A group of people of European origins seated at tables in a big hall
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Immigration in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and the Discovery Islands

On the surface, one might ask how relevant an article about immigration is to people living in the Discovery Islands. The vast majority of us either came from more urban parts of British Columbia, and/or are the descendants of an earlier wave of immigrants. Many non-Indigenous Cortesians trace their roots back to the era when most immigrants were ‘British,’ European or from the United States. There are undoubtedly many reasons why this predominantly ‘white’ population is now found in more rural areas. Some of us are the descendants of the first settlers in this area, others sought a more rural lifestyle and many moved here because of real estate values. 

According to Statistics Canada, a new wave of immigration has become the principal driver of our nation’s population growth. 

All non-Indigenous Canadians are either immigrants or descend from immigrants – Screenshot at Statistics Canada

“Over the past 50 years, the share of new immigrants from Europe has declined, with the share of new immigrants who were born in Asia (including the Middle East) increasing. Over time, Asia has become the top source region of new immigrants, and this trend continued in 2021. The share of new immigrants from Africa also increased.” 

23% of the people listed in the 2021 census were born outside of Canada and more than half of them came here for economic reasons. A significant number ‘were selected through skilled worker programs.’ Only 15% of the immigrants who arrived between 1980 and 2021 were refugees. (This number may change as the climate crisis and global political tensions worsen.)    

Screenshot from Statistics Canada
Some of the faces in this 2017 NDP photo from Richmond come from a variety of non-European origins -Photo by BC NDP via Flickr (CC BY 2.0 DEED)
Close to 93% of Richmond’s immigrants arrived in Canada after 1980 – adapted from Statistics Canada

British Columbia’s transformation to a more international population is largely occuring in the Lower Mainland.

According to a recent article in New Canadian Media, “Under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), any immigrant who has experience working outside the Metro Vancouver Regional District can claim additional points toward their permanent residency application if they have a qualifying job offer in that area. Close to 80 per cent of immigrants to B.C. from 2016 to 2021 have made Metro Vancouver their home.” 

The 2021 census states  60.27% of the inhabitants of Richmond, 51.26% of Vancouver and 48.97% of Surrey are immigrants. A large proportion of them came from Asia, (as did the parents or grandparents of much of the Canadian born population). The next largest ethnic block of immigrants was Europeans, followed by people from the Americas (North, Central or South) and a significantly smaller number of Africans.

More than 67% of Victoria’s immigrants arrived in Canada after 1980 – Stats Can

The latest wave of immigration has reached Vancouver Island, but in much smaller numbers. According to the 2021 census, immigrants made up  26.02% of the population in Victoria and 16.2% in Nanaimo. As was the case in the Lower Mainland, the biggest ethnic group was Asian.

This 2017 NDP photo from Courtenay, also taken at an NDP event, has a much more ‘European’ Flavour – Photo by BC NDP via Flickr (CC BY 2.0 DEED)
More than 60% of Campbell River’s immigrants arrived in Canada before 1980 – adapted from Statistics Canada
Close to 53% of Powell River’s immigrants arrived in Canada before 1980 – Stats Can

There was a decided ethnic shift further north on the island. Only 13.64% of  Courtenay,  12.65% in the Comox Valley and 10.49% of Campbell River residents were born outside Canada. More than half of them came from Europe. This is also true of Powell River, where 12.79% of the population are immigrants. There were smaller numbers of people from Asia, America (North, Central and South) and Africa in all of these cities.  

More than 61% of Area C’s immigrants arrived in Canada before 1980 – Stats Canada

The percentage of people born in the United States increased in the Discovery Islands. 

19.22% of the population of Area C (Quadra, Read and most of the other Discovery Islands) were immigrants. 175 came from the United States, 155 from the UK and 125 from other parts of Europe. There were also 20 Latin Americans, 20 Asians and 10 Africans.

Close to 54% of Cortes Island’s residents arrived in Canada before 1980 – Stats Can

The majority of immigrants on Cortes Island came from the United States (100 out of 195). Other significant ethnic blocks were 40 from the UK, 30 other Europeans, 15 from Asia and 10 from South Africa. (These numbers are slightly out of sync because Statistics Canada rounds numbers off to the closest multiple of 5.) Overall, the 2021 census found that 18.48% of Cortes Island’s population was born outside of Canada. 

While the percentage of immigrants in the Discovery Islands is higher than the surrounding cities of Campbell River, Courtenay and Powell River, more of them come from the United States and the percentage of immigrants is still significantly lower than the Canadian average of 23%.

Top image credit: Most of the participants in this recent gathering on Cortes island appear to be of European origins – courtesy the first Cortes Island firefighter’s dinner

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