Lake Country Explained

Lake Country
Official Name:District of Lake Country[1]
Settlement Type:District municipality
Pushpin Map:Canada British Columbia
Coordinates:50.0833°N -119.4142°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Canada
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:British Columbia
Subdivision Type2:Regional district
Subdivision Name2:Central Okanagan
Established Title2:Incorporated
Established Date2:1995
Government Footnotes:[2]
Leader Title:Governing body
Leader Name:Lake Country Council
Leader Title1:Mayor
Leader Name1:Blair Ireland
Area Total Km2:122.19
Elevation M:600
Population Total:15,817
Population As Of:2021
Population Density Km2:130
Leader Title2:Chief Administrative Officer
Leader Name2:Alberto De Feo
Timezone:PST
Utc Offset:−08:00
Blank Name:Highways
Blank Info:97
Blank1 Name:Waterways
Blank1 Info:

Lake Country is a district municipality with a population of approximately 15,000 in the Okanagan Valley region of British Columbia, Canada. It is a part of the Central Okanagan Regional District, and of the Kelowna metropolitan area. The city of Kelowna lies to the south, while the city of Vernon lies to the north. As its name suggests, there are a number of lakes in the vicinity of Lake Country, and outside the municipal boundaries in the hills to the east. Okanagan Lake defines the western boundary of the municipality, while the entirety of Wood Lake and the southernmost portion of Kalamalka Lake are encompassed by it.

Lake Country was incorporated in 1995. The previously unincorporated communities of Winfield, Okanagan Centre, Oyama, and Carr's Landing were united to form the new municipality, and they remain as separate wards within it. In the municipal government, one councillor is drawn from each of these wards, while the mayor and two additional councillors are elected by the people at large.

Wards

Lake Country is the only municipality in the province of British Columbia to have the ward system.[3]

The four wards of Lake Country are:

Demographics

In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, Lake Country had a population of 15,817 living in 6,204 of its 6,852 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 12,922. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2021.[4]

Statistics Canada 2006 census:

Age

Immigration

Income

Ethnicity

Panethnic group! colspan="2"
20212016[5] 2011[6] 2006[7] 2001[8] 1996[9]
European13,66511,39010,6208,9008,8358,630
Indigenous970740405290265125
South Asian3151651801158570
East Asian2751455511025105
Southeast Asian13512020102010
Latin American10065251500
Middle Eastern6510060100
African6030015200
Other/Multiracial40654035020
Total responses15,63012,72511,3609,5459,2608,965
Total population15,81712,92211,7089,6069,2679,007

Religion

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Lake Country included:[10]

According to the 2001 Canadian census, religious groups in Lake Country included:

3,310 (35.7%)

Government

Municipal

Municipal elections were held on October 15, 2022. Blair Ireland ran unopposed and was declared mayor.

Two councillors at-large were elected: Michael Lewis and Bib Patel. Representing the wards of the municipality are: Heather Irvine, Winfield; Tricia Brett, Okanagan Centre; Cara Reed, Carr's Landing; Todd McKenzie, Oyama.[11]

Provincial

Year! colspan="2" scope="col"
LiberalConservativeNew DemocraticGreen
202122%1,84851%4,18215%1,2354%312
201930%2,41248%3,89210%8449%705
Year! colspan="2" scope="col"
New DemocraticBC LiberalGreen
202024%1,271 56% 2,93316%849
201719%970 59% 3,06222%1,114
Provincially, Lake Country is part of the constituency of Kelowna—Lake Country, this seat having been occupied by Norm Letnick of the BC Liberal Party since May 2009.

Federal

Federally, Lake Country is part of the riding of Kelowna—Lake Country. Despite the similarity in nomenclature, the federal riding encompasses a greater area and population than its provincial counterpart. Tracy Gray of the Conservative Party was first elected as MP in October 2019.

Education

Public education in Lake Country is provided by School District 23 Central Okanagan. Three elementary schools are located in the Municipality: Davidson Road Elementary, Oyama Traditional School, and Peter Greer Elementary. All three cover Kindergarten to Grade 5. H.S Grenda Middle School covers Grades 6 to 8. Lake Country is also home to George Elliot Secondary, which covers Grades 9 to 12.[12]

The two largest institutions providing post-secondary education in the area of Lake Country are UBC Okanagan, the campus which lies in north Kelowna, and Okanagan College, which has campuses in Kelowna and Coldstream.

Transportation

Lake Country is situated on the major north-south route through the Okanagan valley, Highway 97, approximately 15 km of which lies within the municipality, passing through Winfield and Oyama. To the south, the highway provides a route to Kelowna, whose downtown core is 20 km south of the municipal boundary. Glenmore Road provides an alternate route to Kelowna. To the north, the highway leads to Vernon, whose downtown is 15 km north of the municipal boundary. Vernon can also be accessed via Commonage Road. Until 2013, the highway was only four-laned through Winfield and north of Oyama, while the section from Winfield to Oyama was two-laned. This two-laned section of Highway 97 became notorious for several major accidents and congestion and the highway was upgraded to a four-lane limited-access road, officially opened on August 16, 2013.[13] The new highway was relocated further to the west of Wood Lake and the old highway was renamed to Pelmewash Parkway to accommodate a future recreational corridor.

A regular public bus service by Kelowna Regional Transit System, route 23, is available from Winfield to Kelowna at the UBC Okanagan exchange.[14] A less frequent peak hour express service by Vernon Regional Transit System, route 90, is also available, connecting Oyama and Winfield with Vernon and UBC Okanagan exchange.[15] A new bus service, route 32, establishes connections throughout the various communities in Lake Country.

Lake Country is in close proximity to Kelowna International Airport, which lies only 8 km to the south, and provides regular service to major cities such as Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle, Los Angeles, Calgary, Edmonton, and Toronto.

Accolades

In 2016, Lake Country was one of five communities in British Columbia honoured with the Small Business Roundtable's Open for Business Award in recognition of local efforts to foster economic growth.[16]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: British Columbia Regional Districts, Municipalities, Corporate Name, Date of Incorporation and Postal Address . British Columbia Ministry of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development . . November 2, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140713004716/http://www.cscd.gov.bc.ca/lgd/infra/library/Name%20Incorp%202011.xls . July 13, 2014 .
  2. Web site: Lake Country Council . Lakecountry.bc.ca . July 14, 2014.
  3. District of Lake Country—Neighbourhood Constituency Wards
  4. Web site: Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), British Columbia . . February 9, 2022 . February 20, 2022.
  5. Web site: Government of Canada . Statistics Canada . 2021-10-27 . Census Profile, 2016 Census . 2023-03-05 . www12.statcan.gc.ca.
  6. Web site: Government of Canada . Statistics Canada . 2015-11-27 . NHS Profile . 2023-03-05 . www12.statcan.gc.ca.
  7. Web site: Government of Canada . Statistics Canada . 2019-08-20 . 2006 Community Profiles . 2023-03-05 . www12.statcan.gc.ca.
  8. Web site: Government of Canada . Statistics Canada . 2019-07-02 . 2001 Community Profiles . 2023-03-05 . www12.statcan.gc.ca.
  9. Web site: Government of Canada . Statistics Canada . 2019-07-02 . Profile of Census Divisions and Subdivisions, 1996 Census . 2023-03-05 . www12.statcan.gc.ca.
  10. Web site: Government of Canada . Statistics Canada . October 26, 2022 . Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population . November 9, 2022 . www12.statcan.gc.ca.
  11. https://www.lakecountry.bc.ca/en/news/lake-country-2022-general-election-results.aspx
  12. Web site: School District 23 . Sd23.bc.ca . July 14, 2014.
  13. Web site: BC Ministry of Transportation . Th.gov.bc.ca . July 14, 2014.
  14. Web site: Kelowna Regional Transit . Transitbc.com . April 27, 2014 . July 14, 2014 . July 17, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110717050851/http://www.transitbc.com/regions/kel/schedules/map.cfm?p=side.txt&line=23& . dead .
  15. Web site: Vernon Regional Transit . Busonline.ca . July 14, 2014 . July 6, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110706170344/http://www.busonline.ca/regions/ver/schedules/map.cfm?p=side.txt&line=90& . dead .
  16. Web site: Five communities win prestigious Open for Business Awards | BC Gov News. September 26, 2016.