Regional district
Regional districts of British Columbia | |
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Location | Municipal government |
Subdivisions |
In the province of British Columbia in Canada, a regional district is an administrative subdivision of the province that consists of a geographic region with specific boundaries and governmental authority. As of January 2020,[update] there were 28 regional districts in the province.[1]
History
Regional districts came into being as an order of government in 1965 with the enactment of amendments to the Municipal Act.[2] Until the creation of regional districts, the only local form of government in British Columbia was incorporated municipalities, and services in areas outside municipal boundaries had to be sought from the province or through improvement districts.[3]
Government structure
Similar to counties in other parts of Canada, regional districts serve only to provide municipal services as the
Most land nominally within a regional district is under the control of the provincial government, or in the case of national parks and offshore waters, the federal government.
Regional districts are governed by boards of directly and indirectly elected directors. Municipalities appoint directors to represent their populations (usually the mayors), while residents of unincorporated areas (which are grouped into
See also
References
- ^ "Municipal and sub-provincial areas population, 2011 to 2019". Government of British Columbia. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ "Regional Districts in B.C." Regional Districts in B.C. Province of British Columbia. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- ^ Bish, Robert L.; Clemens, Eric G. (2008). Local Government in British Columbia (PDF). Richmond: Union of British Columbia Municipalities. p. 45.
- ^ British Columbia Ministry of Community Services, "Primer on Regional Districts in British Columbia," 2006. Archived 2007-07-03 at the Wayback Machine