Lake Cowichan

For the nearby lake, see Cowichan Lake. For first nation, see Lake Cowichan First Nation.

Lake Cowichan
Town
Town of Lake Cowichan[1]
Location of Lake Cowichan in British Columbia Show map of Vancouver Island Lake Cowichan (British Columbia) Show map of British Columbia
Coordinates: 48°49′33″N 124°03′15″W
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Regional District	Cowichan Valley
Incorporated	1944
Government
• Mayor	Tim McGonigle
Area
• Total	8.05 km^2 (3.11 sq mi)
Elevation	180 m (590 ft)
Population  (2021)
• Total	3 325
• Density	369.6/km^2 (957/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific Time Zone)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (Pacific Daylight Time)
Postal code span	V0R 2G0
Area code	+1-250
Website	Town of Lake Cowichan

Lake Cowichan (Nitinaht: ʕaʔk̓ʷaq c̓uubaʕsaʔtx̣) (pop. 3,325) is a town located near the eastern end of Cowichan Lake and, by highway, is a little over one hour northwest of Victoria, British Columbia. The town of Lake Cowichan was incorporated in 1944 and serves as the focal point of the Cowichan Lake Area, home to the indigenous c̓uubaʕsaʔtx̣ people. The Cowichan River flows through the middle of the town.^[2] The Cowichan River is designated as a Heritage River, and is also a popular location for tubing.^[3]

Lake Cowichan is at the western end of the Trans Canada Trail, which is the longest trail network in the world, at over 28 000 kilometres.^[4] Youbou, with a population of about 1 400 people; Honeymoon Bay, with a population of about 450 people, and Mesachie Lake, with a population of about 200 people, are nearby communities.

Lake Cowichan is today best known for its summer tourism industry, with the lake, river and surrounding mountains providing ample outdoor recreational opportunities, with some of its primary natural attractions being nearby Cowichan River Provincial Park, popular for hiking and fly fishing, and Gordon Bay Provincial Park, popular for camping, kayaking, paddleboarding and swimming. The town is also known for its rich cultural history, with Japanese, Punjabi and Scandinavian loggers pioneering the area's vibrant forestry sector. Lake Cowichan is also the location of the first community twinning program between Canada and Japan, with the district of Ohtaki, part of Date City, Hokkaido, being its sister city.

Climate

Lake Cowichan is surrounded on all sides by the Pacific temperate rainforests, containing some of the largest, oldest and tallest trees in the world. Lake Cowichan has a Mediterranean climate (Csb) with oceanic influences due to the particularly heavy winter rainfall, with warm, dry summers and mild, damp winters. The location of the town at a low elevation in the interior of Vancouver Island means average summer daytime temperatures are generally several degrees warmer than most locations nearby, contributing to its desirability as a summer tourism hub. Because of this sheltered location, the reverse is true during the other half of the year, when lower average winter nighttime temperatures within the town cause the community to receive more snowfall than the island's coastal population centres. The Cowichan Valley thus has the highest average temperature in Canada, as all locations in the country with warmer summers have significantly cooler winters, and all locations with warmer winters (limited to coastal areas of British Columbia) have much cooler summers. This unique climate is responsible for the region's burgeoning local wine industry.

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)
Mean daily maximum °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)
Mean daily minimum °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]

Panethnic groups in the Town of Lake Cowichan (1971−2021)

Panethnic group	2021[9]		2016[10]		2011[11]		2006[12]		2001[13]		1996[14]		1991[15][16]		1986[17][18][19]: 101		1981[20][21]		1971[22][23]
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
European[a]	2,775	83.71%	2,785	86.49%	2,610	88.32%	2,555	86.9%	2,550	90.11%	2,700	94.57%	1,960	87.5%	1,860	85.13%	2,000	82.14%	1,910	79.09%
Indigenous	415	12.52%	310	9.63%	205	6.94%	230	7.82%	115	4.06%	85	2.98%	120	5.36%	130	5.95%	60	2.46%	25	1.04%
South Asian	55	1.66%	80	2.48%	90	3.05%	85	2.89%	120	4.24%	15	0.53%	105	4.69%	160	7.32%	310	12.73%	330	13.46%
African	30	0.9%	0	0%	10	0.34%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	15	0.67%	10	0.46%	—	—	5	0.21%
East Asian[b]	15	0.45%	10	0.31%	15	0.51%	55	1.87%	10	0.35%	50	1.75%	30	1.34%	15	0.69%	65	2.67%	110	4.55%
Latin American	15	0.45%	10	0.31%	0	0%	0	0%	10	0.35%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	—	—
Southeast Asian[c]	0	0%	20	0.62%	0	0%	0	0%	10	0.35%	10	0.35%	0	0%	10	0.46%	—	—	—	—
Middle Eastern[d]	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	10	0.45%	0	0%	0	0%	5	0.21%
Other/ multiracial[e]	0	0%	10	0.31%	0	0%	0	0%	15	0.53%	0	0%	—	—	—	—	—	—	30	1.24%
Total responses	3,315	99.7%	3,220	99.81%	2,955	99.36%	2,940	99.73%	2,830	100.11%	2,855	99.96%	2,240	99.96%	2,185	100.69%	2,435	101.84%	2,415	102.16%
Total population	3,325	100%	3,226	100%	2,974	100%	2,948	100%	2,827	100%	2,856	100%	2,241	100%	2,170	100%	2,391	100%	2,364	100%
Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses

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 provincial politics, Lake Cowichan is part of the riding of Cowichan Valley. Its Member of the Legislative Assembly is Debra Toporowski of the British Columbia New Democratic Party. She has served in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia since 2024.

In federal politics, Lake Cowichan is part of the riding of Cowichan—Malahat—Langford. Its Member of Parliament is Alistair MacGregor of the federal New Democratic Party. He has served in the House of Commons of Canada since 2015.

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

Notes

1. Statistic includes all persons that did not make up part of a visible minority or an indigenous identity.
2. Statistic includes total responses of "Chinese", "Korean", and "Japanese" under visible minority section on census.
3. Statistic includes total responses of "Filipino" and "Southeast Asian" under visible minority section on census.
4. Statistic includes total responses of "West Asian" and "Arab" under visible minority section on census.
5. Statistic includes total responses of "Visible minority, n.i.e." and "Multiple visible minorities" under visible minority section on census.

References

1. "British Columbia Regional Districts, Municipalities, Corporate Name, Date of Incorporation and Postal Address" (XLS). British Columbia Ministry of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development. Archived from the original on 13 July 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
2. Town of Lake Cowichan Area Info Archived 18 July 2016 at the Wayback Machine
3. British Columbia Heritage Rivers Program
4. About the Trail: Learn about the Trans Canada Trail.
5. "Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010 Station Data". Environment Canada. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
6. "Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010 Station Data". Environment Canada. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
7. "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), British Columbia". Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
8. "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 nearby 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.
9. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (26 October 2022). "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
10. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (27 October 2021). "Census Profile, 2016 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
11. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (27 November 2015). "NHS Profile". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
12. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (20 August 2019). "2006 Community Profiles". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
13. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2 July 2019). "2001 Community Profiles". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
14. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2 July 2019). "Profile of Census Divisions and Subdivisions, 1996 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
15. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (29 March 2019). "1991 Census Area Profiles Profile of Census Divisions and Subdivisions - Part B". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
16. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (29 March 2019). "Data tables, 1991 Census Population by Ethnic Origin (24), Showing Single and Multiple Origins (2) - Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
17. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (27 June 2019). "Data tables, 1986 Census Census Profile for Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1986 Census - Part A". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
18. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (27 June 2019). "Data tables, 1986 Census Census Profile for Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1986 Census - Part B". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
19. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (3 April 2013). "Canada's aboriginal population by census subdivisions from the 1986 Census of Canada". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
20. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (26 May 2020). "Data tables, 1981 Census Profile for Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1981 Census - Part A". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
21. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (26 May 2020). "Data tables, 1981 Census Profile for Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1981 Census - Part B". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
22. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (3 April 2013). "1971 Census of Canada : population : vol. I - part 3 = Recensement du Canada 1971 : population : vol. I - partie 3. Ethnic groups". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
23. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (3 April 2013). "1971 Census of Canada. Population. Specified ethnic groups, census divisions and subdivisions". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 7 May 2023.

External links

• Official website