A district municipality is a classification of municipalities used in the Canadian province of British Columbia. British Columbia's Lieutenant Governor in Council may incorporate a community as a district municipality by letters patent, under the recommendation of the Minister of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development, if the area is greater than 800ha and has a population density of less than 5 people per hectare, and at least 50% of the affected residents vote in favour of the proposed incorporation.[1]
British Columbia has 50 district municipalities,[2] [3] with a cumulative population of 746,125 and an average population of 14,923 in the 2011 Census. British Columbia's largest and smallest district municipalities are Saanich and Wells with populations of 109,752 and 245 respectively.
Of British Columbia's 50 district municipalities, the first to incorporate as a district municipality was North Cowichan on June 18, 1873, while the most recent community to incorporate as a district municipality was the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM) on February 6, 2009.[2] Although portrayed as a regional municipality in its name, the NRRM is classified as a district municipality.
District municipality | Corporate name | Regional district | Incorporation date | Population (2011)[4] | Population (2006) | Change (%) | Area (km²) | Population density | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
100 Mile House, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Barriere, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Central Saanich, The Corporation of the District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Chetwynd, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Clearwater, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Coldstream, The Corporation of the District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Elkford, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Esquimalt, Corporation of the Township of | District municipality | ||||||||
Fort St. James, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Highlands, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Hope, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Houston, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Hudson's Hope, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Invermere, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Kent, The Corporation of the District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Kitimat, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Lake Country, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Langley, The Corporation of the Township of | District municipality | ||||||||
Lantzville, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Lillooet, District of | District municipality | [5] | |||||||
Logan Lake, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Mackenzie, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Metchosin, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
New Hazelton, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
North Cowichan, The Corporation of the District of | District municipality | ||||||||
North Saanich, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
North Vancouver, The Corporation of the District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Northern Rockies[6] | Northern Rockies Regional Municipality | District municipality | |||||||
Oak Bay, The Corporation of the District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Peachland, The Corporation of the District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Port Edward, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Port Hardy, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Saanich, The Corporation of the District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Sechelt, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Sicamous, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Sooke, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Spallumcheen, The Corporation of the Township of | District municipality | ||||||||
Sparwood, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Squamish, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Stewart, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Summerland, The Corporation of the District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Taylor, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Tofino, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Tumbler Ridge, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Ucluelet, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Vanderhoof, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Wells, District of | District municipality | ||||||||
West Vancouver, The Corporation of the District of | District municipality | ||||||||
Total district municipalities | - | - | - | ||||||