Sidney, British Columbia

Coordinates: 48°39′2″N 123°23′55″W / 48.65056°N 123.39861°W / 48.65056; -123.39861
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Sydney (disambiguation) and Sidney.

Sidney
V8L
Area code(s)250, 778
Highways17
WaterwaysHaro Strait
Websitewww.sidney.ca Edit this at Wikidata
Typical condominium architecture in Sidney.
This single-family house in Sidney features a collection of palms, including Chinese windmill palm.

Sidney is a town located at the northern end of the

Swartz Bay Terminal. The town is also the only Canadian port-of-call in the Washington State Ferries system, with ferries running from Sidney to the San Juan Islands and Anacortes. Sidney is located along Highway 17, which bisects the town from north to south. It is generally considered part of the Victoria
metropolitan area.

The town west of Highway 17 (also called Patricia Bay Highway, locally abbreviated as the Pat Bay Highway) has a mixture of single-family residences and light industry. The majority of the town is located east of Highway 17. Single-family units are also present east of the highway, but the eastern sector also has many

condominium-type buildings, plus most of the service and retail outlets. The island-studded Haro Strait, part of the Salish Sea
, forms Sidney's eastern boundary. There is a large boating and marine industry in the area, ranging from marinas to boatbuilders and marine suppliers.

Sidney takes its name from nearby Sidney Island. In 1859, Captain Richards named that island for Frederick W. Sidney, who, like Richards served in the survey branch of the Royal Navy.[4]: 243 

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Sidney had a population of 12,318 living in 5,981 of its 6,321 total private dwellings, a change of 5.5% from its 2016 population of 11,672. With a land area of 5.11 km2 (1.97 sq mi), it had a population density of 2,410.6/km2 (6,243.3/sq mi) in 2021.[5]

Sidney has a median age of 60.4[6] in 2001 as compared with the British Columbia median age of 38.4. Sidney had more than 35% of their population over the age of 65.

Ethnicity

Panethnic groups in the Town of Sidney (2001−2021)
Panethnic
group 		2021[7] 2016[8] 2011[9] 2006[10] 2001[11]
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
European[a] 10,335 87.73% 10,070 90.52% 9,925 93.15% 10,350 94.01% 10,005 94.16%
Southeast Asian[b] 485 4.12% 335 3.01% 175 1.64% 35 0.32% 130 1.22%
Indigenous 395 3.35% 360 3.24% 230 2.16% 250 2.27% 195 1.84%
East Asian[c] 245 2.08% 140 1.26% 180 1.69% 155 1.41% 170 1.6%
South Asian 140 1.19% 90 0.81% 70 0.66% 65 0.59% 40 0.38%
African
 60 0.51% 45 0.4% 15 0.14% 20 0.18% 55 0.52%
Latin American 60 0.51% 25 0.22% 40 0.38% 45 0.41% 20 0.19%
Middle Eastern[d] 0 0% 10 0.09% 15 0.14% 0 0% 0 0%
Other/Multiracial[e] 55 0.47% 45 0.4% 0 0% 75 0.68% 10 0.09%
Total responses 11,780 95.63% 11,125 95.31% 10,655 95.32% 11,010 97.3% 10,625 97.22%
Total population 12,318 100% 11,672 100% 11,178 100% 11,315 100% 10,929 100%
Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses

Religion

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Sidney included:[7]

Labour force

Sidney is mainly an industrial town, with most people working in the construction, manufacturing, and warehousing fields (26%). Retail accounts for approximately 10% of the employment. Healthcare and social assistance employs 13%. There are over 4,000 people employed in Sidney, with an unemployment rate of 6.1%. It should also be taken into consideration that some of this labour force commutes from neighbouring municipalities, such as Saanich or Victoria. The median income is $24,638. The median income for a household in the town is $63,840[6] Renting costs in Sidney have increased substantially over the past few years, with a Standard 2 Bedroom Suite reaching as much as $2500 a month. The average cost of a house in Sidney in March 2019 was $645,500.[12]

Government

The Town of Sidney is a municipality governed by an elected Council. The elected Council, 2015–2018 consists of one Mayor and six Councillors. Mayor Steve Price, Councillor Erin Bremner-Mitchell, Councillor Tim Chad, Councillor Barbara Fallot, Councillor Mervyn Lougher-Goodey, Councillor Cam McLennan, and Councillor Peter Wainwright.

Education

Public schools serving Sidney residents are operated by School District 63 Saanich. These include Sidney Elementary School, North Saanich Middle School, and Parkland Secondary School.

Sister city

On June 30, 2008, the Sidney

Niimi, Okayama, Japan. This was Sidney's third sister city, following Cairns, Queensland, Australia and Anacortes, Washington, United States
.

Attractions

Sidney's most popular attraction is its position on the Salish Sea. Sidney-by-the-Sea is the gateway to the southern Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, and is an eco-tourist destination, with whale-watching, bird-watching, kayaking and

Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre
. Shoal Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary is located within Sidney and the adjoining Sidney Channel Important Bird Area, an internationally recognized site important to a variety of seabirds and waterfowl.

Sidney has its own local history museum, the

Sidney Museum and Archives, which features displays about the history of the surrounding Peninsula as well as temporary exhibits. As home to the Victoria International Airport Sidney also hosts the British Columbia Aviation Museum which features displays, artifacts, restored historical aircraft and a vintage aircraft restoration workshop.[citation needed
]

During the summer, Sidney hosts a street market on Thursday evenings on the main street (Beacon). "Sidney days" is another event that occurs at the beginning of July. To celebrate, Sidney has a parade, a build-a-boat contest,

bookstores, Sidney is officially one of Canada's 2 book towns, the other being Fundy-St. Martins, New Brunswick
. It also has almost as many coffee joints and cafes to sit and read in.

Physiography

Maintenance of drainage systems is essential in the heavy clay soils which underlie most of Sidney.

Almost all of the land within Sidney's boundary is either flat or very gently sloping, providing a topography which is favourable for the town's elderly people. Most soils are clayey, and poorly drained in their natural state. In some parts of town, this clay is overlain by deposits of sand and gravel which are well drained.

Climate

Sidney enjoys a cool Mediterranean climate (Csb) with year-round mild temperatures and moderate rainfall. Most years see very little snow. Daily temperatures seldom climb above 31 °C (88 °F), or dip below −7 °C (19 °F). In the mildest winters, minimum temperatures stay above −3 °C (27 °F). Damaging winds are less frequent than in most other maritime areas of Canada.

Climate data for Victoria International Airport (1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high humidex 16.4 17.1 20.9 26.1 33.6 34.3 39.6 36.8 34.7 27.0 20.0 17.7 39.6
Record high °C (°F) 16.1
(61.0) 		18.3
(64.9) 		21.4
(70.5) 		26.3
(79.3) 		31.5
(88.7) 		33.5
(92.3) 		36.3
(97.3) 		34.4
(93.9) 		31.1
(88.0) 		27.6
(81.7) 		18.3
(64.9) 		16.1
(61.0) 		36.3
(97.3)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 7.6
(45.7) 		8.8
(47.8) 		10.8
(51.4) 		13.6
(56.5) 		16.9
(62.4) 		19.9
(67.8) 		22.4
(72.3) 		22.4
(72.3) 		19.6
(67.3) 		14.2
(57.6) 		9.7
(49.5) 		7.0
(44.6) 		14.4
(57.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) 4.6
(40.3) 		5.1
(41.2) 		6.8
(44.2) 		9.0
(48.2) 		12.1
(53.8) 		14.9
(58.8) 		16.9
(62.4) 		16.8
(62.2) 		14.2
(57.6) 		10.0
(50.0) 		6.4
(43.5) 		4.0
(39.2) 		10.0
(50.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 1.5
(34.7) 		1.3
(34.3) 		2.6
(36.7) 		4.3
(39.7) 		7.2
(45.0) 		9.8
(49.6) 		11.3
(52.3) 		11.1
(52.0) 		8.6
(47.5) 		5.7
(42.3) 		3.0
(37.4) 		1.1
(34.0) 		5.6
(42.1)
Record low °C (°F) −15.6
(3.9) 		−15.0
(5.0) 		−10.0
(14.0) 		−3.9
(25.0) 		−1.1
(30.0) 		2.1
(35.8) 		4.1
(39.4) 		4.4
(39.9) 		−1.1
(30.0) 		−4.4
(24.1) 		−13.3
(8.1) 		−14.4
(6.1) 		−15.6
(3.9)
Record low wind chill −19.1 −23.7 −13.9 −6.7 −5.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 −9.1 −19.4 −25.1 −25.1
Average precipitation mm (inches) 143.2
(5.64) 		89.3
(3.52) 		78.4
(3.09) 		47.9
(1.89) 		37.5
(1.48) 		30.6
(1.20) 		17.9
(0.70) 		23.8
(0.94) 		31.1
(1.22) 		88.1
(3.47) 		152.6
(6.01) 		142.5
(5.61) 		882.9
(34.76)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 132.8
(5.23) 		83.0
(3.27) 		75.2
(2.96) 		47.5
(1.87) 		37.5
(1.48) 		30.6
(1.20) 		17.9
(0.70) 		23.8
(0.94) 		31.1
(1.22) 		88.0
(3.46) 		148.4
(5.84) 		129.7
(5.11) 		845.3
(33.28)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 10.9
(4.3) 		6.3
(2.5) 		3.4
(1.3) 		0.4
(0.2) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.2
(0.1) 		4.7
(1.9) 		13.7
(5.4) 		39.7
(15.6)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 18.6 14.9 16.7 13.3 12.0 9.5 5.3 5.2 7.6 14.0 19.2 18.6 155.1
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 17.8 14.3 16.5 13.3 12.0 9.5 5.3 5.2 7.6 14.0 18.7 17.6 151.9
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 2.0 1.7 0.93 0.13 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.03 1.0 2.2 8.0
Average
relative humidity
(%) 		78.2 70.1 66.0 60.3 59.5 57.5 55.9 56.7 60.0 69.3 77.4 79.4 65.8
Mean monthly sunshine hours 70.8 95.5 145.3 191.3 241.5 251.7 318.1 297.5 228.6 136.9 72.8 58.9 2,108.8
Percent possible sunshine 26.0 33.3 39.5 46.7 51.2 52.2 65.4 66.9 60.3 40.7 26.2 22.7 44.3
Source:
Environment Canada[14][15]

Fauna

The environs of Sidney provides habitat for a diverse array of fish and wildlife, both terrestrial and marine, coming and going with the seasons. For this reason it is a growing mecca for bird watchers, whale watchers, scuba-divers and eco-tourism. Sidney's most famous inhabitant is the

European skylark can be heard.[citation needed
]

Marine mammals include the ubiquitous

killer whales can be seen from Sidney's waterfront. Marine-adapted river otters are common coastal inhabitants, along with raccoon, and mink. Adjacent woodlands and farmlands are home to the small, shy black-tailed deer. In recent years, the introduced, invasive eastern grey squirrel
has become abundant.

The waters around Sidney once supported a large sports fishery, based largely on

ling cod, and various rockfish (Sebastes), but overfishing and poor management have greatly reduced the sports fishery. Also, ecological change and the decline of critical forage species such as the Pacific herring and the sand lance
have had significant impacts on the larger predators, including salmon, killer whales and seabirds. Many of the common fish species and other marine fauna can be seen at the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre on the Sidney waterfront.

Flora

Sidney is situated within the coastal Douglas fir ecosystem, one of the most restricted ecosystems in Canada, dominated by large Douglas firs, along with its most distinctive species, the

cascara, quaking aspen, hawthorn and several species of willow. Coastal areas contain several unique plant communities including sea asparagus, salt grass and eelgrass, documented by the renowned botanist and explorer, John Macoun
, after he retired as curator of the National Museum in 1912.

Many non-native plants also occur, including many invasive species such as

Freeman maple and Chinese windmill palm have become popular.[citation needed
]

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 "Filipino" and "Southeast Asian" under visible minority section on census.
  3. ^ Statistic includes total responses of "Chinese", "Korean", and "Japanese" 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. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  2. ^ Mayor & Council
  3. ^ a b "Sidney, Town [Census subdivision], British Columbia and Capital, Regional district [Census division], British Columbia". Statistics Canada. January 23, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  4. ISBN 0-7748-0636-2
  5. ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), British Columbia". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Demographics".
  7. ^ a b Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (October 26, 2022). "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  8. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (October 27, 2021). "Census Profile, 2016 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  9. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (November 27, 2015). "NHS Profile". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  10. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (August 20, 2019). "2006 Community Profiles". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  11. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (July 2, 2019). "2001 Community Profiles". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  12. ^ "• Victoria, BC: house prices by suburb 2020 | Statista".
  13. ^ "Slegg's Annual Event on Canada Day, Build a Boat Contest Sidney BC".
  14. Environment Canada
    . October 31, 2011. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  15. Environment Canada. Archived from the original
    on July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sidney, British Columbia.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sidney,_British_Columbia&oldid=1211580700"