James Island, one of British Columbia's

Gulf Islands The Gulf Islands is a group of islands in the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia Coast, mainland coast of British Columbia. Etymology The name "Gulf Islands" comes from "Gulf of Georgia", the original term used by Geor ...

, lies in

Haro Strait The Haro Strait is one of the main channels connecting the Strait of Georgia to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, separating Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands in British Columbia, Canada from the San Juan Islands of Washington (state), Washington st ...

between Sidney Island and the coast of

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...

near Sidney,

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. James Island is approximately from the coast of

, and from

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

. James Island has an elevation of above sea level at its highest point, and has a total land-mass of . There are sea-cliffs on the Southern, Western, and Eastern shores of this island. The Southern sea-cliffs are the highest.

Toponymy

SENĆOŦEN Saanich (also Sənčáθən, written as in Saanich orthography, ) is the language of the First Nations Saanich people in the Pacific Northwest region of northwestern North America. Saanich is a Coast Salishan language in the Northern Straits dia ...

, the language of the WSÁNEĆ nations, the island is named P'AQ^wƎČ. According to Walbran the island was "Named by the early settlers, ''circa'' 1853, after ... James Douglas ...". Douglas was a chief factor of the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

and was second governor of the

Colony of Vancouver Island The Colony of Vancouver Island, officially known as the Island of Vancouver and its Dependencies, was a Crown colony of British North America from 1849 to 1866, after which it was united with the mainland to form the Colony of British Columbia. ...

. Further, Walbran stated "Name adopted by Captain Richards, HMS ''Plumper'', 1858." From 1857 to 1862 Richards supervised hydrographic surveys of the southern coast of

History

The island is within the traditional territories of the Tsawout First Nation. Hereditary chief Louie Pelkey of the Tsawout was born on the island in 1860. Although it is east of the North Saanich Douglas Treaty area and south of the Hul'q'umin'um Treaty area, it is not within a Douglas Treaty area. In the early 1900s, the island was used as a private hunting ground for

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

sportsmen including then British Columbia Premier

Richard McBride Sir Richard McBride, (December 15, 1870 – August 6, 1917) was a British Columbia politician and is often considered the founder of the British Columbia Conservative Party. McBride was first elected to the provincial legislature in the 1898 ...

, who served between 1903 and 1915. In 1913 a

dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...

plant was established on the island. The plant was owned by a company that merged into Canadian Explosives Ltd, which in turn changed its name to Canadian Industries Limited (CIL) in 1927. From the outset of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the plant was operated by Defence Industries Ltd, a subsidiary of CIL. The plant, and many of its workers' cottages, had been moved to the island from

Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city of about 100,000 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. "The Harbour City" was previously known as the "Hub City", which was attributed to its original layout design with streets radiating fr ...

. At its peak, the plant employed 800 people, most of whom lived in a small, traffic-free village on the opposite end of the island. During

, the plant produced of

TNT Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and helps ...

per month. The TNT plant closed in 1977, and it and the village were disassembled and removed from the island in 1979. James Island was purchased by

Craig McCaw Craig McCaw (born August 11, 1949) is an American businessman and entrepreneur, a pioneer in the cellular phone industry. He is the founder of McCaw Cellular (now part of AT&T Mobility) and Clearwire Corporation (now part of T-Mobile via the Sp ...

in 1994 for $19 million. Since then there was repeated legal action taken against ICI (formerly CIL) as the new owner was unable to turn over the property to residential use as per his intention due to its industrial history, a status which had been well-documented as of the sale. Recent luxury resort development on the island includes a golf course, yacht moorage, seaplane ramp, and an airstrip. McCaw has reportedly established an environmental regime on James Island where

insecticides Insecticides are pesticides used to kill insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against insect eggs and larvae, respectively. The major use of insecticides is in agriculture, but they are also used in home and garden settings, in ...

are not allowed,

power lines Electric power transmission is the bulk movement of electrical energy from a generating site, such as a power plant, to an electrical substation. The interconnected lines that facilitate this movement form a ''transmission network''. This is ...

are underground and

electric cars An electric car or electric vehicle (EV) is a passenger automobile that is propelled by an electric traction motor, using electrical energy as the primary source of propulsion. The term normally refers to a plug-in electric vehicle, typ ...

and

golf carts A golf cart (alternatively known as a golf buggy or golf car) is a small motorized vehicle designed originally to carry two golfers and their golf clubs around a golf course with less effort than walking. Over time, variants were introduced t ...

are used for transportation. The island was the property with the highest assessed value in the

Capital Regional District The Capital Regional District (CRD) is a local government administrative district encompassing the southern tip of Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The CRD is one of several regional d ...

in 2009, at almost $76 million. In June, 2012, the island was put on the market with an asking price of $75 million. The Island is no longer listed and reportedly no longer for sale.

Ecology

In th
Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classification of the British Columbia Forest Service
the island is entirely Coastal Douglas Fir Lowland.

Local Government

The island is within the

and also within the North Pender Island Local Trust Area of th
Islands Trust
Land use is governed by the Trust with representation by th
North Pender Local Trust Committee
Local government matters other than land use are governed by the Regional District with representation for the Southern Gulf Islands, Electoral Area G, by one electe
director
Although the North Pender Local Trust Committee has authority for land use and the island has no resident landowners, its

official community plan In Canada, an official community plan is a comprehensive plan created by an incorporated municipality which dictates public policy in terms of transportation, utilities, land use, recreation, and housing. OCPs typically encompass large geographical ...

and land use bylawsNorth Pender Associated Islands Land Use Bylaw Amendment 187
are independent of North Pender.

References

External links

Business and History, University of Western Ontario, Accessed August 7, 2006
* * * Walter Sidwell, "The Island I Can't Forget", Deroche, BC, ca. 2002.
Large poster containing map, photographs and historical notes, accessed 2012-10-17.
{{GulfIslands Populated places in the Capital Regional District Islands of the Gulf Islands Ghost towns in British Columbia