within the city's parks and some roadside greenspaces, including inBeacon Hill Park.[82] In March 2021, Victoria City Council reinstated a bylaw prohibiting daytime camping in parks, and with support from the provincial government, pledged to find indoor accommodation for all those camping in parks.[83][84][85] Homeless campers from parks and other public spaces were housed temporarily in motels, the Save-on-Foods arena and a tiny home village on a portion of the Royal Athletic Park's parking lot.[86][87][88][89]
TheVictoria Symphony, led by Christian Kluxen, performs at theRoyal Theatre and the Farquhar Auditorium of theSaanich-Oak Bay sitedUniversity of Victoria from September to May. EveryBC Day weekend, the Symphony mounts Symphony Splash, an outdoor event that includes a performance by the orchestra sitting on a barge in Victoria's Inner Harbour. Streets in the local area are closed, as each year approximately 40,000 people attend a variety of concerts and events throughout the day. The event culminates with the Symphony's evening concert, with Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture as the grand finale, complete with cannon fire from Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Gunners from HMCS QUADRA, a pealing carillon and a fireworks display to honour BC Day.Pacific Opera Victoria, Victoria Operatic Society,Victoria Philharmonic Choir, Canadian Pacific Ballet and Ballet Victoria stage two or three productions each year at the Macpherson or Royal Theatres.
The Bastion Theatre, a professional dramatic company, functioned in Victoria through the 1970s and 1980s and performed high quality dramatic productions but ultimately declared bankruptcy in 1988.[90] Reborn as The New Bastion Theatre in 1990 the company operated for five more years before closing operations in 1996.[91]
TheBelfry Theatre started in 1974 as the Springridge Cultural Centre in 1974. The venue was renamed the Belfry Theatre in 1976 as the company began producing its own shows. The Belfry's mandate is to produce contemporary plays with an emphasis on new Canadian plays. Other regional theatre venues include: the University of Victoria Phoenix Theatre;[92] The Roxy Theatre, home of the Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre company;[93] Kaleidoscope Theatre[94] and Intrepid Theatre Company,[95] producers of the Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival and The Uno Festival of Solo Performance.
The only Canadian Forces Primary Reserve brass/reed band on Vancouver Island is in Victoria. The 5th (British Columbia) Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery Band traces its roots back to 1864, making it the oldest, continually operational military band west ofThunder Bay,Ontario. Its mandate is to support the island's military community by performing at military dinners, parades and ceremonies, and other events. The band performs weekly in August at Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site where the Regiment started manning the guns of the fort in 1896, and also performs every year at the Cameron Bandshell atBeacon Hill Park.[citation needed]
The annual multi-dayRifflandia Music Festival is one of Canada's largest modern rock and pop music festivals.
Numerous other buildings of historic importance or interest are also in central Victoria, including: the 1845 St. Ann's Schoolhouse; the 1852Helmcken House built for Victoria's first doctor; the 1863Congregation Emanu-El, the oldest synagogue in continuous use in Canada; the 1865 Angela College built as Victoria's first Anglican Collegiate School for Girls, now housing retired nuns of the Sisters of St. Ann; the 1871St. Ann's Academy built as a Catholic school; the 1874Church of Our Lord, built to house a breakaway congregation from the Anglican Christ Church cathedral; the 1890 St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church;[97] the 1890 Metropolitan Methodist Church (now theVictoria Conservatory of Music),[98] which is publicly open for faculty, student, and guest performances, also acts asCamosun College Music Department; the 1892St. Andrew's Cathedral; and the 1925 Crystal Gardens, originally a saltwater swimming pool, restored as a conservatory and most recently a tourist attraction called the B.C. Experience, which closed down in 2006.
Downtown Victoria is a very walkable area with manymidblock crosswalks, an expanding central pedestrian street,[99] public squares, and alleys that are predominantly spaces for pedestrians.[100]Fan Tan alley is the narrowest commercial street in North America and runs between Pandora avenue and Fisgard street in Victoria's Chinatown.[100] Dragon alley is also located in Chinatown and is a mix of commercial and residential units, located between Fisgard and Herald streets.[100] Theatre alley was rebuilt in a newer condo construction in Chinatown and is a narrow alley that winds between Pandora avenue and Fisgard street just west of Fan Tan alley, but it does not include direct access to any commercial businesses.[101] Waddington alley is uniquely paved with wooden blocks located between Yates and Johnson streets.[102] Trounce alley is a small commercial alley located between Government and Broad streets.[103][104]
Beacon Hill Park is the central city's mainurban green space. Its area of 75 ha (190 acres) adjacent to Victoria's southern shore includes numerous playing fields, manicured gardens, exotic species of plants and animals such as wild peacocks, a petting zoo, and views of theStrait of Juan de Fuca and theOlympic Mountains in Washington across it. The sport ofcricket has been played in Beacon Hill Park since the mid-19th century.[105] Each summer, the City of Victoria presents dozens of concerts at the Cameron Band Shell in Beacon Hill Park.[106]
The extensive system of parks in Victoria also includes a few areas of naturalGarry oak meadow habitat, an increasingly scarce ecosystem that once dominated the region.[107]
Private gardens that are open to the public with sometimes limited opening hours are located throughout the city and offer access at low or no cost to visitors, they include the rose garden next to theEmpress Hotel, the Government House Gardens on the grounds of theLieutenant Governor of British Columbia's house (also known asGovernment House) on Rockland Road,[108] andAbkahazi Garden on Fairfield Road.[109]
Dallas Road is a waterfront trail and road with a 9.7 km (6 mi)[110] to walk, run, bike or drive. Clover Point is its main rest area with benches, lounge chairs, picnic tables and a public washroom.[111][112]
The David Foster Harbour Pathway is a predominantly a pedestrian pathway that meanders around the inner harbour between the southern start at Ogden point by the cruise ship terminal and Rock Bay at its northern terminus.[113] The pathway has some disconnected sections that are expected to be connected with redevelopments along the pathway near the Johnson street bridge.[114] When completed the David Foster Harbour Pathway is expected to extend over 5 km (3.1 mi) in length.[113]
CFB Esquimalt navy base, in the adjacent municipality ofEsquimalt, has a base museum dedicated to naval and military history, in the Naden part of the base.
Cyclists during the Bastion Square cycling race. Greater Victoria is home to a number of bicycle trails.
Victoria is also known as the Cycling Capital of Canada,[116] with hundreds of kilometres of bicycle paths, bike lanes and bike routes in the city, including theGalloping Goose Regional Trail. There aremountain biking trails atMount Work Regional Park in the neghbour community The District of Highlands,[117] and Victoria is quickly becoming a bike tourism destination.[118]Cycling advocacy groups includingGreater Victoria Cycling Coalition (GVCC) and the Bike to Work Society have worked to improve Victoria'scycling infrastructure and facilities, and to make cycling a viable transportation alternative, attracting 5% of commuters in 2005.[119]
Greater Victoria also has a richmotorsports history, and was home to a 4/10ths mile oval race track calledWestern Speedway in the nearby City ofLangford. Opened in 1954, Western Speedway was the oldest speedway in western Canada, and featuredstock car racing,drag racing,demolition derbies and other events. Western Speedway was also home to the Victoria Auto Racing Hall of Fame and Museum.
The major sporting and entertainment complex, for Victoria and Vancouver Island Region, is theSave-On-Foods Memorial Centre arena. It replaced the formerVictoria Memorial Arena, which was constructed by efforts of World War II veterans as a monument to fallen comrades. World War I, World War II, Korean War, and other conflict veterans are also commemorated. Fallen Canadian soldiers in past, present, and future wars and/orUnited Nations,NATO missions are noted, or will be noted by the main lobby monument at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre. The arena was the home of theECHL (formerly known as the East Coast Hockey League) team,Victoria Salmon Kings, owned by RG Properties Limited, a real estate development firm that built the Victoria Save On Foods Memorial Centre, andProspera Place Arena inKelowna. The arena is the home of theVictoria RoyalsWestern Hockey League (WHL) team that replaced the Victoria Salmon Kings (ECHL).
Outside the city limits, on the southeast corner ofVancouver Island, is theJordan River Dam. The dam is the main hydroelectric power station for the Island, including Victoria.
The city's water is supplied by the Capital Regional District's Water Services Department from its Sooke Lake Reservoir. The lake is connected to a treatment plant at Japan Gulch by the 8.8 km (5.5 mi)Kapoor Tunnel. The lake water is very soft and requires no filtering. It is treated with chlorine, ammonia and ultraviolet light to control micro-organisms.[121]Until the tunnel was completed in 1967, water flowed from the lake through the circuitous, leaky and much smaller 44 km (27 mi)Sooke Flowline.
TheHartland landfill inSaanich is the waste disposal site for Greater Victoria area. Since 1985, it has been run by theCapital Regional District environmental services. It is on top of a hill, between Victoria andSidney, at the end of Hartland Avenue (48°32′17″N123°27′48″W / 48.53806°N 123.46333°W /48.53806; -123.46333 (Hartland landfill)) There is a recycling centre, a sewer solid waste collection, hazardous waste collection, and an electricity generating station. This generating station now creates 1.6 megawatts of electricity, enough for 1,600 homes.[122] The site has won international environmental awards.[123] TheCRD conducts public tours of the facility. It is predicted to be full by 2045.
As of 15 December 2020 the CRD announced that core municipalities within Greater Victoria no longer discharge screened wastewater into theStrait of Juan de Fuca.[124][125] The wastewater treatment facility was required to comply with federal regulations that forbid untreated discharge into waterways.[126] The wastewater treatment project included pump stations at Clover Point and Macaulay Point in addition to the wastewater treatment plant at McLoughlin Point and the residuals treatment facility at Hartland landfill.[124][127] The wastewater treatment plant serves Victoria,Esquimalt,Saanich,Oak Bay,View Royal,Langford,Colwood and theEsquimalt andSonghees First Nations.[124]
Victoria is also home to the world's largest all-seaplane airline,Harbour Air.[129] Harbour air offers flights during daylight hours at least every 30 minutes between Victoria's inner harbour and Vancouver's downtown terminal orYVR south terminal. Harbour Air also operate scenic tour flights over the Victoria harbour and gulf islands area.[130]
People cycling and walking past the British Columbia Parliament Buildings
The Greater Victoria area has the highest rate of bicycle commuting to work of anycensus metropolitan area in Canada.[131][132][133] Greater Victoria also has an expanding system designed to facilitate cyclists,electrically assisted bicycles and other micromobility users via protected bike lanes on many roads, as well as separated multi-use paths for bicycles and pedestrians including theGalloping Goose Regional Trail,Lochside Regional Trail and theE&N rail trail. These multi-use trails are designed exclusively for foot traffic, cyclists, and micro-mobility users and pass through many communities in the Greater Victoria area, beginning at the downtown core and extending into areas such as Langford and Central and North Saanich.
Victoria is currently finishing a 32 km (20 mi)protected bike lane network intended for all ages and abilities (AAA).[134] The first lane opened in Spring 2017 on Pandora Avenue, between Store Street and Cook Street in the downtown core[135] and provides an easy cycling connection across theJohnson Street Bridge to theGalloping Goose Trail andE&N rail trail. The second protected bike lane in the network opened on Fort Street on 27 May 2018.[136] The next two roads added to the downtown area bike network were Wharf and Humboldt streets, completed in 2019 and 2020 respectively,[137][138] with Vancouver Street and Graham/Jackson streets added to the AAA bike network in 2021.[139] The next round of streets upgraded starting in 2021 as "complete streets" with AAA cycling infrastructure included Richardson Street, Haultain Street, Government Street north of Pandora Avenue to Gorge Road, and finally Kimta Road connecting the network to theE&N rail trail.[140] Connector routes in theFernwood and Oaklands neighbourhoods to the Vancouver Street lanes were also constructed starting in 2021, avoiding hills and adding safer pedestrian and cyclist crossings.[141] In 2022 the city constructed further AAA bicycle connections along Montreal Street, Superior Street, Government Street (south, between Humboldt Street and Dallas Road), Fort Street (between Cook Street and up to the municipal border withOak Bay), and Gorge Road (between Government Street and up to the municipal border withSaanich).[142][143]
Overflow bicycle parking at a Bike to Work Week (now called Go By Bike Week) barbecue
Go By Bike Week,[144][145] previously called Bike to Work Week,[146][147][148] is a bi-annual event held in communities throughout greater Victoria, British Columbia. It is organized by Capital Bike,[149] a group created in 2021 by the merging of theGreater Victoria Cycling Coalition and Greater Victoria Bike to Work Society, and typically lasts one or two weeks. There is a large Spring event scheduled in late May every year, and again later during Fall typically in October. The original "Bike to Work Week" began in 1995 in Victoria and expanded to include other communities in BC through their local bicycle advocacy groups, all supported by the Bike to Work BC Society. The Bike to Work BC Society was formed in 2009 as a legal entity to run the event in other communities around BC, and was renamed the GoByBike BC Society[150] to encourage cycling beyond the scope ofcommuting. Thebehaviour change (public health) model, relying on research conducted by both the provincial and federal governments that identified barriers to cycling and reasons for choosing cycling, was applied in the original Bike to Work Week event as a way to accomplish the goal of recruiting employees to bicycle to work.[151] Since its inception, ridership in Go By Bike Week has steadily increased, and in 2017 over 7,000 people participated in Greater Victoria.[152] The event aims to attract new riders, promote cycling for commuting, recreation, and general transportation, and advocate for expanding safe cycling networks with prizes, activities and free cycling skills workshops. Pop-up "Celebration Stations" are set up throughout Greater Victoria, which typically feature free snacks and local coffee for cyclists, bicycle repair stands, and local cycling-related vendors and advocacy groups. The events were cancelled during the height of theCOVID-19 pandemic, though individualized events were still promoted where participants could win prizes,[153] and in-person events resumed in 2022.[154]
Other cycling advocacy initiatives in the Greater Victoria area include the Victoria chapter ofCycling Without Age,[155][156] the Bike2Farm program[157] and several recreational cycling clubs.
The CRD is served by several ferries with theLower Mainland,Gulf Islands and the United States.BC Ferries provides service between Swartz Bay, located on the northern tip of theSaanich Peninsula, toTsawwassen on the Lower Mainland for cars, bus, trucks, pedestrians and cyclists. The Coho ferry[158] operates as a car and pedestrian/cyclist ferry between the inner harbour of Victoria and Port Angeles, Washington. TheVictoria Clipper is a pedestrian and cyclist-only (no vehicles)ferry which operates daily, year-round between downtown Seattle and the inner harbour of Victoria. TheWashington State Ferries ran a ferry until 2020 for cars, pedestrians and cyclists betweenFriday Harbor,Orcas Island andAnacortes in Washington State from the port atSidney, north of Victoria on the Saanich Peninsula.[159] However, the service was shut down during theCOVID-19 pandemic and did not resume.[160] Washington State Ferries, citing crew and vessel shortages, estimates that it will not resume until at least 2030.[161]
Local public transportation is run by theVictoria Regional Transit System, which is part ofBC Transit. Since 2000,double-decker buses have been introduced to the fleet, and have become an icon for the city. Rider fare payments can be made in exact cash, using the reloadable Umo app or card, and 30-day bus passes can be purchased from one of many vendors.[162]
In 2024, BC transit rolled out its electronic payment system, Umo, where riders can board using the Umo app or the Umo card.[163] Users can purchase bus passes and load money onto their accounts on the app, online, or toll-free through Umo’s customer service phone line. To board the bus, scan the Umo apps' QR code or the Umo cards' barcode on the validator.[164]
As of 1 April 2016 bus drivers do not provide transfers as proof of payment. Transfers were a source of disagreement and delay on the bus, due to improper transfer use, and disagreements over expired transfers or transfers used for return trips. Instead, a day-pass was added that can be purchased from the bus driver for $5.[165] When using the Umo app or card, the Umo will halt your payments so you never pay more than the value of the day-pass.[166]
To improve bus reliability and reduce delays, a bike and bus priority lane was opened in 2014 during peak traffic periods with fines for motorists operating in the bus/bike lane who are not turning in the same block.[167] The dedicated bike and bus lane on Douglas street is being expanded from Downtown to near Uptown and may be changed to be restricted to only buses and bikes 24/7 rather than just during peak traffic periods depending on direction of travel.[168] Most buses operating in the Greater Victoria area have a bike rack installed at the front of the bus that can accommodate two bicycles.[169]
Passenger rail service previously operated byVia Rail provided a single daily return trip along betweenVictoria – Courtenay, along the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, to the cities ofNanaimo,Courtenay, and points between. The service was discontinued along this line indefinitely on 19 March 2011, due to needed track replacement work.[170][171] Prior to further inspection of the track, service along the segment between Nanaimo and Victoria was originally planned to resume on 8 April, but lack of funding has prevented any of the work from taking place and it is unclear when or if the service will resume.[citation needed]
Local roadways are not based on a grid system as they are inVancouver orEdmonton, and many streets do not follow a straight line from beginning to end as they wind around hills, parks, coastlines, and historic neighbourhoods, often changing names two or three times.[172] There is no directional indication in street names that may be used in other cities withnumbered roads where a street may run north–south or avenue may run east–west.[173]
The Mile Zero sign for Canada'sTrans-Canada Highway. Victoria is the western terminus for the highway.
The compact size of the city with few steep hills lends itself readily to smaller, fuel efficient alternatives to full size passenger cars, such asscooters,Smart Cars,motorcycles andelectric bicycles. Victoria incentivizes the use of smaller modes of transport by offering smaller metered parking spaces in the downtown core specifically designated for small vehicles and motorcycles.[174]Rush hour traffic delays along theTrans-Canada Highway to western suburban municipalities (includingLangford,Colwood,Sooke andMetchosin) is commonly referred to as the "Colwood Crawl".[175]
Victoria serves as the western terminus (Mile Zero) for Canada'sTrans-Canada Highway, the longest national highway in the world. The Mile Zero marker is at the southernmost point ofDouglas Street where it meets Dallas Road along the waterfront. The Mile Zero location includes a statue to honourTerry Fox.
Coach bus service between downtown Victoria and downtown Vancouver or theVancouver International Airport, which includes the ferry fare is called the BC Ferries Connector run by Wilson's Transportation Limited. The coach bus travels on the ferry to Vancouver with separate trips for the bus to downtown and a bus to the Vancouver International Airport. Average travel time between the two cities is under 4 hours with an hour and half of that time spent on the ferry crossing.
Bus service from Victoria to points up island is run by Island Link Bus or Tofino Bus. Both bus services depart from the Victoria bus terminal at 700 Douglas Street, behind theFairmontEmpress Hotel and offer trips to destinations further up island and the west coast of the island.
Camosun College, with 20,400 learners.[178] Camosun College has two campuses (Lansdowne and Interurban), both of which are located within theDistrict of Saanich.
Royal Roads University (RRU) with 4,748 full-time undergraduate and graduate students.[179] The Royal Roads University campus is located inColwood.
Victoria is served by a number of media outlets including theTimes Colonist, an English-language daily; a variety of local print outlets; 12 radio stations, and 3 television stations:CHEK-DT (an independent station),CIVI-DT (aCTV 2 owned-and-operated station) andShaw Spotlight.
^does not total 100% because all figures are multiple responses
^"n.o.s." means "not otherwise specified". Most respondents of British Isles origins respond "English", "Scottish", "Irish", or "Welsh" instead of "British".
^Gemme, Brigitte (November 2009)."Economic Impact of the Greater Victoria Technology Sector"(PDF).University of British Columbia. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 29 November 2014. Retrieved15 September 2011.This report was commissioned by the Victoria Advanced Technology Council (VIATeC) and prepared by Brigitte Gemme, Ph.D. candidate at the University of British Columbia. The study was supported by the ACCELERATE BC (MITACS) internship programme. The Centre for Sustainability and Social Innovation and its director, professor James Tansey, generously hosted the author of the report during the internship. The author and VIATeC would also like to thank the Victoria technology sector organizations who took the time to participate in this study.
^"Douglas Treaties: 1850–1854"(PDF).Government of British Columbia – Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation. 28 November 2006. Retrieved18 August 2018.
^Watts, R., 'Tsawout file claim to James Island; Assertion based on 1852 treaty signed by James Douglas',Times-Colonist (Victoria, B.C), 26 Jan 2018
^Kushner, Joseph; Siegel, David (December 2003). "Effect of Municipal Amalgamations in Ontario on Political Representation and Accessibility".Canadian Journal of Political Science.36 (5):1035–1051.doi:10.1017/S0008423903778950.S2CID154273644.
^abcdefghi"Victoria Gonzales Hts".Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000. Environment and Climate Change Canada. 19 January 2011.Archived from the original on 1 June 2016. Retrieved29 April 2016.
^ab"Victoria Gonzales CS".Canadian Climate Data. Environment and Climate Change Canada. 31 October 2011.Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved29 April 2016.
^"July 2007". Environment and Climate Change Canada. 22 September 2015.Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved29 April 2016.
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