Sooke

Sooke (/suːk/) is a district municipality on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Canada, 38 kilometres (24 mi) by road from Victoria, the capital of British Columbia. Sooke, the westernmost of Greater Victoria's Western Communities, is to the north and west of the Sooke Basin. It is a regional centre for residents in neighbouring communities, including Otter Point, Shirley and Jordan River.

Sooke
District municipality
District of Sooke[1]
Sooke is located in Capital Regional District
Sooke
Sooke
Sooke (Capital Regional District)
Location of Sooke within the Capital Regional District
Sooke is located in Vancouver Island
Sooke
Sooke
Location of Sooke within British Columbia
Sooke is located in British Columbia
Sooke
Sooke
Sooke (British Columbia)
Coordinates: 48°22′34″N 123°44′16″W
CountryCanada
ProvinceBritish Columbia
Regional districtCapital
IncorporatedDecember 7, 1999
Government
 • MayorMaja Tait
 • CouncillorsJeff Bateman, Al Beddows, Dana Lajeunesse, Megan McMath, Kevin Pearson, Tony St-Pierre.
Area
[2]
 • Total56.62 km2 (21.86 sq mi)
Elevation
50 m (160 ft)
Population
 (2021)[2]
 • Total15,086
 • Density229.6/km2 (595/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−8 (PST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−7 (PDT)
Forward sortation area
V9Z
Highways14
WaterwaysStrait of Juan de Fuca
Websitesooke.ca

Tourism and recreation
Sooke Harbour

Well-known destinations in Sooke include Whiffin Spit Park, the Sooke Potholes Regional Park and adjacent Sooke Potholes Provincial Park.

Sooke is also home to the Sooke Region Museum.

The areais base for visiting the wilderness parks of Vancouver Island's southwest coast — the West Coast Trail and the Juan de Fuca Provincial Park, which includes the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail. Beaches near Sooke include Sandcut, French Beach, Fishboat Bay, China Beach, and Mystic Beach.

The Galloping Goose Regional Trail, part of the Trans-Canada Trail, runs through Sooke as far as Leechtown, the former site of a gold-rush town circa 1865. Once a rail line, the Goose is now a popular pedestrian and cycling route connecting Sooke to Victoria.

Arts and culture

The Sooke Fall Fair was first held in 1913 and continues on Labour Day weekends annually at the Sooke Community Hall.

Real estate

In April 2022, an average single-family home in Sooke costs $887,500 based on the home price index, drawing from data from the Victoria Real Estate Board (VREB).[3] By June 2022, that number (directly from VREB) increased to $938,000.[4] The average home value as of July 1, 2022 as determined by BC Assessment was $831,000.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Sooke had a population of 15,086 living in 6,129 of its 6,431 total private dwellings, a change of 16% from its 2016 population of 13,001. With a land area of 56.6 km2 (21.9 sq mi), it had a population density of 266.5/km2 (690.3/sq mi) in 2021.[5] A full summary of Sooke results from the 2021 Census is available from Statistics Canada.

Ethnicity
Panethnic groups in the District of Sooke (2001−2021)
Panethnic
group		 2021[6] 2016[7] 2011[8] 2006[9] 2001[10]
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
European[lower-alpha 1] 13,135 87.71% 11,565 89.69% 10,380 91.41% 8,850 91.33% 8,170 93.75%
Indigenous 1,065 7.11% 865 6.71% 655 5.77% 390 4.02% 315 3.61%
East Asian[lower-alpha 2] 215 1.44% 190 1.47% 75 0.66% 120 1.24% 85 0.98%
Southeast Asian[lower-alpha 3] 190 1.27% 100 0.78% 55 0.48% 50 0.52% 50 0.57%
Latin American 90 0.6% 20 0.16% 40 0.35% 20 0.21% 40 0.46%
South Asian 85 0.57% 65 0.5% 70 0.62% 120 1.24% 15 0.17%
African 85 0.57% 35 0.27% 80 0.7% 80 0.83% 30 0.34%
Middle Eastern[lower-alpha 4] 25 0.17% 10 0.08% 0 0% 20 0.21% 10 0.11%
Other/Multiracial[lower-alpha 5] 75 0.5% 45 0.35% 0 0% 45 0.46% 10 0.11%
Total responses 14,975 99.26% 12,895 99.18% 11,355 99.3% 9,690 99.86% 8,715 99.77%
Total population 15,086 100% 13,001 100% 11,435 100% 9,704 100% 8,735 100%
Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses

Religion

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Sooke included:[6]

Governance

The District of Sooke was incorporated as a municipality on December 7, 1999. It is part of the Capital Regional District.

Municipal

Sooke is governed by a mayor and six councillors, who are elected every four years. The current council was elected on October 15, 2022.[11]

Mayor Maja Tait[12]

Councillor Jeff Bateman

Councillor Al Beddows

Councillor Dana Lajeunesse

Councillor Megan McMath

Councillor Kevin Pearson

Councillor Tony St-Pierre

Provincial
Sooke federal election results[13]
Year Liberal Conservative New Democratic Green
2021 17% 1,256 26% 1,919 42% 3,124 7% 542
2019 15% 1,089 24% 1,728 37% 2,691 21% 1,530
Sooke provincial election results[14]
Year New Democratic Liberal Green
2020 70% 3,282 13% 623 17% 789
2017 54% 2,745 25% 1,263 18% 931

Sooke in part of the riding of Langford-Juan de Fuca, represented by the BC NDP's Ravi Parmar. He succeeded John Horgan, the former Premier of British Columbia (2017-2022) who first won the seat in 2009 and retired from politics for health reasons in 2023.

Federal

Federally the District is in the riding of Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke, represented by Randall Garrison of the New Democratic Party. He was first elected in 2011.

Climate

Sooke has a Mediterranean climate, with warm summers and mild winters, defined by the Köppen climate classification as Csb. Although its precipitation is more like dry summer climates, its temperatures resemble oceanic climates as found in Ireland, for example.[15]

Climate data for Sooke (Park-Isle Marine), elevation: 32 m or 105 ft, 1967-1990 normals and extremes
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 15.1
(59.2)		 15.6
(60.1)		 16.0
(60.8)		 23.6
(74.5)		 28.2
(82.8)		 28.3
(82.9)		 29.4
(84.9)		 29.6
(85.3)		 27.2
(81.0)		 21.5
(70.7)		 21.8
(71.2)		 15.9
(60.6)		 29.6
(85.3)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 6.7
(44.1)		 8.4
(47.1)		 10.1
(50.2)		 11.9
(53.4)		 14.2
(57.6)		 16.4
(61.5)		 18.2
(64.8)		 18.6
(65.5)		 17.1
(62.8)		 13.1
(55.6)		 9.3
(48.7)		 6.9
(44.4)		 12.6
(54.6)
Daily mean °C (°F) 4.2
(39.6)		 5.4
(41.7)		 6.6
(43.9)		 8.1
(46.6)		 10.5
(50.9)		 12.6
(54.7)		 14.0
(57.2)		 14.3
(57.7)		 13.0
(55.4)		 9.7
(49.5)		 6.6
(43.9)		 4.5
(40.1)		 9.1
(48.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 1.6
(34.9)		 2.4
(36.3)		 3.0
(37.4)		 4.3
(39.7)		 6.7
(44.1)		 8.8
(47.8)		 9.9
(49.8)		 10.1
(50.2)		 8.8
(47.8)		 6.2
(43.2)		 3.8
(38.8)		 2.0
(35.6)		 5.6
(42.1)
Record low °C (°F) −10.6
(12.9)		 −12.5
(9.5)		 −6.2
(20.8)		 −2.2
(28.0)		 0.0
(32.0)		 3.3
(37.9)		 5.0
(41.0)		 4.4
(39.9)		 1.7
(35.1)		 −2.8
(27.0)		 −10.8
(12.6)		 −13.9
(7.0)		 −13.9
(7.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 193.1
(7.60)		 142.2
(5.60)		 108.8
(4.28)		 75.6
(2.98)		 44.7
(1.76)		 28.6
(1.13)		 21.0
(0.83)		 26.5
(1.04)		 54.8
(2.16)		 121.3
(4.78)		 213.0
(8.39)		 197.2
(7.76)		 1,226.8
(48.31)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 181.5
(7.15)		 138.4
(5.45)		 107.2
(4.22)		 75.2
(2.96)		 44.7
(1.76)		 28.6
(1.13)		 21.0
(0.83)		 26.5
(1.04)		 54.8
(2.16)		 121.3
(4.78)		 209.4
(8.24)		 189.0
(7.44)		 1,197.6
(47.16)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 11.7
(4.6)		 3.9
(1.5)		 1.6
(0.6)		 0.4
(0.2)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 3.4
(1.3)		 8.2
(3.2)		 29.2
(11.4)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 20 17 17 15 12 9 5 6 10 15 21 21 168
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 18 16 17 15 12 9 5 6 10 15 20 20 163
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 3 1 trace trace trace 0 0 0 0 0 trace 2 6
Average relative humidity (%) 84 83 81 — — 82 83 — — 87 86 85 83
Source: NOAA[16]

Education

Sooke is a part of the School District 62 Sooke. There is one high school, Edward Milne Community School, and one junior high school, Journey Middle School. The four elementary schools in the area are John Muir (in the town's west end), Sooke Elementary (town centre), the French immersion Ecole Poirier (town centre), and Saseenos Elementary (east end). In 2018, SD62 announced it would be building Sooke River Elementary in the Sunriver neighbourhood. Continuing adult education programs are offered by the Edward Milne Community School (EMCS) Society, which also operates with day, evening and weekend programs. The closest post-secondary institutions are Royal Roads University and Camosun College's Interurban campus.

Neighbouring communities
  • Metchosin - East of Sooke
  • East Sooke - South of Sooke
  • Otter Point - West of Sooke

Notable residents
  • Canadian poet, novelist and playwright Marilyn Bowering lives in the Sooke area.
  • Bryce Soderberg, bassist and vocalist for American rock band Lifehouse.
  • J. Lee Thompson (1914–2002), British film producer and director (Cape Fear, The Guns of Navarone), died in Sooke.
  • Kevin Wenstob, Canadian logger and subject of the reality TV series Big Timber.
  • Darrel J. McLeod, Governor General's Award-winning author, lives in the Sooke area.

Notes
  1. Statistic includes all persons that did not make up part of a visible minority or an indigenous identity.
  2. Statistic includes total responses of "Chinese", "Korean", and "Japanese" under visible minority section on census.
  3. Statistic includes total responses of "Filipino" and "Southeast Asian" under visible minority section on census.
  4. Statistic includes total responses of "West Asian" and "Arab" under visible minority section on census.
  5. Statistic includes total responses of "Visible minority, n.i.e." and "Multiple visible minorities" under visible minority section on census.

References
  1. "British Columbia Regional Districts, Municipalities, Corporate Name, Date of Incorporation and Postal Address" (XLS). British Columbia Ministry of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  2. "Sooke, District municipality [Census subdivision], British Columbia and Capital, Regional district [Census division], British Columbia". Statistics Canada. January 23, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  3. "Sooke at low end of high home prices". Victoria Real Estate Board. April 14, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  4. Steibel, Rick (July 4, 2022). "Victoria's hot housing market levels off, supply still important for long-term attainability" (PDF). VREB. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  5. "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), British Columbia". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  6. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (October 26, 2022). "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  7. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (October 27, 2021). "Census Profile, 2016 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  8. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (November 27, 2015). "NHS Profile". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  9. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (August 20, 2019). "2006 Community Profiles". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  10. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (July 2, 2019). "2001 Community Profiles". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  11. "2022 Local Government Election: Official Election Results". Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  12. "Mayor Maja Tait". Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  13. "Official Voting Results Raw Data (poll by poll results in Sooke)". Elections Canada. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  14. "Official Voting Results by polling station (poll by poll results in Sooke)". Elections BC. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  15. "Sooke, British Columbia Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  16. "Sooke (01018642) - National Weather Station". NOAA. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
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