Mary Novik is a Canadian novelist.
102-659: Born in Victoria, British Columbia and raised in Victoria and Surrey , Mary Novik received a Ph.D. in literature from The University of British Columbia and lives in Vancouver , British Columbia. Novik taught literature and creative writing at Langara College in Vancouver, wrote reviews and articles on poetry, and now belongs to the fiction writing group, SPiN, which includes Jen Sookfong Lee and June Hutton. Mary Novik
204-467: A total station for mapping the sites as well as the creation of simple test pits to probe for stratigraphy and artifacts. Native groups along the Northwest coast have been using plants for making wood and fiber artifacts for over 10,500 years. Anthropologists are searching for aquifer wet sites that would contain ancient Salish villages. These sites are created by a series of waters running through
306-433: A hundred technology, software and engineering companies have an office in Victoria. Victoria is a major tourism destination with over 3.5 million overnight visitors per year who add more than a billion dollars to the local economy. As well, over 500,000 daytime visitors arrive via cruise ships which dock at Ogden Point near the city's Inner Harbour . Many whale watching tour companies operate from this harbour due to
408-470: A pivotal speech in 1967 on what had happened to his people. This riveted audiences at a Canadian Centennial ceremony in Vancouver's Empire Stadium and touched off public awareness and native activism in BC and Canada. By this point, through the 1960s and 1970s, employment in commercial fisheries had greatly declined; employment in logging and lumber mills also declined significantly with automation, outsourcing, and
510-554: A population of 397,237. The city of Victoria is the seventh most densely populated city in Canada with 4,406 inhabitants per square kilometre (11,410/sq mi). Victoria is the southernmost major city in Western Canada and is about 100 km (62 mi) southwest from British Columbia's largest city of Vancouver on the mainland. The city is about 100 km (62 mi) from Seattle by airplane, seaplane , ferry , or
612-410: A population of 91,867 living in 49,222 of its 53,070 total private dwellings, a change of 7.1% from its 2016 population of 85,792. With a land area of 19.45 km (7.51 sq mi), it had a population density of 4,723.2/km (12,233.1/sq mi) in 2021. Victoria is one of the most gender diverse cities in Canada, with approximately 0.75% of residents identifying as transgender or non-binary in
714-514: A raven, woodpecker, bear, or seal. Oftentimes members of the community get together to show their powers on the longhouse floor, where the spiritual powers are for the individual alone for each member to share and display various songs. Villages of the Coast Salish typically consisted of northwest coast longhouses made with western red cedar split planks and with an earthen floor . They provided habitation for forty or more people, usually
816-513: A related extended family. Also used by many groups were pit-houses , known in the Chinook Jargon as kekuli (see quiggly holes ). The villages were typically located near navigable water for easy transportation by dugout canoe . Houses that were part of the same village sometimes stretched for several miles along a river or watercourse. The interior walls of longhouses were typically lined with sleeping platforms. Storage shelves above
918-724: A single occurrence of frost. During this time the city went 718 days without freezing, starting on 23 December 1998 and ending 10 December 2000. The second longest frost-free period was a 686-day stretch covering 1925 and 1926, marking the first and last time the city has gone the entire season without dropping below 1 °C (34 °F). During the winter, the average daily high and low temperatures are 8 and 4 °C (46 and 39 °F), respectively. The summer months are also relatively mild, with an average high temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) and low of 11 °C (52 °F), although inland areas often experience warmer daytime highs. The highest temperature ever recorded at Victoria Gonzales
1020-880: A subsidiary of the HBC , between present-day Olympia and Tacoma, Washington . Contact and trade began accelerating significantly with the southern Coast Salish. Significant social change and change in social structures accelerates with increasing contact. Initiative remained with Native traders until catastrophic population decline. Native traders and Native economy were not particularly interested or dependent upon European trade or tools. Trade goods were primarily luxuries such as trade blankets, ornamentation, guns and ammunition. The HBC monopoly did not condone alcohol, but freebooter traders were under no compunction. Catholic missionaries arrive in Puget Sound around 1839–1840; interest diminished by 1843, and Methodist missionaries were in
1122-546: Is a liberating creative device". The novel "recreates" 14th-century Avignon in the time of the popes, "its corruption and excesses, its beauty and its art." Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia , on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has
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#17327986792571224-675: Is a list of some, but not all, Coast Salish-speaking tribes and nations located in British Columbia, Washington and Oregon. The history of Coast Salish peoples presented here provides an overview from a primarily United States perspective. Coast Salish peoples in British Columbia have had similar economic experience, although their political and treaty experience has been different—occasionally dramatically so. Evidence has been found from c. 3000 BCE of an established settlement at X̱á:ytem (Hatzic Rock) near Mission, British Columbia . Early occupancy of c̓əsnaʔəm ( Marpole Midden )
1326-424: Is a matter of debate. The Coast Salish held slaves as simple property; they were not members of the tribe. The children of slaves were born into slavery. The staple of their diet was typically salmon , supplemented with a rich variety of other seafoods and forage. This was particularly the case for the southern Coast Salish, where the climate of their territories was even more temperate. Bilateral kinship within
1428-728: Is also a destination for conventions, meetings, and conferences, including a 2007 North Atlantic Treaty Organization military chief of staff meeting held at the Hotel Grand Pacific. Every year, the Swiftsure International Yacht Race attracts boaters from around the world to participate in the boat race in the waters off of Vancouver Island, and the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival brings over 90 teams from around North America. The Tall Ships Festival brings sailing ships to
1530-403: Is also a well-protected harbour with a large graving dock and shipbuilding and repair facilities. A point-in-time homeless count was conducted by volunteers between 11 March and 12 March 2020, that counted at least 1,523 homeless that night. The homeless count is considered an underestimate due to the hidden homeless that may be couch surfing or have found somewhere to stay that is not on
1632-609: Is also documentation of the cultivation of great camas, Indian carrot, and Columbia lily. Anthropogenic grasslands were maintained. The south Coast Salish may have had more vegetables and land game than people farther north or among other peoples on the outer coast. Salmon and other fish were staples; see Coast Salish people and salmon . There was kakanee , a freshwater fish in the Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish watersheds. Shellfish were abundant. Butter clams, horse clams , and cockles were dried for trade. Hunting
1734-484: Is an attractive city and a popular tourism destination and has a regional technology sector that has risen to be its largest revenue-generating private industry. In 2019, Victoria was in the top 20 world cities for quality of life, according to Numbeo . Prior to the arrival of European navigators in the late 1700s, the Greater Victoria area was home to several communities of Coast Salish peoples , including
1836-522: Is evident from c. 2000 BCE – 450 CE, and lasted at least until around the late 1800s, when smallpox and other diseases affected the inhabitants. Other notable early settlements that record has been found of include prominent villages along the Duwamish River estuary dating back to the 6th century CE, which remained continuously inhabited until sometime in the later 18th century. Boulder walls were constructed for defensive and other purposes along
1938-523: Is known for its disproportionately large retiree population. Some 23.4 percent of the population of Victoria and its surrounding area are over 65 years of age, which is higher than the overall Canadian distribution of over 65 year-olds in the population (19%). Indigenous peoples made up 5 percent of Victoria's population in 2021. According to the 2021 census , the majority of the population of Victoria described themselves as irreligious (63.4%). Over 25% of Victoria residents are Christian , with
2040-524: Is over representative in the homeless population as only 4.7% of the overall population of Victoria identify as Indigenous. During the COVID-19 pandemic , many homeless people sheltered in camping tents within the city's parks and some roadside greenspaces, including in Beacon Hill Park . In March 2021, city council reinstated a bylaw prohibiting daytime camping in parks, and with support from
2142-667: Is set in 17th century London . Other fictional characters based on historical people are Donne's wife Ann More, the diarist Samuel Pepys , and the fisherman Izaak Walton . Conceit has been praised for its "breathtaking ambition". It won the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and was nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize . It was chosen as a Book of the Year by both The Globe and Mail and Quill & Quire . Canada Reads named Conceit one of
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#17327986792572244-498: Is the author of two novels set in the past, Conceit and Muse , in which fiction and fact are creatively mingled. Novik is engaged in an "ongoing exploration of minor characters in the lives of great figures of literature" and is part of the current "boom" in historical fiction in Canada. Mary Novik's debut novel, Conceit (Doubleday Canada, 2007) is about Pegge Donne, the daughter of the Metaphysical poet John Donne , and
2346-663: The 1994 Commonwealth Games which hosted track events at the Saanich -Oak Bay based University of Victoria and the Saanich Commonwealth Pool, the 2009 Scotties Tournament of Hearts , the 2005 Ford World Men's Curling Championship tournament, and 2006 Skate Canada . Victoria co-hosted the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup at Royal Athletic Park , and is the venue for the Bastion Square Grand Prix Criterium road cycling race. The city
2448-823: The British Columbia Coast . Their thick dark topsoils denote a high level of fertility which made them valuable for farming prior to urbanization. Depending on the classification used, Victoria either has a warm-summer Mediterranean or oceanic climate ( Köppen : Csb, Trewartha : Do ); with fresh, dry, sunny summers, and cool, cloudy, rainy winters. Victoria is farther north than many "cold-winter" cities, such as Ottawa , Quebec City , and Minneapolis . However, westerly winds and Pacific Ocean currents keep Victoria's winter temperatures substantially higher, with an average January temperature of 5.0 °C (41.0 °F) (Gonzales) and 5.8 °C (42.4 °F) ( University of Victoria ) compared to Ottawa,
2550-644: The British North America /United States border along the 49th parallel from the Rockies to the Strait of Georgia . Erected in 1843 as a Hudson's Bay Company trading post on a site originally called Camosack meaning "rush of water". Known briefly as "Fort Albert", the settlement was renamed Fort Victoria in November 1843, in honour of Queen Victoria . The Songhees established a village across
2652-484: The Cariboo Gold Rush . As the epidemic spread, police, supported by gunboats, forced thousands of First Nations people living in encampments around Victoria to leave and many returned to their home villages which spread the epidemic. Some consider the decision to force First Nations people to leave their encampments an intentional act of genocide. Mean population decline 1774–1874 was about 66%. Though
2754-633: The Fraser Canyon in the 15th century. Early European contact with Coast Salish peoples dates back to exploration of the Strait of Georgia in 1791 by Juan Carrasco and José María Narváez , as well as brief contact with the Vancouver expedition by the Squamish people in 1792. In 1808, Simon Fraser of the North West Company entered Coast Salish territories via the Fraser Canyon and met various groups until reaching tidewater on
2856-605: The Haida , Tongass , and one group of Tsimshian , are also notable. Having gained superiority by earlier access to European guns through the fur trade, these warriors raided the southern Salish tribes for slaves and loot. Their victims organized retaliatory raids several times, attacking the Lekwiltok. The highest-ranking male assumed the role of ceremonial leader but rank could vary and was determined by different standards. Villages were linked through intermarriage among members;
2958-528: The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), led by John Work , travelled the length of the central and south Georgia Strait-Puget Sound. From the 1810s through to the 1850s, Coast Salish groups of Georgia Strait and Puget Sound experienced raiding from northern peoples, particularly the Euclataws and Haida . In 1827, HBC established Fort Langley east of present-day Vancouver, B.C . Whattlekainum, principal chief of
3060-691: The Kwantlen people , moved most of his people from Qiqayt (Brownsville) across the river from what was to become New Westminster to Kanaka Creek , near the Fort, for security and to dominate trade with the Fort. European contact and trade began accelerating significantly, primarily with the Fraser River Salish (Sto:lo). Fort Nisqually and its farm were established in 1833 by the Puget Sound Agricultural Company
3162-532: The Lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) and W̱SÁNEĆ (Saanich) peoples. The Spanish and British took up the exploration of the northwest coast, beginning with the visits of Juan Pérez in 1774, and of James Cook in 1778. Although the Victoria area of the Strait of Juan de Fuca was not explored until 1790, Spanish sailors visited Esquimalt Harbour (just west of Victoria proper) in 1790, 1791, and 1792. In 1841, James Douglas
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3264-524: The Nisqually Flats (Nisqually plains) to harvest them. Salish groups such as Muckleshoot were heavily reliant on seasonal foods that included animals and plants. In January, they would gather along the river banks to catch salmon. By May, Salmonberry sprouts would be eaten with salmon eggs. Men would hunt deer and elk, while women gathered camas and clams from the prairies and beaches. By the summer, steelhead and king salmon appeared in masses along
3366-870: The Port Madison Reservation was 152 x 12–18 m (500 x 40–60 ft), c. 1850. The gambrel roof was unique to Puget Sound Coast Salish. The Salish later took to constructing rock walls at strategic points near the Fraser River Canyon , along the Fraser River. These Salish Defensive Sites are rock wall features constructed by Coast Salish peoples. One was excavated by Kisha Supernant in 2008 at Yale, British Columbia . The functions of these features may have included defense, fishing platforms, and creation of house terraces. House pits and stone tools have been found in association with certain sites. Methods used include use of
3468-575: The Puget Sound - Georgia Basin and east to the Sahaptin -speaking lands of Chelan, Kittitas and Yakama in what is now Eastern Washington. Similarly in Canada there were ties between the Squamish people and Sto:lo with Interior Salish neighbours, i.e. the Lil'wat / St'at'imc , Nlaka'pamux and Syilx . There was little political organization. No formal political office existed. Warfare for
3570-535: The Victoria Clipper passenger-only ferry, and 40 km (25 mi) from Port Angeles , Washington , by ferry Coho across the Strait of Juan de Fuca . Named for Queen Victoria , the city is one of the oldest in the Pacific Northwest , with British settlement beginning in 1843. The city has retained a large number of its historic buildings, in particular its two most famous landmarks,
3672-530: The amalgamation of the thirteen municipal governments within the Capital Regional District . The opponents of amalgamation state that separate governance affords residents a greater deal of local autonomy. The proponents of amalgamation argue it would reduce duplication of services, while allowing for more efficient use of resources and the ability to better handle broad, regional issues and long-term planning. The landscape of Victoria
3774-547: The 1880s. After legislation amending the Indian Act was passed the previous year, in 1885 the potlatch was banned in Canada; it was banned in the US some years later. This suppression ended in the US in 1934, and in 1951 in Canada. Some potlatching became overt immediately. A resurgence of tribal culture began in the 1960s; national Civil Rights movements engendered civil action for treaty rights. Chief Dan Georges delivered
3876-488: The 2021 Statistics Canada Census of Population. At the census metropolitan area (CMA) level in the 2021 census, the Victoria CMA had a population of 397,237 living in 176,676 of its 186,674 total private dwellings, a change of 8% from its 2016 population of 367,770 . With a land area of 695.29 km (268.45 sq mi), it had a population density of 571.3/km (1,479.7/sq mi) in 2021. Victoria
3978-546: The 20th century there was effective resistance to chlorination . However, drinking water has been chlorinated since March 1944. Since World War II the Victoria area has seen relatively steady growth, becoming home to two major universities. Since the 1980s the western suburbs have been incorporated as new municipalities, such as Colwood and Langford , which are known collectively as the Western Communities . Greater Victoria periodically experiences calls for
4080-603: The City of Victoria, including the Bay Centre , Hillside Shopping Centre , and Mayfair Shopping Centre. Mayfair, one of the first major shopping centres in Victoria, first opened as an outdoor strip mall on 16 October 1963 with 27 stores. It was built on the site of a former brickyard in the Maywood district, a then-semi-rural area in the northern part of Victoria. Woodward's was Mayfair's original department store anchor upon
4182-453: The Fraser's North Arm, where he was attacked and repelled by Musqueam warriors. Throughout the 1810s, coastal fur trade extended further with infrequent shipping. The establishment of Fort Vancouver in 1824 was important as it established a regular site of interaction with Clackamas , Multnomah , and Cascades Chinooks , as well as interior Klickitat , Cowlitz , Kalapuya . Parties from
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4284-715: The Gordon Highlanders in the summer of 1914. Before the end of the war he commanded the Canadian Corps. A number of municipalities surrounding Victoria were incorporated during this period, including the Township of Esquimalt, the District of Oak Bay, and several municipalities on the Saanich Peninsula . Water in Greater Victoria had a reputation for excellent purity, and for several decades in
4386-640: The Mainland – and became the provincial capital when British Columbia joined the Canadian Confederation in 1871. In the latter half of the 19th century, the Port of Victoria became one of North America's largest importers of opium , serving the opium trade from Hong Kong and distribution into North America. Opium trade was legal and unregulated until 1865, when the legislature issued licences and levied duties on its import and sale. The opium trade
4488-634: The Pacific Northwest Coast , living in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon . They speak one of the Coast Salish languages . The Nuxalk (Bella Coola) nation are usually included in the group, although their language is more closely related to Interior Salish languages . The Coast Salish are a large, loose grouping of many nations with numerous distinct cultures and languages. Territory claimed by Coast Salish peoples span from
4590-782: The Parliament Buildings (finished in 1897 and home of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia ) and the Empress Hotel (opened in 1908). The city's Chinatown is the second oldest in North America, after San Francisco . The region's Coast Salish First Nations peoples established communities in the area long before European settlement, which had large populations at the time of European exploration. Known as "the Garden City", Victoria
4692-644: The Salish peoples together are less numerous than the Cherokee or Navajo , the numbers shown below represent a small fraction of the group. Neighboring peoples, whether villages or adjacent tribes, were related by marriage, feasting, ceremonies, and common or shared territory. Ties were especially strong within the same waterway or watershed. There existed no breaks throughout the south Coast Salish culture area and beyond. There were no formal political institutions. External relations were extensive throughout most of
4794-547: The Skagit people is the most important system being defined as a carefully knit, and sacred bond within the society. When both adult siblings die, their children would be brought under the protection of surviving brothers and sisters, out of fear of mistreatment by stepparents. The Salish Sea region of the Northwest coast has produced ancient pieces of art appearing by 4500 BP that feature various Salish styles recognizable in more recent historical works. A seated human feature bowl
4896-646: The Top 40 Essential Canadian Novels of the Decade. Novik's novel Muse (Doubleday Canada, 2013) is the second in a series of works imagining "the circumstances surrounding the creation of venerated works of art: in this case, the love sonnets of the Italian bard, Petrarch." Solange Le Blanc, a fictional narrator inspired by the unidentified mother of Petrarch's children, "is posited as the poet's muse" and "the use of fictional characters interacting with true historical figures
4998-561: The University of Victoria the wettest month is November with 123 mm (4.8 in). Victoria experiences the driest summers in Canada (outside of the extreme northern reaches of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut). Victoria averages just 26 cm (10 in) of snow annually, about half that of Vancouver . Roughly one third of winters see virtually no snow, with less than 5 cm (2.0 in) falling during
5100-553: The Woodward's chain. The mall was more recently renovated in 2019. Mayfair now offers over 100 stores and services including Hudson's Bay. It has 42,197.8 m (454,213 sq ft) of retail space and it also provides customers with rooftop parking. Advanced technology is Victoria's largest revenue-producing private industry with $ 3.15 billion in annual revenues generated by more than 880 tech companies that have over 15,000 direct employees. The annual economic impact of
5202-422: The appearance of their free-born by carefully shaping the heads of their babies, binding them with cradle boards just long enough to produce a steep sloping forehead. Unlike hunter-gatherer societies widespread in North America, but similar to other Pacific Northwest coastal cultures, Coast Salish society was complex, hierarchical and oriented toward property and status. Slavery was practiced, although its extent
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#17327986792575304-665: The archaeological deposits creating an environment with no oxygen that preserves wood and fiber The wet sites would typically contain perishable artifacts that were used as wedges, fishhooks, basketry, cordage, and nets. The Coast Salish use over 100 species of plants. Salal is the source of multiple tinctures and teas, and its berries are often eaten during feasts. They use the leaves of Carex to make baskets and twine. Coast Salish peoples' had complex land management practices linked to ecosystem health and resilience. Forest gardens on Canada's northwest coast included crabapple, hazelnut, cranberry, wild plum, and wild cherry species. There
5406-594: The area from 1840 to 1842 but had no success. The Stevens Treaties were negotiated in 1854–55, but many tribes had reservations and did not participate; others dropped out of treaty negotiations. (See, for example, Treaty of Point Elliott#Native Americans and # Non-signatory tribes .) From 1850 to 1854, the Douglas Treaties were signed on Vancouver Island between various Coast Salish peoples around Victoria and Nanaimo, and also with two Kwakwaka'wakw groups on northern Vancouver Island. The Muckleshoot Reservation
5508-429: The body, an inner and outer soul, its life force, and its ghost. They believed that an individual becomes ill when their soul is removed from their body and this is followed by death when the soul reaches the underworld. It is the job of the shaman to travel to the underworld to save the individual by recovering the soul while it is travelling between the two worlds. The shamans believed that once an individual's body
5610-590: The city harbour. Victoria also hosts the start of the Vic-Maui Yacht Race . The Port of Victoria consists of three parts, the Outer Harbour , used by deep sea vessels, the Inner and Upper Harbours, used by coastal and industrial traffic. It is protected by a breakwater with a deep and wide opening. The port is a working harbour, tourist attraction and cruise destination. Esquimalt Harbour
5712-401: The city until his retirement in 1864. When news of the discovery of gold on the British Columbia mainland reached San Francisco in 1858, Victoria became the port, supply base, and outfitting centre for miners on their way to the Fraser Canyon gold fields, mushrooming from a population of 300 to over 5000 within a few days. Victoria was incorporated as a city in 1862. In 1862 Victoria was
5814-481: The colony, though controversy has followed about the ethical negotiation and upholding of rights by the colonial government. The superintendent of the fort, Chief Factor James Douglas , was made the second governor of the Vancouver Island Colony ( Richard Blanshard was first governor, Arthur Edward Kennedy was third and last governor), and would be the leading figure in the early development of
5916-746: The decline in available resources through the 1980s. The Boldt Decision , passed in 1974 upheld by the Supreme Court in 1979 was, based on the Treaty of Point Elliott of 1855 and restored fisheries rights to federally recognized Puget Sound tribes. Since the 1970s, many federally recognized tribes have developed some economic autonomy with (initially strongly contested) tax-free tobacco retail, development of casino gambling, fisheries and stewardship of fisheries. Extant tribes not federally recognized continue ongoing legal proceedings and cultural development toward recognition. In British Columbia, 1970 marks
6018-536: The disease travelling overland from Mexico by intertribal transmission. Among losses due to diseases, and a series of earlier epidemics that had wiped out many peoples entirely, e.g. the Snokomish in 1850, a smallpox epidemic broke out among the Northwest tribes in 1862, killing roughly half the affected native populations, in some cases up to 90% or more. The smallpox epidemic of 1862 started when an infected miner from San Francisco stopped in Victoria on his way to
6120-558: The downtown core. The Rifflandia and Electronic Music Festival are other music events that draw crowds to the downtown core. Victoria relies upon neighbouring communities for many recreational opportunities including ice rinks in Oak Bay and Saanich . Victoria has one small public pool (Crystal Pool) and many residents use larger and newer pool facilities in Oak Bay, and Saanich (Commonwealth Pool and Gordon Head Pool). The city and metro region has hosted high-profile sports events including
6222-455: The driest in the region. Average precipitation amounts in the Greater Victoria area range from 608 mm (23.9 in) at the Gonzales observatory in the City of Victoria to 661 mm (26.0 in) at the University of Victoria . The Victoria Airport, 25 km (16 mi) north of the city, receives about 45% more precipitation than the city proper. Regional average precipitation amounts range from as low as 406 mm (16.0 in) on
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#17327986792576324-405: The economic crash and an abundance of unmarried men, Victoria became an excellent location for military recruiting. Two militia infantry battalions, the 88th Victoria Fusiliers and the 50th Gordon Highlanders, formed in the immediate pre-war period. Victoria was the home of Sir Arthur Currie . He had been a high-school teacher and real-estate agent prior to the war and was the Commanding Officer of
6426-471: The entire season. When snow does fall, it rarely lasts long on the ground. Victoria averages just two or three days per year with at least 5 cm (2.0 in) of snow on the ground. Every few decades Victoria receives very large snowfalls including the record breaking 100 cm (39 in) of snow that fell in December 1996. That amount places Victoria 3rd for biggest snowfall among major cities in Canada. With 2,193 hours of bright sunshine annually during
6528-472: The epicentre of the 1862 Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemic which devastated First Nations , killing about two-thirds of all natives in British Columbia. In 1865, the North Pacific home of the Royal Navy was established in Esquimalt and today is Canada's Pacific coast naval base . In 1866 when the island was politically united with the mainland, Victoria was designated the capital of the new united colony instead of New Westminster – an unpopular move on
6630-426: The four wettest months, November to February at Gonzales Heights. However, at the University of Victoria, approximately 5 km (3.1 mi) north, over 60% of the annual precipitation falls between the four wettest months, October to January. Precipitation in December, the wettest month (109 mm [4.3 in]) is nearly eight times as high as in July, the driest month (14 mm [0.55 in]). At
6732-409: The harbour from the fort. The Songhees' village was later moved north of Esquimalt in 1911.The crown colony was established in 1849. Between the years 1850–1854 a series of treaty agreements known as the Douglas Treaties were made with indigenous communities to purchase certain plots of land in exchange for goods. These agreements contributed to a town being laid out on the site and made the capital of
6834-416: The individual entries for those municipalities. Informal neighbourhoods include: The city's chief industries are technology, tourism, education, shipyards, federal and provincial government administration and services. Other nearby employers include the Canadian Forces (the Township of Esquimalt is the home of the Pacific headquarters of the Royal Canadian Navy ), and the University of Victoria (in
6936-489: The journey to the underworld as a two-day adventure. The individual must walk along a trail passing through bushes and a lake to reach a valley that is divided by a river where they will reside. Salish beliefs about the afterlife very closely resemble the past life they lived, and they often assign themselves to jobs to keep busy, hunt for animals and game, and live with their families. Coastal Salish people believe that through dances, masks, or ceremonies they express themselve
7038-418: The lands of the living and the dead were complex and mutable. Vision quest journeys involving other states of consciousness were varied and widely practised. The Duwamish had a soul recovery and journey ceremony. The Quileute Salish people near Port Townsend had their own beliefs about where souls of all living things go. The shamans of these people believed everything had five components to its spirit;
7140-421: The last available measurement period, Victoria is effectively tied with Cranbrook as the sunniest city in British Columbia. In July 2013, Victoria received 432.8 hours of bright sunshine, which is the most sunshine ever recorded in any month in British Columbia history. Victoria's equable climate has also added to its reputation as the "City of Gardens". The city takes pride in the many flowers that bloom during
7242-447: The mall's opening. Mayfair was enclosed and renovated into an indoor mall in 1974. The mall underwent three later expansions in 1984 (with the addition of Consumers Distributing ), 1985 (expansion of the mall food court) and a major expansion in 1990 that saw the addition of more retail space. The Bay (now Hudson's Bay ) replaced Woodward's as Mayfair's department store anchor in 1993 following Hudson's Bay Company 's acquisition of
7344-626: The municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich ) and Camosun College in Saanich (which have over 33,000 faculty, staff and students combined). Other sectors of the Greater Victoria area economy include: investment and banking, online book publishing, various public and private schools, food products manufacturing, light aircraft manufacturing (in North Saanich ), technology products, various high tech firms in pharmaceuticals and computers , engineering , architecture and telecommunications . The city's employment has 164,000 (87%) of workers in
7446-502: The nation's capital, with −10.0 °C (14.0 °F). At the Victoria Gonzales weather station, daily temperatures rise above 30 °C (86 °F) on average less than one day per year and fall below 0 °C (32 °F) on average only ten nights per year. Victoria has recorded completely freeze-free winter seasons four times (in 1925–26, 1939–40, 1999–2000, and 2002–03). 1999 is the only calendar year on record without
7548-539: The north shore of the Olympic Peninsula to 3,505 mm (138.0 in) in Port Renfrew just 80 km (50 mi) away on the more exposed southwest coast of Vancouver Island. Vancouver measures 1,589 mm (62.6 in) annually and Seattle is at 952 mm (37.5 in). One feature of Victoria's climate is its distinct dry and rainy seasons. Over 60% of the annual precipitation falls during
7650-406: The northern end of their range, and are found as far south as southern California and parts of Mexico. Non-native plants grown in Victoria include the cold-hardy palm Trachycarpus fortunei , which can be found in gardens and public areas of Victoria. One of these Trachycarpus palms stands in front of City Hall. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Victoria had
7752-678: The northern limit of the Salish Sea on the inside of Vancouver Island and covers most of southern Vancouver Island, all of the Lower Mainland and most of Puget Sound and the Olympic Peninsula (except for territories of the Chemakum people). Their traditional territories coincide with modern major metropolitan areas, namely Victoria , Vancouver , and Seattle . The Tillamook or Nehalem around Tillamook, Oregon are
7854-472: The platforms held baskets, tools, clothing, and other items. Firewood was stored below the platforms. Mattresses and cushions were constructed from woven reed mats and animals skins. Food was hung to dry from the ceiling. The larger houses included partitions to separate families, as well as interior fires with roof slats that functioned as chimneys. The wealthy built extraordinarily large longhouses. The Suquamish Oleman House ( Old Man House ) at what became
7956-582: The popular Butchart Gardens in 1904 and the construction of the Empress Hotel by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1908. Robert Dunsmuir , a leading industrialist whose interests included coal mines and a railway on Vancouver Island, constructed Craigdarroch Castle in the Rockland area, near the official residence of the province's Lieutenant Governor . His son, James Dunsmuir , became Premier and subsequently Lieutenant Governor of
8058-504: The present-day terrain to air, raising beach and mud deposits well above sea level. The resulting soils are highly variable in texture, and abrupt textural changes are common. In general, clays are most likely to be encountered in the northern part of town and in depressions. The southern part has coarse-textured subsoils and loamy topsoils. Sandy loams and loamy sands are common in the eastern part adjoining Oak Bay. Victoria's soils are relatively unleached and less acidic than soils elsewhere on
8160-424: The province and built his own grand residence at Hatley Park (used for several decades as Royal Roads Military College , now civilian Royal Roads University ) in the present City of Colwood . A real-estate and development boom ended just before World War I , leaving Victoria with a large stock of Edwardian public, commercial and residential buildings that have greatly contributed to the city's character. With
8262-548: The provincial government, pledged to find indoor accommodation for all those camping in parks. Homeless campers from parks and other public spaces were housed temporarily in motels, the Save-on-Foods arena and a tiny home village on a portion of the Royal Athletic Park's parking lot. Coast Salish The Coast Salish are a group of ethnically and linguistically related Indigenous peoples of
8364-535: The rivers, and berries were abundant in the forests. This harvesting cycle is referred to as the Seasonal Rounds. Legends of Vancouver by Canadian author E. Pauline Johnson (Tekahionwake) is a collection of Coast Salish "as told-to" narratives, stemming from the author's relationship to Squamish Chief Joe Capilano . It first appeared in 1911, now available online from UPenn Digital Library . Victoria, British Columbia author Stanley Evans has written
8466-419: The second largest religious group being Muslim (1.9%). A similar proportion of residents are Buddhist (1.4%) or Jewish (1.1%). Hinduism , Sikhism and Indigenous Spirituality make up under 1% of other groups. The following is a list of neighbourhoods in the City of Victoria, as defined by the city planning department. For a list of neighbourhoods in other area municipalities, see Greater Victoria , or
8568-506: The sector is estimated at more than $ 4.03 billion per year. With three post-secondary institutions in Saanich , eight federal research labs in the region, and Canada's Pacific Navy Base in Esquimalt , Victoria relies heavily upon the neighbouring communities for economic activity and as employment hubs. The region has many of the elements required for a strong technology sector, including Canada's highest household internet usage. Over
8670-480: The service sector. Top segments include health care and social assistance (28,900; 15.3%), public administration (27,800; 14.7 %), wholesale and retail trade (24,100; 12.7%), professional, scientific and technical services (19,800; 10.4%), educational services (15,000; 7.9%) and accommodation and food services (10,100; 5.3%). The goods-producing sector is dominated by construction (16,000; 8.4%) and manufacturing (6,900; 3.6%). There are three major shopping malls in
8772-587: The southern Coast Salish was primarily defensive, with occasional raiding into territory where there were no relatives. No institutions existed for mobilizing or maintaining a standing force. The common enemies of all the Coast Salish for most of the first half of the 19th century were the Lekwiltok aka Southern Kwakiutl, commonly known in historical writings as the Euclataws or Yucultas. Regular raids by northern tribes, particularly warriors of an alliance among
8874-615: The southernmost of the Coast Salish peoples. Coast Salish cultures differ considerably from those of their northern neighbours. They have a patrilineal and matrilineal kinship system, with inheritance and descent passed through the male and female line. According to a 2013 estimate, the population of Coast Salish numbers at least 56,590 people, made of 28,406 Status Indians registered to Coast Salish bands in British Columbia, and 28,284 enrolled members of federally recognized tribes of Coast Salish in Washington State. Below
8976-429: The spiritual powers that they are given. Spirit powers define a community's success through leadership, bravery, healing, or artistry. Spirit dancing ceremonies are common gatherings in the winter for members of the community to show their spirit powers through song, or dance. The powers they acquired were sought after individually after going through trials of isolation where their powers related to spirit animals such as
9078-413: The start of organized resistance to the "white paper" tabled by Jean Chrétien , then a cabinet minister in the government of Pierre Trudeau , which called for assimilation. In the wake of that, new terms such as Sto:lo , Shishalh and Snuneymuxw began to replace older-era names conferred by anthropologists, linguists and governments. The first smallpox epidemic to hit the region was in the 1680s, with
9180-722: The street or homeless shelters. The first homeless count was conducted in January 2005 by the Victoria Cool Aid Society and counted a homeless population of approximately 700 individuals. Like many west coast cities in North America the homeless population is both concentrated in specific areas (parts of Pandora avenue in Victoria) and is often outside due to milder climates that make homelessness more visible year-round. The 2020 point-in-time homeless count found 35% respondents identified as being Indigenous . This
9282-573: The whales often present near its coast. The city is also close to Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt , the Canadian Navy's primary Pacific Ocean naval base. Downtown Victoria also serves as Greater Victoria 's regional downtown, where many night clubs, theatres, restaurants and pubs are clustered, and where many regional public events occur. Canada Day fireworks displays, Symphony Splash , and many other music festivals and cultural events draw tens of thousands of Greater Victorians and visitors to
9384-451: The wife usually went to live at the husband's village, in a patrilocal pattern. Society was divided into upper class, lower class and slaves, all largely hereditary. Nobility was based on genealogy, intertribal kinship, wise use of resources, and possession of esoteric knowledge about the workings of spirits and the world — making an effective marriage of class, secular, religious, and economic power. Many Coast Salish mothers altered
9486-718: The winter and early spring, including crocuses, daffodils, early-blooming rhododendrons, cherry and plum trees. Every March, the annual Greater Victoria Flower Count kicks off while the rest of the country and most of the province is still in the dead of winter. Due to its mild climate, Victoria and its surrounding area (southeastern Vancouver Island, Gulf Islands , and parts of the Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast ) are also home to many rare, native plants found nowhere else in Canada, including Quercus garryana (Garry oak), Arctostaphylos columbiana (hairy manzanita), and Canada's only broad-leaf evergreen tree, Arbutus menziesii (Pacific madrone). Many of these species exist here, at
9588-433: Was 39.8 °C (103.6 °F) on 28 June 2021; The coldest temperature on record is −15.6 °C (3.9 °F), first set on 2 December 1941. The average annual temperature varies from a high of 11.4 °C (52.5 °F) set in 2004 to a low of 8.6 °C (47.5 °F) set in 1916. Due to the rain shadow effect of the nearby Olympic Mountains, Victoria is the driest location on the British Columbia coast and one of
9690-480: Was banned in 1908. In 1886, with the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway terminus on Burrard Inlet , Victoria's position as the commercial centre of British Columbia was irrevocably lost to the city of Vancouver . The city subsequently began cultivating an image of genteel civility within its natural setting, aided by the impressions of visitors such as Rudyard Kipling , the opening of
9792-467: Was charged with the duty of setting up a trading post on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Upon the recommendation by George Simpson a new more northerly post should be built in case Fort Vancouver fell into American hands (see Oregon boundary dispute ). Douglas founded Fort Victoria on the site of present-day Victoria in anticipation of the outcome of the Oregon Treaty in 1846, extending
9894-442: Was dead it was able to connect with its soul and shade in the underworld. It is believed that the spirits are able to come back amongst the living and cause family members to die of sickness and join them in the afterlife. Living individuals were terrified of the intentions of spirits. who only appear at night, prompting Salish people to travel only during the day and stay close to others for protection. Coastal Salish beliefs describe
9996-643: Was established after the Puget Sound War of 1855–56. Through the 1850s and 1860s, traditional resources became less and less available. Sawmill work and employment selling natural resources began; Native men worked as loggers, in the mills, and as commercial fishers. Women sold basketry and shellfish. Through the 1870s, agricultural work in hop yards of the east Sound river valley increased, including cultivation of mushrooms. The 1862 Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemic killed many, and commercial fisheries employment began to decline significantly through
10098-411: Was formed by volcanism followed by water in various forms. Pleistocene glaciation put the area under a thick ice cover, the weight of which depressed the land below present sea level. These glaciers also deposited stony sandy loam till . As they retreated, their melt water left thick deposits of sand and gravel . Marine clay settled on what would later become dry land. Post-glacial rebound exposed
10200-667: Was required to enhance their status as elite born, or through practical skills, and ritual knowledge. An individual could not buy status or power, but wealth could be used to enhance them. Wealth was not meant to be hidden. It has been publicly displayed through ceremony. Games often involved gambling on a sleight-of-hand game known as slahal , as well as athletic contests. Games that are similar to modern day lacrosse , rugby and forms of martial arts also existed. Belief in guardian spirits and shapeshifting or transformation between human and animal spirits were widely shared in many forms. The relations of soul or souls, and conceptions of
10302-667: Was specialized; professions were probably sea hunters, land hunters, fowlers. Water fowl were captured on moonless nights using strategic flares. The managed grasslands not only provided game habitat, but vegetable sprouts, roots, bulbs, berries, and nuts were foraged from them as well as found wild. The most important were probably bracken and camas ; wapato especially for the Duwamish . Many, many varieties of berries were foraged; some were harvested with comblike devices not reportedly used elsewhere. Acorns were relished but were not widely available. Regional tribes went in autumn to
10404-825: Was used in a female puberty ritual in Secwépemc territory; it was believed to aid women in giving birth. Salish-made bowls in the Northwest have different artistic designs and features. Numerous bowls have basic designs with animal features on the surface. Similar bowls will have more decorations including a head, body, wings, and limbs. A seated figure bowl is more complex in design, depicting humans being intertwined with animals. For thousands of years, Northwest coast Salish people demonstrated valuing material possessions. They believe that material wealth included land, food resources, household items, and adornments. Material wealth not only improved one's life but it enhanced other qualities such as those needed to acquire high status. Wealth
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