Lake Cowichan
Lake Cowichan (Nitinaht: ʕaʔk̓ʷaq c̓uubaʕsaʔtx̣) (pop. 2,974) is a town located on the east end of Cowichan Lake and, by highway, is 27 kilometres (17 mi) west of Duncan, British Columbia. The town of Lake Cowichan was incorporated in 1944. The Cowichan River flows through the middle of the town.[2] Cowichan River is designated as a Heritage River.[3]
Lake Cowichan | |
|---|---|
| Town of Lake Cowichan[1] | |
Location of Lake Cowichan in British Columbia | |
| Coordinates: 48°49′33″N 124°03′15″W / 48.82583°N 124.05417°WCoordinates: 48°49′33″N 124°03′15″W / 48.82583°N 124.05417°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Regional District | Cowichan Valley |
| Incorporated | 1944 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Tim McGonigle |
| Area | |
| • Total | 8.05 km2 (3.11 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 180 m (590 ft) |
| Population (2016) | |
| • Total | 3,226 |
| • Density | 369.6/km2 (957/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific Time Zone) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (Pacific Daylight Time) |
| Postal code span | |
| Area code | +1-250 |
| Website | Town of Lake Cowichan |
Lake Cowichan is at the western end of the Trans Canada Trail, which, when completed, will be one of the longest trail networks in the world, almost 24,000 kilometres (15,000 mi) long.[4] Youbou, with a population of about 1,000 people; Mesachie Lake, with a population of about 800 people; and Honeymoon Bay with a population of about 600 people, are nearby communities.
Climate
Lake Cowichan is surrounded on all sides by the Pacific Northwest Temperate rainforest, containing the largest, tallest, and oldest trees in the world outside of California.
Lake Cowichan has an oceanic climate (Cfb) with warm summers and cool winters.
| Climate data for Lake Cowichan | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 14.5 (58.1) | 20.0 (68.0) | 22.0 (71.6) | 28.0 (82.4) | 35.0 (95.0) | 39.0 (102.2) | 40.0 (104.0) | 38.0 (100.4) | 39.0 (102.2) | 29.5 (85.1) | 19.4 (66.9) | 15.0 (59.0) | 40.0 (104.0) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 6.4 (43.5) | 7.8 (46.0) | 10.6 (51.1) | 13.5 (56.3) | 17.5 (63.5) | 20.6 (69.1) | 24.4 (75.9) | 24.9 (76.8) | 21.8 (71.2) | 14.4 (57.9) | 8.4 (47.1) | 5.2 (41.4) | 14.6 (58.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.5 (38.3) | 4.0 (39.2) | 6.2 (43.2) | 8.6 (47.5) | 12.1 (53.8) | 15.0 (59.0) | 17.8 (64.0) | 18.1 (64.6) | 15.2 (59.4) | 9.8 (49.6) | 5.4 (41.7) | 2.5 (36.5) | 9.8 (49.6) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 0.5 (32.9) | 0.2 (32.4) | 1.8 (35.2) | 3.6 (38.5) | 6.6 (43.9) | 9.3 (48.7) | 11.2 (52.2) | 11.2 (52.2) | 8.5 (47.3) | 5.1 (41.2) | 2.4 (36.3) | −0.2 (31.6) | 5.3 (41.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −15.0 (5.0) | −16.0 (3.2) | −9.4 (15.1) | −7.0 (19.4) | −1.5 (29.3) | 1.1 (34.0) | 3.0 (37.4) | 2.8 (37.0) | −1.7 (28.9) | −7.0 (19.4) | −17.0 (1.4) | −16.0 (3.2) | −17.0 (1.4) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 347.0 (13.66) | 226.0 (8.90) | 216.2 (8.51) | 137.4 (5.41) | 85.4 (3.36) | 57.2 (2.25) | 34.7 (1.37) | 40.2 (1.58) | 51.7 (2.04) | 213.3 (8.40) | 343.2 (13.51) | 295.3 (11.63) | 2,047.5 (80.61) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 327.3 (12.89) | 206.2 (8.12) | 209.2 (8.24) | 135.9 (5.35) | 85.2 (3.35) | 57.2 (2.25) | 34.7 (1.37) | 40.2 (1.58) | 51.7 (2.04) | 212.5 (8.37) | 334.8 (13.18) | 280.9 (11.06) | 1,975.6 (77.78) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 19.8 (7.8) | 19.8 (7.8) | 7.0 (2.8) | 1.5 (0.6) | 0.3 (0.1) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.8 (0.3) | 8.4 (3.3) | 14.4 (5.7) | 72.0 (28.3) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 17.1 | 14.0 | 17.0 | 15.8 | 13.2 | 11.0 | 6.6 | 6.1 | 8.0 | 15.0 | 18.0 | 15.3 | 157.1 |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 15.4 | 12.5 | 16.8 | 15.7 | 13.2 | 11.0 | 6.6 | 6.1 | 8.0 | 14.9 | 17.4 | 14.1 | 151.7 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 3.1 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 0.08 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.08 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 12.1 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 47.3 | 75.2 | 106.1 | 141.5 | 173.6 | 177.9 | 233.1 | 226.7 | 182.8 | 112.4 | 49.1 | 39.3 | 1,564.9 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 17.4 | 26.3 | 28.8 | 34.5 | 36.7 | 36.9 | 47.8 | 50.9 | 48.2 | 33.4 | 17.8 | 15.2 | 32.8 |
| Source: Environment Canada[5][6](sunshine) | |||||||||||||
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Lake Cowichan had a population of 3,325 living in 1,491 of its 1,586 total private dwellings, a change of 3.1% from its 2016 population of 3,226. With a land area of 8.24 km2 (3.18 sq mi), it had a population density of 403.5/km2 (1,045.1/sq mi) in 2021.[7]
Ethnicity
Lake Cowichan is one of several towns in the Cowichan Valley with significant South Asian Canadian (primarily Sikh-Canadian) community history for over 130 years, gaining notoriety in the forestry industry at local sawmills from the early 20th century until the 1980s.[8]
Religion
According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Lake Cowichan included:[9]
- Irreligion (2,290 persons or 69.1%)
- Christianity (965 persons or 29.1%)
- Sikhism (25 persons or 0.8%)
- Judaism (10 persons or 0.3%)
- Other (25 persons or 0.8%)
Politics
In the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Lake Cowichan is represented by Sonia Furstenau -Green Party of British Columbia, representing the riding of Cowichan Valley. In the House of Commons of Canada, Lake Cowichan is represented by Alistair MacGregor-New Democratic Party, representing the riding of Cowichan-Malahat-Langford.
The election results for the town of Lake Cowichan for the past five Federal General Elections were:
43rd Federal General Election of 2019: New Democratic Party 40.4%, Conservative Party 24.4%, Green Party 19.5%, Liberal Party 13.0%, People's Party 2.3%, Christian Heritage Party 0.4%.
42nd Federal General Election of 2015: New Democratic Party 35.94%, Liberal Party 23.77%, Conservative Party 22.81%, Green Party 16.93%, and Marxist-Leninist Party 0.55%.
41st Federal General Election of 2011: New Democratic Party 53.9%, Conservative Party 34.2%, Green Party 7.2%, Liberal Party 3.7% and Marxist-Leninist Party 0.6%.
40th Federal General Election of 2008: New Democratic Party 52.1%, Conservative Party 32.8%, Green Party 7.9%, Liberal Party 6.5% and Marxist-Leninist Party 0.6%.
39th Federal General Election of 2006: New Democratic Party 57.5%, Conservative Party 25.8%, Liberal Party 11.7%, Green Party 3.9%, Marxist-Leninist Party 0.5% and Canadian Action Party 0.4%.[10]
Notable residents
See also Category:People from Duncan, British Columbia
- Brad Palmer, former NHL player
- Brian Lundberg, former NHL player
- Steve Lingren, former AHL, ECHL hockey player
- Dan Boeckner, singer, songwriter
- Fritz Perls, co-founder of Gestalt therapy
- William Carpentier, flight surgeon for Apollo 11
References
- ^ (XLS). British Columbia Ministry of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development. Archived from the original on 13 July 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
- ^ Town of Lake Cowichan Area Info 18 July 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ British Columbia Heritage Rivers Program
- ^ About the Trail: Learn about the Trans Canada Trail.
- ^ "Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010 Station Data". Environment Canada. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- ^ "Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010 Station Data". Environment Canada. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), British Columbia". Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
- ^ "A glimpse into the rich Sikh history in Cowichan".
For more than 130 years, the Cowichan Valley has attracted Sikh immigrants, mostly from the Punjab region of Northern India. The Sikh history in Cowichan is rich, and goes well beyond the story of the former village of Paldi and its temple, which this year celebrated its centenarian. And the community remains strong today, though much has changed over the years... In the ‘70s and ‘80s, the Sikh community strongholds were at the mill towns around Cowichan Lake — Honeymoon Bay, Mesachie Lake and Youbou.
- ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (26 October 2022). "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ Elections Canada Past Elections http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=ele&dir=pas&document=index&lang=e
External links
- Official website