A town is a classification of municipalities used in the Canadian province of British Columbia. British Columbia's Lieutenant Governor in Council may incorporate a community as a town by letters patent, under the recommendation of the Minister of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development, if its population is greater than 2,500 but not greater than 5,000 and the outcome of a vote involving affected residents was that greater than 50% voted in favour of the proposed incorporation.[1]
British Columbia has 14 towns[2] that had a cumulative population of 87,514 and an average population of 6,251 in the 2011 Census.[3] British Columbia's largest and smallest towns are Comox and Port McNeill with populations of 13,627 and 2,505 respectively.[3]
"Town" as a British Columbia municipal designation should not be confused with "township," which has no legal definition in the province. The three municipalities in British Columbia which refer to themselves as townships - Esquimalt, Langley, and Spallumcheen - are incorporated as district municipalities.
Of British Columbia's current 14 towns, the first to incorporate as a town was Ladysmith on June 3, 1904, while the most recent community to incorporate as a town was View Royal on December 5, 1988.[2]
- ^ "Local Government Act: Part 2 — Incorporation of Municipalities". Government of British Columbia Queen's Printer. November 12, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
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