PlaceDossier / BC places / Columbia Shuswap
Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C
An electoral area of the Columbia Shuswap Regional District. 8,919 people lived here in 2021, up 12.6% from 2016, on 624 km² of land. It takes in Blind Bay, Sorrento, Eagle Bay, Sunnybrae and 6 more.
BC place · electoral area
How Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C compares with BC's other rural areas
- Evacuations: an order to leave, in August 2023 (fire). The Province's record starts in April 2017. One of 65 of BC's 159 rural electoral areas with one.
- Snow: tied for the 2nd snowiest of BC's 108 rural electoral areas with a climate station nearby. 224 cm a year, compared with 88 cm in a typical rural area.
Typical for its size 2 bus routes on Thursdays only, 7 licensed child care providers, 6 fire halls and a 24-hour emergency department 21 km away.
How we compare
Each figure is set against BC's places of the same kind: cities of 50,000 or more, towns of 10,000 to 50,000, towns of 2,000 to 10,000, villages and towns under 2,000, or rural electoral areas. A figure stands out when it's among the top tenth of its kind at the end that matters to a buyer and clearly off the typical one, the middle place of that kind. Where fewer than 15 places of its kind have the figure, it's set against all BC places with it. A figure only counts when its source speaks for the place: a climate or air station within 15 km and 300 m of its ground, the place's own police service, at least 1,000 people for census figures and 25 homes for internet. A point that stands out has an ochre bar on its left, its section's stamp is filled ochre, and a dot in the bar at the top of the page marks that section; "Typical for its size" is a plain outline and "Nothing on record" a dotted one. In each strip a tick is one place, the tall tick the typical one, the dot this place, and the end that matters on the right. Facts that matter at any size (an evacuation order, emergency care far away, little mobile coverage) are said whatever the size, and mark a section as standing out only when they too are in the top tenth of its kind. A section is marked typical only where a figure in it is set against the typical one and none sits far from it (outside the middle half of its kind, or clearly off the typical one), and "nothing on record" only where it shows nothing.
Hazards Typical for its size
Evacuations: an order to leave, in August 2023 (fire). The Province's record starts in April 2017. One of 65 of BC's 159 rural electoral areas with one.
- Burned by wildfire since 1996
- 3.2% typical rural area: 2%
- Years with a mapped wildfire since 1917
- 20, the latest 2024
- Evacuation events since April 2017
- 1 with an order to leave; the latest August 2023
- Radon: homes tested at or above the guideline in its health region
- 6.4% in Thompson Cariboo Shuswap (BC: 7.9%)
More on hazards
Its land, ranked in BC
| Here | Rank in BC | |
|---|---|---|
| In the farmland reserve (ALR) | 14% | 105th of 267 (tied) |
| Burned by wildfire since 1996 | 3.2% | 91st of 215 (tied) |
| Years with a mapped wildfire since 1917 | 20 | most recent 2024 |
| Under mineral, placer or coal titles | 0.1% | 216th of 219 |
| Land area | 624 km² |
Shares of the land area, worked out from the Province's maps. Fire perimeters before the 1950s are less complete. A title or a past fire somewhere in the area says nothing about a given lot: a property report checks the parcel itself.
Large fires (1,000 ha or more) since 1990
Since 1990, 2 wildfires of 1,000 ha or more burned in Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C, together 1,991 ha, 3% of its land (ground that burned twice counts once). The most here was the Bush Creek East wildfire in 2023, 1,155 ha.
- 2023Bush Creek East wildfire45,745 ha in all · 3% of it here1,155 ha here
- 2009Notch Hill (Hilliam Mountain) wildfire2,857 ha in all · 30% of it here852 ha here
Smaller mapped fires since 2016
Since 2016, the BC Wildfire Service mapped 2 smaller fires (under 1,000 ha) that reached Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C, newest first.
- 2024Newsome Creek wildfire1 ha in all · 83% of it here0.8 ha here
- 2017Unnamed fire K304202 ha in all2 ha here
Small fires that were never mapped as a perimeter aren't listed: the BC Wildfire Service maps an outline for only some of the fires it records. Past fire is history, not a forecast. The chance of fire on a lot today depends on what the record doesn't show: the forest and grass around it, the slope, what has been thinned or burned since, and how far it is from a fire hall. Every BC season and large fire since 1990.
Sources: BC Wildfire Fire Perimeters – Historical, BC Wildfire Service; BC Wildfire Fire Perimeters – Current, BC Wildfire Service; BC Wildfire Fire Incident Locations – Historical, BC Wildfire Service; BC Wildfire Fire Locations – Current, BC Wildfire Service (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), as published on November 10, 2026; 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence). Outlines simplified and places measured by PlaceDossier.
How the land burned
On the Province's ecosystem map, Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C's land is 39% NDT4 (burned often and lightly, every 4 to 50 years), 38% NDT3 (burned in large fires about every 100 to 150 years) and 23% NDT2 (burned in large fires about every 200 years). Its main biogeoclimatic zones are Interior Cedar–Hemlock (66%) and Interior Douglas-fir (30%). In the dry forest and grassland of NDT4, a century of putting fires out has let many stands fill in, building up fuel that can carry a crown fire instead of a light surface fire. This is how the land burned before fires were put out, not its fire risk today. A report names the type over a lot. Every place's natural fire regime.
Source: BEC Map (biogeoclimatic zones and natural disturbance types), Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), read 2026-10-12; areas worked out on the census boundaries.
Evacuations since April 2017
Since April 2017, the Province's record holds 1 wildfire event with an evacuation order or alert over Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C, an order. The latest order: East Adams Lake Wildfire, August 2023.
- 2023East Adams Lake WildfireAugust 2023 · evacuation order and alert · Columbia Shuswap Regional District1,352 homes
Listed when an order or alert area covered at least 5% of the land in Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C, or lay mostly in Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C and held at least 5% as many homes as the 2021 census counted there. An order means people were told to leave; an alert, to be ready to leave. Homes are the record's own counts, area by area, shown where the areas lie mostly in Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C. The Province's record starts in April 2017: earlier evacuations aren't in it. A lot's report checks every order and alert over the lot itself, and any in effect now.
Sources: Historical Orders and Alerts, Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), as published on November 2, 2026; 2021 census subdivision boundaries and dwelling counts, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence). Each order and alert area placed in the municipalities and electoral areas it covers by us.
Evacuations for floods, landslides and other hazards since April 2017
None of the flood, landslide or other non-fire evacuation orders or alerts in the Province's record since April 2017 covered 5% or more of the land or homes in Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C.
Sources: Historical Orders and Alerts, Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), as published on November 2, 2026; 2021 census subdivision boundaries and dwelling counts, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence). Each order and alert area placed in the municipalities and electoral areas it covers by us.
8 landslides are recorded inside Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C in the Preliminary Canadian Landslide Database (version 14.0), including 3 debris flows, 3 rock falls and 1 debris avalanche. The latest with a date of its own: a debris flow, 2018. The database lists slides known to have happened, mapped from inventories, satellite images and lidar. It isn't a hazard map, and some parts of BC are mapped in far more detail than others. Landslides near a given lot.
The Province lists 3 dams in Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C, none classed High or above for the harm a failure would do downstream. The class rates what a failure would do, not how likely one is; a report names the dams within 1 km of a lot. Dams in BC, by place.
No Water Survey of Canada gauge with 5 or more years of yearly peaks stands in Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C. Just outside it, Hudson Creek near the Mouth had its highest peak, 0.8 m³/s, in 1987, equalling 1986 (5 years on record) and Corning Creek near Squilax had its highest peak, 11.6 m³/s, in 1999 (39 years on record). A gauge's record is the river where it stands, not a flood line; a report gives the nearest gauge on a river by the lot. River gauges in BC, by place.
Radon
In the Thompson Cariboo Shuswap health region, 7 of the 109 homes tested (6.4%) in Health Canada's 2009–2011 survey were at or above the 200 Bq/m³ guideline; across BC, 143 of 1,817 (7.9%).
The survey tested about a hundred volunteer homes per health region, with one long-term test each. That gives a rough regional picture: it isn't a map, and a region where few or none tested high can still have homes above the guideline. The only way to know is to test the home: radon and buying a home in BC.
Source: Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes (2009–2011), Health Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Health Service Delivery Area Boundaries, Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia).
Check one lot: has it burned? · is it on a floodplain map? · is it behind a dike? · is there a dam nearby? · landslides nearby? · contaminated sites nearby? · radon? · how much is too steep?
Source: Agricultural Land Reserve polygons, Agricultural Land Commission (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Fire perimeters – historical, BC Wildfire Service (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Mineral, placer and coal tenures, Mineral Titles Branch (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Preliminary Canadian Landslide Database, version 14.0 (May 2026), Brideau et al. (CC BY 4.0); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
Cost to own Typical for its size
Homes: the typical home costs 8.1 years of a typical household's income, compared with 7.1 years in a typical rural area.
- Typical home value against typical household income
- 8.1 years of income typical rural area: 7.1 years
- Median home value (owners' estimate, 2021)
- $600,000
- Median monthly rent (2021)
- $1,000
- Speculation and vacancy tax
- doesn't apply here
More on cost to own
Property tax
In Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C, the Province collects the property tax. At 2025 rates every home here pays at least $3.39 per $1,000 of assessed value: about $3,388 a year on a $1,000,000 home, before the home owner grant. Local service areas (fire protection, recreation, street lighting, water and others) cover parts of the area and add to that, up to $1.19 per $1,000 each; which ones cover a given lot is on its tax notice.
- Regional district (the electoral area's share) $0.82
- Regional hospital district $0.54
- School (set by the Province) $1.54
- Provincial rural tax $0.37
- Police tax $0.09
- Other $0.04
On $500,000: at least about $1,694 a year; on $1,000,000: at least about $3,388, at 2025 rates, before the home owner grant.
Your bill uses BC Assessment's value for the property, which can differ from its price, and may also include parcel taxes and utility fees (water, sewer, garbage) that aren't rates on value. The home owner grant takes up to $570 off the bill of a home its owner lives in ($770 in the Province's northern and rural area in 2026, and up to $845, or $1,045 there, for seniors, veterans and people with a disability), for homes assessed at $2,075,000 or less in 2026; above that it shrinks by $5 for each $1,000. From 2027 the northern and rural extra ends and the regular grant is $570 everywhere. The owner applies each year, and must pay at least $350 in tax ($100 for the higher grant) after it. Our summary of the Province's page, read 2026-10-04. Rural rates aren't ranked: what a home pays depends on the service areas it's in. Confirm with the Province's Surveyor of Taxes. How property tax works in BC.
Source: The Surveyor of Taxes' rural tax rates, 2025, Province of BC (the rates only: facts set in public bylaws, not open data); Home owner grant, Province of BC (summarised in our words, read 2026-10-04).
Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C is outside the Province's speculation and vacancy tax area, so the tax doesn't apply to a home here. Our summary of the Province's pages, read 2026-10-04. Where the tax applies, and who pays.
The typical home here is the median value owners gave the 2021 census, and the typical household's income is the median for 2020: a home that costs 8.1 years of income took that many years of a typical household's whole income. "Typical" for places its size is the middle of BC's rural electoral areas.
Land for sale nearby
The 5 nearest listings on AcreScout within 25 km of Blind Bay, nearest first.
| Listing | Asking price | Size | Per acre | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrise BoulevardBlind Bay, listed 211 days ago | $325,000 | 0.55 acres | – | 100 m |
| Juniper CircleBlind Bay, listed 156 days ago | $99,000 | 0.28 acres | – | 200 m |
| Lakeview VacantBlind Bay, listed 28 days ago | $259,000 | 0.34 acres | – | 300 m |
| 2902 Cedar DriveBlind Bay, listed 83 days ago | $110,000 | 0.26 acres | – | 300 m |
| Sunrise BoulevardBlind Bay, listed 281 days ago | $198,000 | 0.27 acres | – | 400 m |
Distances are straight lines to the listing's pin. Where AcreScout places a listing only roughly, no distance is given, only the place it's near. Per acre is left out under about an acre. Asking prices are what sellers ask, not what land sells for.
Listings: AcreScout, a Buretto site; active listings as of 2026-11-15. Asking prices set by the sellers; not a valuation.
Source: Census of Population 2021, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
What you can build Typical for its size
On a lot zoned for a house, the zoning must allow at least a secondary suite or a garden suite (the provincial minimum).
- Homes allowed on a house lot (provincial minimum)
- a house and a secondary suite or garden suite
- Short-term rentals
- The Province's principal residence requirement doesn't apply in Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C (list in force from June 1, 2026).
- In the farmland reserve (ALR)
- 14% typical rural area: 4%
More on what you can build
In Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C, a zone limited to detached houses must allow at least one secondary suite or detached accessory home (a garden suite or carriage house) next to a house. A floor of 3 or 4 homes applies on rural land only inside an urban containment boundary drawn in a regional growth strategy, and most rural land is outside one. None of it applies on land in an Islands Trust local trust area or under a rural land use bylaw, and in the Agricultural Land Reserve the Commission's limits come first. How many homes you can build on a lot.
The Province's principal residence requirement doesn't apply in Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C (list in force from June 1, 2026), so the provincial rule doesn't limit short-term rentals to the host's home. Local bylaws, including the zone's own rules, can be stricter. Hosts anywhere in BC register each unit with the provincial registry. Short-term rental rules in BC.
Reports for rural lots in Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C name the zone from the Columbia Shuswap Regional District's zoning map, where 3 bylaws apply.
- South Shuswap Zoning Bylaw No. 701Covers 14% of the area. 24 zones explained, from the bylaw as amended to August 13, 2026, checked October 30, 2026.
- Kault Hill Rural Land Use Bylaw No. 3000Covers under 1% of the area. 4 zones explained, from the bylaw as amended to July 18, 2024, checked October 30, 2026.
- Lakes Zoning Bylaw No. 900Covers 16% of the area (the lake surface: docks, buoys and moorage). 14 zones explained, from the bylaw as amended to August 13, 2026, checked October 30, 2026.
Shares of the area's land and water, worked out from the Columbia Shuswap Regional District's zoning map (Open Government Licence – Columbia Shuswap Regional District); a bylaw is listed where at least 20 ha and 1% of it lies here. Lots inside a municipality follow its own bylaw. Confirm with the CSRD's planning department before you buy or build.
Check one lot: look up its address for its zone and the share of the lot in each.
The federal boundaries put one reserve, North Bay 5 (Skwlāx te Secwepemcúl̓ecw), in or beside Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C. On reserve land the First Nation decides land use, not the local zoning bylaw; a report says when a lot is on reserve land or within 500 m of it. Reserve land in BC, by place.
The Columbia Shuswap Regional District's building inspection covers all of Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C (Building Regulation Bylaw No. 660-3): building, adding on, moving or demolishing a building needs a building permit, and the work is inspected. The CSRD redrew its areas after 2021: Blind Bay, Notch Hill and Sorrento are now Area G; both it and today's Area C are inspected. Our reading of the Columbia Shuswap Regional District's own page, checked 2026-10-07. Do you need a building permit on rural land?
The Province maps 2 designated community watersheds, Newsome Community Watershed and Bastion Community Watershed, over 4% of Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C: land draining to a licensed drinking-water intake, where logging and roads on Crown land must protect the supply. A report says whether a lot lies in one and whose water it is. Community watersheds in BC, by place.
Check one lot: is it in the ALR? · is the soil good for farming? · is it in a community watershed?
Source: Agricultural Land Reserve polygons, Agricultural Land Commission (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
Living here
2 bus routes on Thursdays only, 7 licensed child care providers, 6 fire halls and a 24-hour emergency department 21 km away.
- Homes with 50/10 Mbps internet or faster
- 97% typical rural area: 81%
- Homes with LTE mobile coverage
- 100%
- Nearest emergency department open around the clock
- Salmon Arm, 21 km in a straight line
- Fire halls
- 6 on the Province's list; the nearest 2.2 km from Blind Bay
- Buses
- 2 routes, on Thursdays only
- Licensed child care
- 7 (5 group facilities, 2 family homes)
- Crime, weighted for how serious it is
- no police service of its own in Statistics Canada's figures: those of the Salmon Arm RCMP detachment (rural) are under More
More on living here
Internet
97.3% of homes in Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C have 50/10 Mbps or faster recorded, wired or fixed wireless, against 97.6% across BC. 1.6% have nothing at 25/5 Mbps or faster.
| Share of homes here | BC | |
|---|---|---|
| 50/10 Mbps or faster, wired or fixed wireless | 97.3% | 97.6% |
| 50/10 Mbps or faster over a wired line | 90.1% | 96.2% |
| 50/10 Mbps or faster over fixed wireless | 79% | 87% |
| Nothing at 25/5 Mbps or faster | 1.6% | 1.4% |
| LTE mobile coverage | over 99.9% | 99.1% |
| Homes counted (2021) | 5,308 | 2,170,255 |
| Rank in BC, homes without 50/10 Mbps | 141st of 248 (tied) | |
This is the service providers report to the federal government (ISED), counted over each area's homes in the 2021 census. It isn't a promise for any address: ask providers whether they serve it and what it costs to connect. Satellite service, which needs only a clear view of the sky, isn't counted. Data released May 2026. What internet can a given lot get?
Source: National Broadband Data (May 2026) and Pseudo-Household Demographic Distribution (2021), Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
Nearest hospital
The nearest hospital on the Province's list (updated 2026-10-01) is Shuswap Lake General Hospital, Salmon Arm, about 21 km in a straight line from Blind Bay. Its emergency department's hours on HealthLink BC's list: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Roads are longer than these straight lines, and a small town's emergency department can close for a shift when it's short of staff: the health authority posts these as service changes. In an emergency, call 9-1-1. How far is the nearest hospital from a property?
Source: Hospitals in BC, HealthLinkBC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Emergency Rooms in BC, HealthLinkBC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia).
Fire protection
In Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C, a fire department answers calls only inside the fire protection area its service bylaw sets, so a hall nearby doesn't by itself mean a lot is covered: ask the Columbia Shuswap Regional District which department responds, if any. The Province's list (updated 2026-09-11) has six fire halls in Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C: Eagle Bay Volunteer Fire Department, Shuswap Volunteer Fire Department Hall 1, Shuswap Volunteer Fire Department Hall 2, Skwlax Fire Department, Tappen Sunnybrae Fire Department and White Lake Volunteer Fire Department. The nearest to Blind Bay is Shuswap Volunteer Fire Department Hall 2, about 2.2 km away in a straight line. Home insurers ask the road distance to the hall that responds, which can be far longer than the straight line. How far is the nearest fire hall, and what insurers ask
Source: First Responders (fire halls and ambulance stations), GeoBC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia).
Transit
BC Transit runs 2 routes (42 and 43) in Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C, on Thursdays only, from 10 stops. Read from the published schedules for one week (the week of October 19, 2026); service changes with the seasons. A report on a lot names its nearest stop and how often buses leave it.
Source: BC Transit schedules (GTFS), read 2026-10-12 (BC Transit Open Data Terms of Use); placed by us in the 2021 census boundary 2026-10-12. Bus and train service in every BC place.
Child care
The Province lists 5 licensed group child care facilities and 2 licensed family child care homes in Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C. By the ages their operators list, 2 take children under 36 months, 3 take children 30 months to 5 years, 1 takes preschool children and 2 take school-age children; 2 list no ages. All 7 take part in the fee reduction (CCFRI). Family child care homes are counted but not named or mapped, since they are private homes. Many operators list no ages, and the list holds the licensed facilities the Province funds, so a licensed one without that funding isn't on it. A report on a lot names its nearest group facility and counts those within 1 and 2 km; ask each facility about spaces and its wait list.
Source: Child Care Map Data, Child Care Programs and Services (listed 2026-10-11) (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); placed by us in the 2021 census boundary 2026-10-11. Licensed child care in every BC place.
Crime
The Salmon Arm RCMP detachment (rural) reported a crime severity index of 34 in 2025, below BC's 92; down 11% since 2015 (BC unchanged).
| Crime severity index, 2025 | 34 (BC 92) |
|---|---|
| Violent / non-violent index | 33 / 35 (BC 98 / 91) |
| Crime severity index, 2015 | 39 (BC 93) |
| Change since 2015 | Down 11% (BC unchanged) |
| Break and enter, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 136 (BC 281) |
| Theft of a vehicle, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 163 (BC 138) |
| Theft from a vehicle, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 63 (BC 441) |
| Violent crime, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 813 (BC 1,531) |
| All Criminal Code offences (not traffic), per 100,000 people, 2025 | 2,566 (BC 6,943) |
Inferred: the nearest RCMP rural detachment Statistics Canada publishes figures for, about 18 km away. BC's police boundaries aren't open data, so the detachment that actually polices this place may be another.
The crime severity index weighs each offence by how serious it is (one assault counts for more than several thefts), with Canada in 2006 set at 100. Rates are per 100,000 people living in the police service's area, so places with many visitors, commuters or seasonal homes read high, and in small places a few incidents swing the figures a lot. These are crimes reported to police, not all crime.
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0063-01, Crime severity index and weighted clearance rates, police services in British Columbia (Statistics Canada Open Licence); Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0184-01, Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations, police services in British Columbia (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
Water
558 water-supply wells on record; half are deeper than 79 m, and the median tested yield is 26 L/min.
- Water-supply wells on record
- 558; half deeper than 79 m; median tested yield 26 L/min
- Rank in BC for well depth
- 21st of 245 (tied)
More on water
Mapped aquifers
13 mapped aquifers lie in Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C, most wells first.
- 1Aquifer 232: Tappenconfined sand and gravel (glacial)118 wells · moderate productivity
- 2Aquifer 233: Blind Bay / White Lakefractured crystalline bedrock56 wells · low productivity
- 3Aquifer 224: Eagle Bayfractured crystalline bedrock49 wells · moderate productivity
- 4Aquifer 231: Sunnybraeconfined sand and gravel (glacial)42 wells · moderate productivity
- 5Aquifer 227: Sorrento / Notch Hillkarstic limestone38 wells · low productivity
- 6Aquifer 222: Sorrento / Notch Hillconfined sand and gravel (glacial)38 wells · moderate productivity
- 7Aquifer 230: Squilax / Tappenunconfined sand and gravel (alluvial or colluvial fan)26 wells · moderate productivity
- 8Aquifer 870: Knight Creek at Paradise Point, Shuswap Lakeconfined sand and gravel (glacial)10 wells · moderate productivity
- 9Aquifer 868: West of Paradise Point, Shuswap Lakeconfined sand and gravel (glacial)8 wells · moderate productivity
- 10Aquifer 869: West of Paradise Point, Shuswap Lakefractured crystalline bedrock6 wells · low productivity
And 3 more
- 11Aquifer 866: Ashby Point, Shuswap Lakekarstic limestone4 wells · low productivity
- 12Aquifer 867: Ashby Point, Shuswap Lakeunconfined sand and gravel (late glacial outwash)3 wells · moderate productivity
- 13Aquifer 101: Mount Tappenfractured crystalline bedrock1 well · low productivity
An aquifer is listed for each place that holds at least a twentieth of it, so a sliver of one at the edge can be left out. Wells and productivity are for the whole aquifer, which can reach well beyond Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C. The province maps aquifers mostly in settled valleys, so a lot outside every outline can still have groundwater. Every mapped aquifer in BC · sampled lakes.
Sampled lakes
3 sampled lakes lie in Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C (one only partly), largest first.
- 1Shuswap Lake307 km² · 36% of it hereclarity 6.4 m (2012–2025)
- 2White Lake6 km²clarity 10.5 m (2015–2023)
- 3Little White Lake36.1 hatoo few readings to judge
A lake is listed for each place that holds at least a twentieth of it or 100 ha of it. Clarity is the median summer Secchi depth; the nutrient class is our reading of Carlson's index from phosphorus or chlorophyll, not a provincial rating. Either is given only for a lake with at least 10 summer readings from open water, spread over at least 3 different years, since 2012. Most lakes have never been sampled, so a lake missing here may simply have no record. Every sampled lake in BC.
Source: Groundwater wells (GWELLS), Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Ground Water Aquifers, Water Protection and Sustainability Branch, Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); BC Environmental Monitoring Data System (EnMoDS) results, Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
Climate and sun Stands out
Snow: tied for the 2nd snowiest of BC's 108 rural electoral areas with a climate station nearby. 224 cm a year, compared with 88 cm in a typical rural area.
- January mean temperature
- -3.8 °C* typical rural area: −1.2 °C
- July mean temperature
- 18.5 °C*
- Yearly precipitation
- 739 mm*
- Yearly snowfall
- 224 cm* typical rural area: 88 cm
Winter sun
About 6 h of possible direct sun on December 21 at Blind Bay, against 7 h 40 min on open ground; a lot on a slope or bench can differ by hours: open any lot's report for its own.
On March 21, 10 h against 12 h; on June 21, 14 h 10 min against 16 h 20 min. Our estimate from the terrain around the point, ground at about 410 m, seen from head height: trees, buildings and cloud aren't counted. On BC's least winter sun ranking (December sun as a share of open ground) it is 112th of 310 (tied). How winter sun is read.
More on climate and sun
| 1981-2010 normals | Rank in BC | |
|---|---|---|
| January mean temperature | -3.8 °C* | Not ranked* |
| July mean temperature | 18.5 °C* | Not ranked* |
| Yearly precipitation | 739 mm* | |
| Yearly snowfall | 224 cm* | Not ranked* |
| Wettest day in the station's record to 2010 | 42 mm of rain and melted snow, November 6, 1992 | |
| Most snow in a day in the station's record to 2010 | 37 cm, December 27, 1998 | |
| Deepest snow on the ground in the station's record to 2010 | 90 cm, January 25, 1993 |
Normals for 1981-2010 at the Celista station, about 8 km from Blind Bay (of the communities here with a station within 30 km, the one with the most addresses); ECCC has no fuller 1991-2020 set for it. Its normals don't include the frost-free period, days with snow on the ground, days over 30 °C or degree days, so those are left out. * Based on at least 15 of the 30 years, short of the World Meteorological Organization's standard: treat as a rougher guide. The records are single days measured at the station: the most rain, snow and wind it saw in its record up to 2010 (ECCC's 1981-2010 sets give records over the station's whole history, so some dates are older than 1981). Each is one event, not what to expect in a year, and the lot can get more or less than the station. Elevation matters a lot in BC: a hillside lot can be much colder and snowier than the station.
Plant hardiness zone: most homes here are in zone 6b (68%); 23% are in 6a, on Natural Resources Canada's 2025 map. Higher numbers are milder winters. What the zones mean.
Solar panels: a south-facing panel tilted at the latitude would make about 970 kWh a year for each kW of panels at Blind Bay, about 31 of it in December (estimated from Natural Resources Canada's 1998-2022 sunshine map). An open sky is assumed: the hills, trees and buildings around a lot cut it, and a report sets the lot's own skyline beside it. What solar panels would make in BC.
By the 2050s (2041-2070) at Blind Bay, climate models project about 19 more days over 30 °C a year, a longest frost-free run about 45 days longer and about 12 percentage points less of winter's precipitation falling as snow, each against the same models' 1971-2000 (model projections under SSP2-4.5, a middle path for emissions). The models work on a grid of about 9 by 6 km, which averages valley floors with the slopes around them, so their own figures can sit well off a station's normals and aren't comparable with them. Their own figures there: about 36 days over 30 °C a year in 2041-2070 (range 30 to 57 across the models), against about 17 days in 1971-2000; a longest frost-free run of about 195 days (range 170 to 215), against about 150; and about 64% of winter's precipitation falling as snow (range 52% to 66%), against about 76%. The ranges run from the 10th to the 90th percentile of the models' 2041-2070 figures. The 2050s across BC.
Light at night within 1 km of Blind Bay: faint, as around Wells or Lytton (our reading), and darker than about 87% of BC's homes (2024 satellite record). A lot away from the centre can be much darker. How dark are BC's nights?
Lightning: around Blind Bay, a cloud-to-ground flash within 10 km on about 9 days a year and 0.14 flashes per km² a year, more than at 3 in 4 BC homes (the Canadian Lightning Detection Network, 1998-2025 average, on a grid of about 11 by 7 km).
Source: Canadian Climate Normals 1991-2020 and 1981-2010, Environment and Climate Change Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Plant hardiness zones of Canada (2025 map), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Medium Resolution Digital Elevation Model (MRDEM-30), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Solar position: General Solar Position Calculations (NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory; Spencer, 1971) (Public domain); Daily average solar irradiance on tilted surfaces for all of Canada (1998-2022), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Photovoltaic Potential and Solar Resource Maps of Canada (performance ratio), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Statistically downscaled climate indices from CMIP6 global climate models (CanDCS-M6), Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium, via the Canadian Centre for Climate Services (Open Government Licence – Canada); VIIRS Nighttime Lights, 2024 annual composite, Earth Observation Group, Payne Institute for Public Policy, Colorado School of Mines (Elvidge et al. 2021, Remote Sensing 13(5):922), via Hengl, OpenGeoHub, Zenodo doi 10.5281/zenodo.7750174 (CC BY 4.0); Canadian Lightning Detection Network cloud-to-ground flashes (CanCPLDv1), Environment and Climate Change Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada).
Land use around
No major project in assessment or approved in or near Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C on the Environmental Assessment Office's register; 0.1% of its land is under mineral, placer or coal titles.
- Major projects in assessment or approved, in or within 5 km
- none on the register
- Under mineral, placer or coal titles
- 0.1%
- Who holds them
- No company holds a title here; private individuals hold titles over 100% of it, on the Province's record as of October 29, 2026.
More on land use around
Major projects in Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C
No major project in assessment or approved is placed in Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C or within 5 km of it on the Environmental Assessment Office's register.
Major projects are those large enough to need a provincial environmental assessment: mines, power plants, pipelines, transmission lines, highways, ports and resorts. The register places each at one point; a mine, pipeline or line can reach well past it, so check the project's own page for its maps. A property report lists those within 10 km of a lot; every project in BC by place.
Source: Environmental Assessment Office project points (EPIC), Province of BC, as of 2026-11-02 (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
The BC Energy Regulator maps about 12 km of active oil and gas pipeline in Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C, permitted to FortisBC Energy Inc. A report lists any pipeline within 200 m of a lot, and flags one within 30 m, where digging needs the permit holder's agreement. Pipelines in BC, by place.
The Province lists 21 active waste discharge authorizations in Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C; the commonest kinds: sewage treatment or discharge site (17), vehicle dismantling and recycling yard (2) and landfill, transfer station or other solid waste site (1). Of these, 1 may discharge to air, 18 effluent to water or land and 1 refuse to land. A report lists any within 2 km of a lot, and flags one whose point is on it. Permitted discharges in BC, by place.
On ParcelMap BC, the land in Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C is 23% private, 12% Crown land with a parcel drawn (11% with no title); no parcel is mapped over 65%, likely most of it untitled Crown land, with lakes and road allowances. A report says who owns the land along a lot's line. Crown land next to a property, and every place's land by owner.
The Ministry of Forests maps 3 active Crown range tenures (3 grazing) reaching into Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C, over 5% of its area, licensed for about 1,200 animal unit months of grazing a year in all. Outside a pound district, keeping livestock off a lot is the owner's fence to build. A report lists any tenure within 1 km of a lot. Open range and grazing in BC, by place.
The Province maps 10 registered traplines over nearly all of the area in Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C. The map is drawn over titled land too, but traplines are registered on Crown land: on titled land, anyone but the owner or occupier needs their written permission to trap. A report says whether one takes in a lot. Traplines and guiding territories in BC, by place.
Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C lies in wildlife management units 3-26 (91%), 3-36 (9%): the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis sets seasons and closed areas by unit. Hunting and shooting on your own property.
BC Parks maps 7 parks and protected areas (Cinnemousun Narrows Park, a provincial park; Herald Park, a provincial park; Shuswap Lake Marine Park - Aline Hill Site, a provincial park; Shuswap Lake Marine Park - Hermit Bay Site, a provincial park; and 3 more) reaching into Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C, over 2% of its land. Recreation Sites and Trails BC lists 2 sites there. A report names the nearest park and recreation site within 25 km of a lot. Parks and recreation sites in BC, by place.
Check one lot: is there a mineral claim? · power lines nearby? · pipelines nearby? · a gravel pit nearby? · a landfill or plant nearby? · logging planned nearby? · cattle on open range? · is there a trapline? · can I hunt on it? · a park nearby? · Crown land next door?
Source: Mineral, placer and coal tenures, Mineral Titles Branch (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
People
8,919 people in 2021, up 12.6% from 2016; the median age is 58.8.
| Here | BC | |
|---|---|---|
| Population, 2021 | 8,919 | 5,000,879 |
| Change since 2016 | +12.6% | +7.6% |
| Median age | 58.8 | 42.8 |
| Under 15 | 11.3% | 14.3% |
| 65 and over | 34.1% | 20.3% |
| Median household income (2020) | $74,500 | $85,000 |
| Homes owned by the people living in them | 89.5% | 66.8% |
| Single-detached houses | 85.9% | 42.4% |
| Movable dwellings (mobile homes and the like) | 10.1% | 2.5% |
| Built before 1961 | 6.8% | 12.5% |
| Needing major repairs | 5.4% | 5.8% |
| Median home value (owners' estimate) | $600,000 | $785,000 |
| Median monthly rent | $1,000 | $1,370 |
| Worked from home | 15.4% | 22.6% |
| Unemployment rate | 9.3% | 8.4% |
Bars: the dark bar is this place, the red mark is BC.
Who lives here
| Here | BC | |
|---|---|---|
| Indigenous identity | 5.9% | 5.9% |
| Immigrants | 10.1% | 29.0% |
| Visible minority | 2.4% | 34.4% |
| No religion or a secular outlook | 54.9% | 52.1% |
Census figures, shown for context like the others. We don't rank or score places on these.
More on people
Census figures are from 2021; the next census results start in 2027. Area boundaries are Statistics Canada's census subdivisions, which follow municipal and electoral area lines. The places named at the top are the official place names in the area (BC Geographical Names) with the most 2021 homes nearer them than any other name, on ISED's home points: our reading.
Source: Census of Population 2021, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence); BC Geographical Names, Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Pseudo-Household Demographic Distribution (2021), Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada).