The Cowichan Valley Regional District is the regional local government of the Cowichan Valley which lies between Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, and Nanaimo on beautiful Vancouver Island off the west coast of Canada.
The CVRD is a combination of four municipalities and nine Electoral Areas which deal with local issues on a region-wide perspective, as well as administering local functions for the unincorporated Electoral Areas directed by locally elected officials.
As a local government, the CVRD deals with local issues on a region-wide perspective, and administers the local functions for the unincorporated areas, directed by locally elected officials. The Regional District concept was established in 1965 and is one of the most innovative forms of government in Canada. The CVRD was incorporated on September 26, 1967.
Off the west coast of British Columbia, Canada and separated by the Georgia Strait lies Vancouver Island. Surrounded by scenic, rugged mountains, the Cowichan Valley is located between the City of Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, and the City of Nanaimo. The area was first inhabited by the Cowichan nation, encompassing all the independent aboriginal bands in the valley.
Covering approximately 373,000 hectares, the Cowichan region stretches from the Malahat in the south, to the town of North Oyster in the north and west to the Pacific Ocean (Pacific Rim National Park and Trail) including the distinctive communities of Honeymoon Bay and Youbou on Cowichan Lake.
With the highest mean temperatures in Canada, soil rich enough to grow virtually any crop, a full range of recreational and business services, the Cowichan Valley region is a favourite place to live and do business on Vancouver Island.
Towering forests, numerous beaches and unique marine hamlets, plus some of the largest and most popular fresh water lakes on Vancouver Island have made the Cowichan Valley a tourist destination for decades.
The name "Cowichan" derived from the Coast Salish word Khowutzun, literally translates into "The Warm Land", a climatic fact of nature that has seen the region inhabited for countless centuries. European settlement of the district, starting with farmers and loggers, began in the middle of the 19th century. Today, agriculture and forestry continue as the economic backbone of the area.
For more information on the Cowichan Valley Regional District, visit
www.cvrd.bc.ca.
