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Port Renfrew, British Columbia, Canada on Vancouver Island is an association of neighbourhoods spread out along the seashore, river estuary and Highway 14. Most of Port Renfrew's residents live in the Beach Camp area, which was once a one-time logging rail yard and log dump. This site was converted into a timber company town site after the logging railroad was rendered obsolete by truck logging. Prior to this and for hundreds of years, the Pacheedaht First Nations members lived and travelled up and down the west coas t and throughout the San Juan Valley. Evidence of their use of this area and possibly other First Nation's use, is confirmed by the presence of archaeological sites which occur within the plan area. The first residents of this area used the various water ways as a method for travelling to other First Nation territories. One of the first contacts between the local First Nations people and Europeans occurred on July 13, 1798 when the crew from the British ship, HMS Iphigenia engaged the local residents in a dispute.
Direct access to Port Renfrew, British Columbia, Canada on Vancouver Island by water started on a regular basis around the 1890`s and continued through to the 1950`s. The water route was considered dangerous, which is evident through the large number of shipwrecks being recorded in the vicinity of San Juan Harbour. Within San Juan Harbour itself, it is home to one or two shipwrecks. As time passed, other economic activities such as logging and fishing, and to a lesser extent farming, were recognized and became prominent in the San Juan Valley. Logging eventually became the mainstay of economic activity throughout the San Juan Valley. This is evident as the main residential area known as "Beach Camp" can be attributed to the logging industry around "Port Renfrew" . It is not known exactly where the name Port Renfrew , British Columbia, Canada on Vancouver Island came from, although it is thought locally that it comes from the Prince of Wales, Baron of Renfrew, who visited Canada in 1860. Many of the familiar names for street names and land formations originate from the early pioneers. For example, Parkinson Road, which is the main road through the village, is named after an earlier homesteader who built a three and one -half (3.5) mile boardwalk from the main wharf in the harbour to his farm homes tead. Other significant activities in the area include the establishment, at the turn of the century, of the Botanical Beach research station by the University of Minnesota, as a place to study rare and not so rare sea plant and animal life. Location Port Renfrew , British Columbia, Canada on Vancouver Island lies on the southern tip of Vancouver Island and is a part of the Capital Regional District. The community is located on the south side of Port San Juan Harbour, near the confluence of Port San Juan Harbour and San Juan River. Port Renfrew, British Columbia, Canada on Vancouver Island is located approximately (2.5) two and one-half hours west of Victoria along Highway 14. Port Renfrew, British Columbia, Canada on Vancouver Island can also be reached by travelling through Lake Cowichan over logging road via Harris Creek and the San Juan River Valley. To the northeast, situated on the broad low floodplain of the San Juan River, lies the Pacheedaht First Nations community, as well as a small cluster of properties next to the reserve known as "Elliottville". The world -renowned West Coast Trail, which extends north through Pacific Rim Park to Bamfield on the Alberni Inlet, is accessed through Port Renfrew . Also of regional significance is the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail, which runs through the new linear provincial park stretching along the shore from Botanical Beach towards Jordan River. Map 1 shows the approximate location of Port Renfrew , British Columbia, Canada on Vancouver Island relative to the rest of the Capital Region.' Climate In contrast to the relatively dry climate of the heavily-populated Georgia Straight region of the Capital Regional District, Port Renfrew , British Columbia, Canada on Vancouver Island is located within the exceptionally wet and mild rainforest climate region found in Tofino, Ucluelet and that of the Olympic Peninsula found in Washington State. Overall Port Renfrew , British Columbia, Canada on Vancouver Island is within the coastal western hemlock zone as outlined on the province's 1992 Biogeoclimatic Map.
Based on measurements gathered over the past thirty years, Port Renbfrew
climate is remarkably mild by comparison with virtually any other settlement
in Canada, with the mean daily minimum temperature remaining above zero
degrees Celsius year-round. Port Renfrew , British Columbia, Canada
on Vancouver Island experiences an average of approximately 12 days
of snowfall and only 15 days of snow cover, over the year. However,
cool summers go with the mild winters, with temperatures rising only
to a mean high of 19.1 degrees Celsius in August. Mean average daily
temperatures range from a low of 3.2 degrees in January to Port Renfrew , British Columbia, Canada on Vancouver Island receives an impressive amount of rain, with a mean total rainfall of 64.1mm in July, and 561.8 mm in November. The annual average total for rainfall is 3.6 meters, or close to 12 feet per year. Population Characteristics The total population within the planning boundary is approximately 180 persons, with an additional 100 First Nations members living immediately adjacent to the village. This figure has remained relatively unchanged over the last 30 years. The Economy There is little information available on the employment characteristics of Port Renfrew, British Columbia, Canada on Vancouver Island due to its small population base. Based upon discussions with the local community-planning group, most of the employed persons in the area either worked in or work in forestry related enterprises or similar resource based activities. Some employment exists in the tourism service sector such as bed and breakfast operations, hotel, pubs, restaurants and small retail outlets. A majority of the business activities are small in scale or home based and will continue to be so until the tourist potential of the area is developed. Throughout the seventies and eighties a large portion of the community worked for B.C. Forest Products, which later became Fletcher Challenge. This situation changed in 1990 when Fletcher Challenge shifted its centre of forest operations to Lake Cowichan. This shift caused a hardship for the local economy and stimulated a drive to diversify the community's economic base. Community and business leaders recognizing the need to refocus the community's economic base has resulted in a number of projects that have been developed to take advantage of the natural setting and the proximity to Victoria and it's large tourism market. Through these efforts the community has started to diversify its economy, although it still retains close links to the forest industry through employment in the logging operations of TimberWest. However, the dominance of this forestry relationship has been reduced and is being slowly replaced by activities such as fishing charters and other tourist related service activities. Apart from its logging heritage Port Renfrew, British Columbia, Canada on Vancouver Island is known, internationally, as the southern starting point of the West Coast Trail. Other than the West Coast Trail, Port Renfrew , British Columbia, Canada on Vancouver Island also offers a number of other excellent outdoor recreation opportunities, such as but not limited to sport fishing, access to Botanical Beach Provincial Park, the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail and related nature walks as well as the tallest Douglas fir tree in Canada known as the Red Creek Fir, measured at 241 feet. The Port Renfrew , British Columbia, Canada on Vancouver Island Local Services Committee has been delegated the administrative authority by the Capital Regional District Board, through Bylaw 2566, with respect to the provision of services as authorized in CRD Bylaws Numbered 1743, 1744, 1745, 1746 and 1747. These services are summarized below: Bylaw 1743 - allows for the establishment and operation of a fire prevention and suppression service and to provide assistance in response to automobile and industrial accidents that may cause harm to persons or their property for the Local Service Area within the boundaries of the area; Bylaw 1744 - allows for the collection, treatment and disposal o f
sewage for the local service area within the boundaries of the area.
The CRD operates a secondary sewage treatment plant and disposal outfall
for the Beach Camp area under permit from the Ministry of Environment. Bylaw 1745 - allows for the removal and disposal of waste and noxious substances for the Local Service area within the boundaries of the area. The CRD maintains a transfer station at Port Renfrew , British Columbia, Canada on Vancouver Island for use by the local service area and for visitors for a fee. All refuse and recyclable produc ts are transferred to Victoria for further processing or disposal. Recycle bins are provided at the site for most products and are heavily supported by the community; Bylaw 1746 - to establish and operate a street lighting system for the local service area; Bylaw 1747 - allows for the supply, treatment, conveyance, storage,
and distribution of water for the Local Service area. The CRD has recently
completed a feasibility study to develop a new water local service area
to service the Snuggery Cove area of Port Renfrew . The Port Renfrew
, British Columbia, Canada on Vancouver Island Local Services committee
has supported this initiative and has agreed to the joint use of existing
water area infrastructure including a pumping station, a significant
length of water main, and a storage reservoir. The Loc al Services Committee
has also supported the construction of a replacement water reservoir.
The CRD has submitted an application through the Local Government Infrastructure
Grants program for assistance in funding the infrastructure required
for the Snuggery Cove water system and a separate application for assistance
in the replacement of the existing water reservoir. Physiography of the Area Based upon a review of a report entitled, An Introduction to the Ecoregions of British Columbia , the Port Renfrew , British Columbia, Canada on Vancouver Island area is a part of the Coast and Mountains Ecoprovince, the Western Vancouver Island Ecoregion and the Windward Island Mountains Ecosection. This suggests the following: • The major climate processes involve the arrival of frontal systems from the Pacific Ocean and the subsequent lifting of those systems over the coastal mountains. • Within this ecoprovince there is a strong estuarine gradient across this ecoprovince, from the various freshwater discharges into the fjords. General Topographical Information Speaking in general terms the topography consists of the following features: • Gently rolling features - in the 5 to 15-percent range (2.7
to 8-degrees) Overall the landscape of this region varies from seashore regions to nearly flat, featureless plains to regions of protruding and steeply sloped bluffs. Upon a review of the Soils of Southern Vancouver Island report, the following soil associations, with a brief description of each, are located within the study area. |
