PlaceDossier / BC places / Mount Waddington
Mount Waddington, Electoral Area D
An electoral area of the Mount Waddington Regional District. 371 people lived here in 2021, down 5.8% from 2016, on 3,446 km² of land. It takes in Woss.
BC place · electoral area
How Area D compares with BC's other rural areas
Typical for its size No scheduled buses, no licensed child care on the Province's list and 1 fire hall.
Checked, nothing found No evacuation order or alert since April 2017.
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
No evacuation order or alert since April 2017, and 0.8% of its land burned by wildfire since 1996.
- Burned by wildfire since 1996
- 0.8% typical rural area: 2%
- Years with a mapped wildfire since 1917
- 32, the latest 2023
- Evacuation events since April 2017
- none on the Province's record
- Radon: homes tested at or above the guideline in its health region
- 0.9% in North Vancouver Island (BC: 7.9%)
More on hazards
Its land, ranked in BC
| Here | Rank in BC | |
|---|---|---|
| In the farmland reserve (ALR) | 0.6% | 239th of 267 (tied) |
| Burned by wildfire since 1996 | 0.8% | 126th of 215 (tied) |
| Years with a mapped wildfire since 1917 | 32 | most recent 2023 |
| Under mineral, placer or coal titles | 7.8% | 122nd of 219 (tied) |
| Land area | 3,446 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
No wildfire of 1,000 ha or more has burned in Area D since 1990, in the BC Wildfire Service's perimeters.
Smaller mapped fires since 2016
Since 2016, the BC Wildfire Service mapped 30 smaller fires (under 1,000 ha) that reached Area D, newest first. This season's are as mapped by November 9, 2026.
- 2026Unnamed fire V91689107 ha in all107 ha here
- 2026Misery Creek wildfire47 ha in all47 ha here
- 2026Unnamed fire V910916.8 ha in all6.8 ha here
- 2026Unnamed fire V916545.7 ha in all5.7 ha here
- 2023Newcastle Creek wildfire231 ha in all231 ha here
- 2023Gerald Creek wildfire167 ha in all · 10% of it here17 ha here
- 2023Schoen Lake wildfire18 ha in all18 ha here
- 2023Anutz Lake wildfire7.5 ha in all7.5 ha here
And 22 more
- 2023La Mainline wildfire3.8 ha in all3.8 ha here
- 2022Nimpkish River wildfire28 ha in all28 ha here
- 2022Kunnum Creek wildfire7.6 ha in all7.6 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire V92595686 ha in all686 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire V92443334 ha in all334 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire V92756246 ha in all246 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire V92461101 ha in all · 25% of it here25 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire V8259296 ha in all · 50% of it here48 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire V8262228 ha in all28 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire V9270122 ha in all · 68% of it here15 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire V9264319 ha in all19 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire V8315015 ha in all15 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire V927914 ha in all4 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire V826543 ha in all3 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire V905873 ha in all3 ha here
- 2017Unnamed fire V92294106 ha in all106 ha here
- 2017Unnamed fire V9163185 ha in all85 ha here
- 2017Unnamed fire V8232443 ha in all43 ha here
- 2017Unnamed fire V906168.8 ha in all8.8 ha here
- 2017Unnamed fire V922364.2 ha in all4.2 ha here
- 2016Unnamed fire V8051823 ha in all23 ha here
- 2016Unnamed fire V903010.9 ha in all0.9 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, Area D's land is 81% NDT1 (rarely burned, about every 250 to 350 years and in patches), 13% NDT2 (burned in large fires about every 200 years) and 6% NDT5 (alpine tundra and subalpine parkland). Its main biogeoclimatic zones are Coastal Western Hemlock (74%) and Mountain Hemlock (26%). 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
None of the wildfire evacuation orders or alerts in the Province's record since April 2017 covered 5% or more of the land or homes in Area D.
Listed when an order or alert area covered at least 5% of the land in Area D, or lay mostly in Area D 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 Area D. 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 Area D.
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.
265 landslides are recorded inside Area D in the Preliminary Canadian Landslide Database (version 14.0), including 138 debris flows, 83 debris avalanches and 15 rock falls. The latest with a date of its own: a debris slide, 2017 (listed under “Tlatlos Slide”). 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 Area D, 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.
5 Water Survey of Canada gauges in Area D have 5 or more years of yearly peak flows: Tsitika River below Catherine Creek peaked highest at 1,010 m³/s in 1975 (49 years on record), Nimpkish River above Woss River peaked highest at 1,180 m³/s in 2016 (30 years on record) and Kokish River below Bonanza River peaked highest at 164 m³/s in 1962 (11 years on record), among others. 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 North Vancouver Island health region, 1 of the 106 homes tested (0.9%) in Health Canada's 2009–2011 survey was 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
Rural property tax rates are set for each electoral area and its service areas; the figures and a calculator are under More.
- Typical home value against typical household income
- 2.5 years of income (fewer than 1,000 people, so a rough figure)
- Median home value (owners' estimate, 2021)
- $150,000
- Median monthly rent (2021)
- $715
- Speculation and vacancy tax
- doesn't apply here
More on cost to own
Property tax
In Area D, the Province collects the property tax. At 2026 rates every home here pays at least $5.44 per $1,000 of assessed value: about $5,444 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 $0.17 per $1,000 each; which ones cover a given lot is on its tax notice.
- Regional district (the electoral area's share) $1.29
- Regional hospital district $0.50
- School (set by the Province) $3.10
- Provincial rural tax $0.39
- Police tax $0.13
- Other $0.04
On $500,000: at least about $2,722 a year; on $1,000,000: at least about $5,444, at 2026 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, 2026, 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).
Area D 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 2.5 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.
New homes permitted
In 2025, building permits in Area D were issued for at least 1 new home.
- Houses
- Row houses
- Apartments
- Not broken down (months withheld)
| New homes | Houses | Row houses | Apartments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | ≥ 4 | withheld | withheld | withheld |
| 2019 | ≥ 2 | ≥ 2 | withheld | withheld |
| 2020 | ≥ 1 | withheld | withheld | withheld |
| 2021 | ≥ 4 | ≥ 4 | withheld | withheld |
| 2022 | ≥ 4 | ≥ 1 | withheld | withheld |
| 2023 | withheld | withheld | withheld | withheld |
| 2024 | withheld | withheld | withheld | withheld |
| 2025 | ≥ 1 | withheld | withheld | withheld |
| 2026 (January to July) | withheld | withheld | withheld | withheld |
Homes in new residential building permits, counted when the permit is issued: some are never built, and some building needs no permit. Statistics Canada withholds a month's figure for confidentiality or quality, so a year with withheld months reads "at least" (≥ in the table); 2026 runs to July (*). Not every local government reports. For permits on one street, ask the local government.
Source: Building Permits (BPER), BC Stats, adapted from Statistics Canada's Building Permits survey (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), through July 2026.
Source: Census of Population 2021, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
What you can build
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 Area D (list in force from June 1, 2026).
- In the farmland reserve (ALR)
- 0.6% typical rural area: 4%
More on what you can build
In Area D, 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 Area D (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 Area D can't name the zone: the Regional District of Mount Waddington doesn't publish its zoning map as open data. They show what the bylaw's rural zones allow and say to ask.
- RDMW Zoning Bylaw No. 21, 19723 rural zones summarised in plain words, checked against the bylaw 2026-10-29. Bylaw No. 21 zones most of the rural district, and land it doesn't place in another zone is Rural (A-1). Alder Bay, Coal Harbour, Hyde Creek, Malcolm Island, Quatsino, Telegraph Cove and Woss have bylaws of their own, and Indian Reserves are outside it.
Ask the RDMW's planning department which zone a lot is in, or find it on the RDMW's page of community bylaws and zoning maps, and confirm what it allows before you buy or build.
The federal boundaries put 5 reserves of Namgis First Nation and Tlowitsis Tribe in or beside Area D. 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 Regional District of Mount Waddington's building inspection doesn't cover Area D (Building Bylaw No. 682, 2003): it issues no building permits there and nobody inspects new building for the BC Building Code. Building permits are needed only in the community of Coal Harbour. The BC Building Code applies everywhere all the same. Our reading of the Regional District of Mount Waddington's own page, checked 2026-10-07. Do you need a building permit on rural land?
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 Typical for its size
Emergency care: the nearest emergency department open around the clock is in Alert Bay, 47 km away in a straight line. The one nearer, in Zeballos, keeps set hours (Mon 09:00 - 17:00, and so on).
- Homes with 50/10 Mbps internet or faster
- 81% typical rural area: 81%
- Homes with LTE mobile coverage
- 99.1%
- Nearest emergency department open around the clock
- Alert Bay, 47 km in a straight line
- Fire halls
- 1 on the Province's list; the nearest 300 m from Woss
- Buses
- no scheduled buses
- Licensed child care
- none on the Province's list
- Crime, weighted for how serious it is
- no police service of its own in Statistics Canada's figures: those of the Alert Bay RCMP detachment (rural) are under More
More on living here
Internet
81% of homes in Area D have 50/10 Mbps or faster recorded, wired or fixed wireless, against 97.6% across BC. 13% have nothing at 25/5 Mbps or faster.
| Share of homes here | BC | |
|---|---|---|
| 50/10 Mbps or faster, wired or fixed wireless | 81% | 97.6% |
| 50/10 Mbps or faster over a wired line | 61% | 96.2% |
| 50/10 Mbps or faster over fixed wireless | 21% | 87% |
| Nothing at 25/5 Mbps or faster | 13% | 1.4% |
| LTE mobile coverage | 99.1% | 99.1% |
| Homes counted (2021) | 222 | 2,170,255 |
| Rank in BC, homes without 50/10 Mbps | 83rd 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 Cormorant Island Community Health Centre, Alert Bay, about 47 km in a straight line from Woss. The nearest emergency department on HealthLink BC's list is Island Health's emergency department in Zeballos, about 31 km away; hours on HealthLink BC's list: Mon to Fri 09:00 to 17:00. Call for after-hours availability. The nearest open 24 hours is that hospital. 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 Area D, 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 Mount Waddington Regional District which department responds, if any. The Province's list (updated 2026-09-11) has one fire hall in Area D: Woss Fire Department. It is about 300 m in a straight line from Woss. 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).
Crime
The Alert Bay RCMP detachment (rural) reported a crime severity index of 184 in 2025, above BC's 92; up 31% since 2015 (BC unchanged).
| Crime severity index, 2025 | 184 (BC 92) |
|---|---|
| Violent / non-violent index | 238 / 164 (BC 98 / 91) |
| Crime severity index, 2015 | 141 (BC 93) |
| Change since 2015 | Up 31% (BC unchanged) |
| Break and enter, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 835 (BC 281) |
| Theft of a vehicle, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 167 (BC 138) |
| Theft from a vehicle, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 418 (BC 441) |
| Violent crime, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 7,519 (BC 1,531) |
| All Criminal Code offences (not traffic), per 100,000 people, 2025 | 20,551 (BC 6,943) |
Inferred: Statistics Canada publishes figures for no RCMP detachment within 40 km of here; the nearest it does is about 43 km away, so these figures are for that detachment's area, which may not include this place. BC's police boundaries aren't open data; the local RCMP can say who polices it.
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
41 water-supply wells on record; half are deeper than 41 m, and the median tested yield is 246 L/min.
- Water-supply wells on record
- 41; half deeper than 41 m; median tested yield 246 L/min
- Rank in BC for well depth
- 122nd of 245 (tied)
More on water
The Province's monitoring records hold groundwater samples from 1 well in Area D, 2002. No well's median passed Health Canada's limits for arsenic, fluoride, manganese, uranium, nitrate or lead. A report names the nearest sampled wells within 10 km of a lot. A neighbouring well isn't your water: test your own. What BC's well water tests for, by place.
Mapped aquifers
4 mapped aquifers lie in Area D, most wells first.
- 1Aquifer 1245: Beaver Coveconfined sand and gravel (glacial)12 wells · productivity not rated
- 2Aquifer 1243: Port McNeill East Unconsolidatedunconfined sand and gravel (late glacial outwash)8 wells · productivity not rated
- 3Aquifer 1244: Port McNeill East Bedrockfractured sedimentary rock5 wells · productivity not rated
- 4Aquifer 858: Alert Bay - Cormorant Islandconfined sand and gravel (glacial)5 wells · high 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 Area D. 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
11 sampled lakes lie in Area D (one only partly), largest first.
- 1Atluck Lake3 km² · 99% of it heretoo few readings to judge
- 2Schoen Lake2 km²too few readings to judge
- 3Huson Lake2 km²too few readings to judge
- 4Kaipit Lake98.5 hatoo few readings to judge
- 5Anutz Lake93.2 hatoo few readings to judge
- 6Claud Elliott Lake48.5 hatoo few readings to judge
- 7Wolfe Lake44.3 hatoo few readings to judge
- 8Tsiko Lake33.3 hatoo few readings to judge
- 9Sua Lake10.7 hatoo few readings to judge
- 10Unnamed lake in the Nimpkish River watershed (sampled as “Raymond Lake”)4.1 hatoo few readings to judge
And 1 more
- 11Unnamed lake in the Nimpkish River watershed (sampled as “Howie Bowlet Lake”)0.6 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
No climate station with published normals within 30 km of any of its settled places.
Winter sun
About 6 h 20 min of possible direct sun on December 21 at Woss, against 7 h 50 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 50 min against 12 h; on June 21, 15 h against 16 h 10 min. Our estimate from the terrain around the point, ground at about 151 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 136th of 310 (tied). How winter sun is read.
More on climate and sun
No climate station with published normals within 30 km of any of its settled places.
Plant hardiness zone: most homes here are in zone 8b (59%); 41% are in 8a, 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 900 kWh a year for each kW of panels at Woss, about 32 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 Woss, climate models project about 1 more day over 30 °C a year, a longest frost-free run about 45 days longer and about 20 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 1 day over 30 °C a year in 2041-2070 (range under 1 to 2 across the models), against under 1 day in 1971-2000; a longest frost-free run of about 225 days (range 205 to 285), against about 180; and about 12% of winter's precipitation falling as snow (range 6% to 16%), against about 32%. 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 Woss: faint, as around Wells or Lytton (our reading), and darker than about 90% 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 Woss, a cloud-to-ground flash within 10 km on about 1 day a year and 0.02 flashes per km² a year, less than at half of 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
1 major project in assessment or approved in or near Area D on the Environmental Assessment Office's register; 7.8% of its land is under mineral, placer or coal titles.
- Major projects in assessment or approved, in or within 5 km
- 1: Kokish River Hydroelectric
- Under mineral, placer or coal titles
- 7.8%
- Who holds them
- Largest company holders: Cazador Resources Ltd (10% of the land under title), Graymont Western Canada Inc. (10%), Hawkeye Gold & Diamond Inc. (9.5%); private individuals hold titles over 50% of it, on the Province's record as of October 29, 2026.
More on land use around
Major projects in Area D
The Environmental Assessment Office's register places 1 major project in assessment or approved in Area D or within 5 km of it: Kokish River Hydroelectric (power plant, certificate issued Nov 24, 2011, operating).
| Project | Decision | Phase | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kokish River HydroelectricPower Plants | Certificate Issued, Nov 24, 2011 | Post Decision – Operation | In Area D |
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 Province lists 20 active waste discharge authorizations in Area D; the commonest kinds: sewage treatment or discharge site (8), sawmill or other primary wood processing (7) and wood-waste landfill (2). Of these, 5 may discharge to air, 9 effluent to water or land and 8 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.
The Province maps no open gravel pit or quarry in Area D, but 3 open mine permits: 1 placer mine, 1 mineral exploration permit area and 1 mineral exploration or mine permit area. A report lists the permits within 2 km of a lot, names an open pit or quarry within 500 m and flags one whose permit area takes in the lot. Gravel pits and mine permits in BC, by place.
On ParcelMap BC, the land in Area D is 2% private, 19% Crown land with a parcel drawn (19% with no title); no parcel is mapped over 79%, 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 Province maps 22 registered traplines over 95% of the area and 6 guide outfitter territories over nearly all in Area D. The maps are 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 either takes in a lot. Traplines and guiding territories in BC, by place.
Area D lies in wildlife management units 1-11 (63%), 1-10 (36%): the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis sets seasons and closed areas by unit. Hunting and shooting on your own property.
BC Parks maps 13 parks and protected areas (Claud Elliott Creek Ecological Reserve; Claud Elliott Lake Park, a provincial park; Lower Nimpkish Park, a provincial park; Lower Tsitika River Park, a provincial park; and 9 more) reaching into Area D, over 8% of its land. Recreation Sites and Trails BC lists 9 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
371 people in 2021, down 5.8% from 2016; the median age is 55.2.
| Here | BC | |
|---|---|---|
| Population, 2021 | 371 | 5,000,879 |
| Change since 2016 | -5.8% | +7.6% |
| Median age | 55.2 | 42.8 |
| Under 15 | 13.5% | 14.3% |
| 65 and over | 27.0% | 20.3% |
| Median household income (2020) | $59,200 | $85,000 |
| Homes owned by the people living in them | 76.5% | 66.8% |
| Single-detached houses | 64.7% | 42.4% |
| Movable dwellings (mobile homes and the like) | 26.5% | 2.5% |
| Built before 1961 | 20.6% | 12.5% |
| Needing major repairs | 14.7% | 5.8% |
| Median home value (owners' estimate) | $150,000 | $785,000 |
| Median monthly rent | $715 | $1,370 |
| Worked from home | 0.0% | 22.6% |
| Unemployment rate | 12.0% | 8.4% |
Bars: the dark bar is this place, the red mark is BC.
Who lives here
| Here | BC | |
|---|---|---|
| Indigenous identity | 46.5% | 5.9% |
| Immigrants | 2.8% | 29.0% |
| Visible minority | 0.0% | 34.4% |
| No religion or a secular outlook | 64.8% | 52.1% |
Census figures, shown for context like the others. We don't rank or score places on these.
More on people
Fewer than 1,000 people live here, so Statistics Canada rounds these counts and leaves out some figures (shown as –).
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).