British Columbia Maps & Facts

It now has the highest percentage of service industry jobs in the west, constituting 72 percent of industry (compared to 60 percent Western Canadian average). Employment in the resource sector has fallen steadily as a percentage of employment, and new jobs are mostly in the construction and retail/service sectors. BC’s economy is diverse, with service-producing industries accounting for the largest portion of the province’s GDP. In 2021, 34.4 percent of the population consisted of visible minorities and 5.9 percent of the population was Indigenous, mostly of First Nations and Métis descent. The metropolitan area also includes several Indian reserves (the governments of which are not part of the regional district).

Another tier of parks in British Columbia are regional parks, which are maintained and run by the province’s regional districts. 12.5 percent of the province’s area (114,000 km2 or 44,000 sq mi) is considered protected under one of the 14 different designations that includes over 800 distinct areas. During El Niño events, the jet stream is much farther south across North America, making the province’s winters milder and drier than normal. Annual sunshine hours vary from 2200 near Cranbrook and BC Game Victoria to less than 1300 in Prince Rupert, on the North Coast just south of Southeast Alaska. While winters are very wet, coastal areas are generally milder and dry during summer under the influence of stable anti-cyclonic high pressure. Coastal southern British Columbia has a mild and rainy climate influenced by the North Pacific Current.

BC and AD, BCE and CE : What’s the Difference ?

Call, email or text us, or find a service centre We can help in over 220 languages and through other accessible options. The B.C. Public Service acknowledges the territories of First Nations around B.C.

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However, the COVID-19 vaccine reduced the spread, with 78 percent of people in BC over the age of five having been fully vaccinated. In 2023, British Columbia experienced a net population loss of 8,624; a substantial percentage of which were people who moved to Alberta. The net number of people coming to BC from other provinces in 2016 was almost four times larger than in 2012 and BC was the largest net recipient of interprovincial migrants in Canada. Trends of urbanization mean the Greater Vancouver area now includes 51 percent of the province’s population, followed by Greater Victoria with 8 percent. In the 2017 election, the NDP formed a minority government with the support of the Green Party through a confidence and supply agreement.

Like most other provinces in Canada, education is compulsory from ages 6 to 16 (grades 1–10), although the vast majority of students remain in school until they graduate from high school (grade 12) at the age of 18. The public school system is divided in 59 anglophone school districts and one francophone school district, the Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique, which operates French-language public schools throughout the province. Some of the province’s retired rail beds have been converted and maintained for hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing.

• Nearly all travel and freight to and from the region occurred via the Pacific Ocean, primarily through the ports of Victoria and New Westminster.
• First Nations peoples of British Columbia used plants for food, and to produce material goods like fuel and building products.
• The main reason why Jewish academics’ adopted BCE/CE over a century ago, was religious neutrality.
• Following the election, the Greens entered into negotiations with both the Liberals and NDP, eventually announcing they would support an NDP minority government.
• The 1970s and 1980s brought economic challenges and political shifts, culminating in the Expo 86 world’s fair and the end of Social Credit dominance.

Examples of BC used in Sentences

BC Ferries was established as a provincial crown corporation in 1960 to provide passenger and vehicle ferry service between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland as a cheaper and more reliable alternative to the service operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway and other private operators. Several heritage railways operate within the province, including the White Pass and Yukon Route that runs between Alaska and the Yukon via British Columbia. Amtrak runs international passenger service between Vancouver, Seattle, and intermediate points. The British Columbia Electric Railway provided rail services in Victoria and Vancouver between the nineteenth century and mid twentieth century. Two major routes through the Yellowhead Pass competed with the Canadian Pacific Railway – the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, terminating at Prince Rupert, and the Canadian Northern Railway, terminating at Vancouver.

The traditionally used labels BC and AD were replaced with BCE and CE for the sake of including all religions. This is because people in Western Europe were not yet aware of the concept of zero during that time. Although it originated in the Western Christian religion, the Gregorian calendar is now accepted and used all over the world. In fact, the term ‘Before Christ’ did not come into existence until much later.

Rail development expanded greatly in the decades after the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed, in 1885, and was the chief mode of long-distance surface transportation until the expansion and improvement of the provincial highways system began in the 1950s. A new extension to Coquitlam and Port Moody (the Evergreen Extension of the Millennium Line) was completed in December 2016. In 2009, the Canada Line SkyTrain was completed, linking Vancouver International Airport and the city of Richmond to downtown Vancouver bringing the total to three operating metro lines. Public transit in British Columbia consists mainly of diesel buses, although Vancouver is also serviced by a fleet of trolley buses. Some smaller island communities, such as Gabriola Island and, formerly, Pender Island operate routes independent of BC Transit or TransLink.