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27-515: Chemainus / ʃ ə ˈ m eɪ n ə s / is a community within the municipality of North Cowichan in the Chemainus Valley on the east coast of southern Vancouver Island , British Columbia, Canada. Founded as an unincorporated logging town in 1858, Chemainus is now famous for its 53 outdoor murals . This outdoor gallery has given birth to many businesses, including a theatre, antiques dealers, and eateries. The tourist industry stemming from

54-498: A drive to diversify the local economy. Chemainus has been successful in growing its tourist industry through the entrepreneurial activities of local citizens. Key projects include the revitalization of Chemainus' main street, through painting a series of large outdoor murals, as well as the construction of a shopping mall about a kilometer away. Chemainus' geographical location, between Vancouver Island's largest cities, Victoria and Nanaimo, as well as its proximity to ferry terminals and

81-535: A history rich in agriculture. Sheltered by the mountains of the central Island and the Olympic Peninsula, North Cowichan has a temperate, Mediterranean-like climate, with mild, damp winters with little snowfall and warm, dry summers. North Cowichan is classified as a warm-summer mediterranean climate Csb by the Köppen system . In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , North Cowichan had

108-415: A new system of economic production, characterized by greater flexibility and the exploitation of economies of scope , known as Post-Fordism, began to emerge. This transition placed a heavy burden on coastal single-industry forest communities like Chemainus due to rising unemployment. At Chemainus, Post-Fordist restructuring of B.C.'s Forest industry resulted in a large overhaul of the local sawmill owned by

135-473: A population of 31,990 living in 13,741 of its 14,266 total private dwellings, a change of 7.7% from its 2016 population of 29,696. With a land area of 195.41 km (75.45 sq mi), it had a population density of 163.7/km (424.0/sq mi) in 2021. The median family income in 2006 for North Cowichan was $ 62,125, which is below the British Columbia provincial average of $ 65,787. According to

162-495: A province. South Africa recognizes three types of municipality; metropolitan, district and local. District municipalities are made up of a number of local municipalities. The vast majority of land consists of district municipalities, with metropolitan municipalities being reserved for large cities and the areas around them. There are eight metropolitan municipalities, and 44 district municipalities subdivided into 226 local municipalities. This British Columbia -related article

189-457: A rare case of successful economic redevelopment within small resource communities, there are still some uncertainties facing its continued development into the future. Some note that the initial redevelopment projects in Chemainus such as the painting of large murals and other revitalization projects depended on funding from the government. This funding has largely disappeared and some have observed

216-558: A reduction of opportunities for entrepreneurialism. North Cowichan North Cowichan (Canada 2021 Census population 31,990) is a district municipality established in 1873 on Vancouver Island , in British Columbia , Canada . The municipality is part of the Cowichan Valley Regional District . North Cowichan is noted for a landscape including forests, beaches, rivers, and lakes. The municipality encompasses

243-442: A representation of a larger structural shift from a Fordist economic production system underpinning many North American industries, toward one of Post-Fordism . Fordism is a system of production methods based on principles of specialized mass production technologies, aimed at capturing economies of scale . However, due to rising global competition, energy crises, stagflation and recession, Fordism began to unravel. Consequently,

270-473: A rural municipality, is one of three municipal types, along with towns and regional municipalities. District municipalities and county municipalities are further considered rural municipalities . The province's twelve district municipalities are referred to as municipal districts by Statistics Canada . Currently, only one district municipality exists in Ontario – District Municipality of Muskoka . It

297-481: A substantial decrease in demand and price of B.C. forest products. This decrease came as a consequence of increases in global competition within forest product markets, the reduction in B.C. forest stocks, the placing of tariffs on B.C. forest imports to the United States, issues regarding aboriginal land claims and the increased public support for environmental groups. Scholars view this recession more importantly as

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324-611: Is also serviced by the Nanaimo Regional Transit System with daily (except Sunday) service through North Cowichan between Nanaimo and Duncan. The NCX 70 service has a stop at the Cowichan Commons shopping centre in North Cowichan. North Cowichan has embraced roundabouts at many intersections on its network of municipal roads. As of 2021 North Cowichan has 14 roundabouts. The original economic drivers steamed from

351-580: Is customarily regarded as comprising part of the District of North Cowichan that lies north of the Chemainus River. This is the area covered by the Chemainus Advisory Committee set up as a consultation body by North Cowichan. Chemainus Secondary School is located in the town, and serves as a secondary school for students living in Chemainus, Crofton , and Saltair . A BC Ferry terminal

378-441: Is located in Chemainus, which provides service to Thetis Island and Penelakut Island (previously Kuper). On 13 January 2006, a Boeing 737 aircraft was sunk off the coast in order to build an artificial reef . The sinking was documented in "Sinking Wings", an episode of Mega Builders , a Discovery Channel series. In the 1980s, British Columbia's forest industry experienced a period of deep recession , largely caused by

405-758: Is served by three newspapers – the Duncan Journal , the Cowichan Valley Citizen , and the Chemainus Valley Courier . North Cowichan is also serviced by 89.7 Juice FM , a member of Vista Radio. North Cowichan is home to the BC Forest Discovery Centre , the Pacific Northwest Raptors Bird of Prey and Raptor Visitor Center, and the world famous Chemainus Murals. The Cowichan Theatre hosts many performers and shows during

432-618: Is the largest incorporated municipality by land area on Vancouver Island, and includes the communities of Chemainus , Crofton , Westholme , Maple Bay and the so-called "South End" which is functionally a suburb of Duncan, a separate municipality. The last glacial period, the Fraser Glaciation occurred between 29,000 and 15,000 years ago. The glaciers that formed carved out the Cowichan Valley and left behind glaciers up to 30 metres thick. These fertile lands and mild climate have led to

459-569: The 2021 census , religious groups in North Cowichan included: North Cowichan is serviced by the Maple Bay Airport (YAQ) , which offers services to Downtown Vancouver, Vancouver Airport, Ganges on Salt Spring Island and Bedwell Harbour on Pender Island. Service is provided by Saltspring Air and Harbour Air . The British Columbia Highway 1 traverses the municipality as a four-lane arterial divided highway with signals at major intersections. The speed limit varies between 80 and 90 km/h in

486-541: The Stz'uminus First Nation , formerly the Chemainus Indian Band. The railway arrived in the 1880s and by the early 1920s the town's population had ballooned to 600 persons. Chemainus was eventually designated a census populated area by Statistics Canada comprising the more built-up residential and commercial neighbourhoods. Its population had further grown to 3,035 residents by 2011. A larger more inclusive Chemainus area

513-506: The Macmillan Bloedel company (a CPR subsidiary ). Automated, state-of-the-art machinery was installed which allowed for greater flexibility in producing a larger range of products and greater ease in meeting varied market demands. This restructuring however led to a reduction in the amount workers necessary for its operation: a decrease from about 600 workers to 145 workers. However, the declining forest industry in Chemainus has led to

540-547: The abundance of natural resources, including the fur trade, fishing, mining, and the forest industry. Today, the forest industry, retail, construction, manufacturing, and health care are large contributors to the local economy. North Cowichan lies within the School District 79 Cowichan Valley . There are many elementary schools, and two secondary schools. North Cowichan is served by one public post secondary educational institution, Vancouver Island University . North Cowichan

567-463: The area to be incorporated is greater than 800 hectares (8.0 km ; 2,000 acres) and has an average population density of less than 5 inhabitants per hectare (500/km ; 1,300/sq mi). Municipalities may be incorporated under different classifications under the direction of the province's lieutenant governor , as is the case with the District of North Vancouver . A district municipality, also called

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594-494: The coast island highway has also contributed to the successful growth of tourism in the community. While tourism activities represent a new feature of Chemainus' economy, the forest industry is still the largest industry in the community. Chemainus' restructured sawmill is profitable, and newer developments such as Chemainus' industrial park have been completed, attracting a number of re-manufacturing firms including Plenks Wood Centre and Paulcan. Despite Chemainus being heralded as

621-547: The communities of Chemainus ; Westholme ; Crofton ; Maple Bay ; and "the South End". The latter is an informal name for a built-up area which is essentially a suburb of the City of Duncan , a separate municipality. Located on the east coast of southern Vancouver Island, North Cowichan is centrally located immediately north of and adjacent to the city of Duncan and south of Ladysmith . Spanning 193.98 square kilometres, North Cowichan

648-412: The murals helped rejuvenate the town after its large sawmill closed in the early 1980s and was replaced by a smaller, more efficient, mill. The name Chemainus comes from the native shaman and prophet "Tsa-meeun-is" meaning broken chest . Legend says that the man survived a massive wound in his chest from an arrow in battle to become a powerful chief. His people took his name to identify their community,

675-439: The rural areas, lowering to 60 then 50 km/h in the denser urban area near Duncan. British Columbia Highway 18 connects North Cowichan to Lake Cowichan as a 2-lane facility with a speed limit as high as 100 km/h. Bus service in the municipality is provided by the Cowichan Valley Regional District with service connecting the North Cowichan communities of Chemainus and Crofton with the south end and Duncan. North Cowichan

702-758: The year. The Chemainus Theatre Festival features classic and award-winning comedies, musicals and dramas. North Cowichan is home to many recreation centres, including the Cowichan Aquatic Centre, cowichan community Centre, Fuller Lake Arena and the Cowichan Sportsplex. North Cowichan offers numerous parks and hiking trails. The Vancouver Island terminal of the HVDC Vancouver-Island is found here. District municipality Under provincial law, municipalities in British Columbia are to be designated "district municipalities" on incorporation if

729-426: Was formerly a district but has undergone heavy urbanization and development , particularly from tourism , as it is the heart of Ontario's cottage country . As a result, it was "upgraded" from a district (such as neighbouring Parry Sound District ) to having powers similar to a regional municipality , such as York Regional Municipality . In South Africa, district municipalities are administrative divisions of

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