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 Lake is British Columbia's second-most pristine lake and 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 | |
Country | Canada |
Province | ![]() |
Regional District | Cowichan Valley |
Incorporated | 1944 |
Government | |
• Mayor | Rod Peters |
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 | V0R 2G0 |
Area code(s) | +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 at almost 24,000 kilometres (15,000 mi) length.[4] Youbou, with a population of about 1,000 people; Mesachie Lake, British Columbia with a population of about 800 people; and Honeymoon Bay with a population of about 600 people are three nearby communities of Lake Cowichan.
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. This ecosystem also has the warmest climate in Canada.
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) |
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 42nd Federal General Election of 2015 were: New Democratic Party 35.94%, Liberal Party 23.77%, Conservative Party 22.81%, Green Party 16.93%, and Marxist-Leninist Party 0.55%.
The results for the 41st Federal General Election of 2011 were: New Democratic Party 53.9%, Conservative Party 34.2%, Green Party 7.2%, Liberal Party 3.7% and Marxist-Leninist Party 0.6%.
The results for the 40th Federal General Election of 2008 was: New Democratic Party 52.1%, Conservative Party 32.8%, Green Party 7.9%, Liberal Party 6.5% and Marxist-Leninist Party 0.6%.
The results for the 39th Federal General Election of 2006 was: 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%.[7]
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 Canadian singer, songwriter
- Fritz Perls Co-founder of Gestalt therapy
- William Carpentier flight surgeon for Apollo 11
References
- "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.
- Town of Lake Cowichan Area Info Archived 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.
- Elections Canada Past Elections http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=ele&dir=pas&document=index&lang=e