PlaceDossier / BC places / Squamish-Lillooet

Squamish-Lillooet, Electoral Area C

An electoral area of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District. 2,000 people lived here in 2021, up 20.3% from 2016, on 5,614 km² of land. It takes in Owl Creek, Mount Currie, Birken, Pemberton Meadows and 4 more.

BC place · electoral area

How Area C compares with BC's other rural areas

Emergency care: the nearest emergency department open around the clock is in Lillooet, 70 km away in a straight line. The one nearer, in Pemberton, keeps set hours (Mon 08:30 - 20:30, and so on).
Summers: the 8th most hot days of BC's 100 rural electoral areas with a climate station nearby. 32 days a year over 30 °C, compared with 7 in a typical rural area.
Growth: the 9th fastest-growing of BC's 125 rural electoral areas with 1,000 people or more in 2016 and 2021. +20.3% from 2016 to 2021, compared with +6.3% in a typical rural area.

Typical for its size 1 bus route, 1 licensed child care provider and 2 fire halls.

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.

Area C outlined. Zoom in to see its lots; tap one for its report.

Hazards
Cost to own
What you can build
Living here, something here stands out
Water
Climate and sun, something here stands out
Land use around
People, something here stands out

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Hazards Typical for its size

Evacuation alerts but no order to leave since April 2017, and 4.0% of its land burned by wildfire since 1996.

Burned by wildfire since 1996: 4.0% typical rural area: 2%
Years with a mapped wildfire since 1917: 63, the latest 2025
Evacuation events since April 2017: no order to leave, 2 with alerts only; the latest July 2026
Poor-air days at the nearest air station: 4.5 days a year (median), 26 km away
Radon: homes tested at or above the guideline in its health region: 2.5% in North Shore/Coast Garibaldi (BC: 7.9%)

Its land, ranked in BC

	Here	Rank in BC
In the farmland reserve (ALR)	1.1%	227th of 267 (tied)
Burned by wildfire since 1996	4.0%	84th of 215 (tied)
Years with a mapped wildfire since 1917	63	most recent 2025
Under mineral, placer or coal titles	3.8%	168th of 219 (tied)
Land area	5,614 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, 6 wildfires of 1,000 ha or more burned in Area C, together 20,798 ha, 4% of its land (ground that burned twice counts once). The most here was the Elaho wildfire in 2015, 7,471 ha.

2026Twin Two Creek wildfire3,773 ha in all3,773 ha here
2025Simms Creek wildfire1,155 ha in all1,155 ha here
2023Mount Athelstan wildfire1,923 ha in all1,923 ha here
2015Elaho wildfire12,495 ha in all · 60% of it here7,471 ha here
2015Boulder Creek wildfire6,684 ha in all6,684 ha here
1990Unnamed fire V300171,476 ha in all1,476 ha here

Smaller mapped fires since 2016

Since 2016, the BC Wildfire Service mapped 40 smaller fires (under 1,000 ha) that reached Area C, newest first. This season's are as mapped by November 9, 2026.

2026Signal Hill wildfire105 ha in all105 ha here
2026Cougar Mountain wildfire6.4 ha in all6.4 ha here
2026North Creek wildfire3.5 ha in all3.5 ha here
2026Unnamed fire V302501.6 ha in all · 50% of it here0.8 ha here
2025Bastion Peak wildfire534 ha in all534 ha here
2025Unnamed fire V3171765 ha in all65 ha here
2025Unnamed fire V319616.6 ha in all6.6 ha here
2025Unnamed fire V316543.2 ha in all3.2 ha here

And 32 more

2024Birkenhead Lake wildfire840 ha in all840 ha here
2024Upper Elaho River wildfire541 ha in all541 ha here
2024Ure Creek wildfire405 ha in all405 ha here
2024Rutherford Creek wildfire67 ha in all67 ha here
2024The Bee wildfire56 ha in all56 ha here
2024Unnamed fire V302024.6 ha in all4.6 ha here
2024Unnamed fire V313953.2 ha in all3.2 ha here
2023Unnamed fire V33258970 ha in all970 ha here
2023Spetch Creek wildfire563 ha in all563 ha here
2023Boulder Creek 2 wildfire399 ha in all399 ha here
2023Unnamed fire V3324911 ha in all11 ha here
2023Mount Sockeye wildfire1.3 ha in all1.3 ha here
2023Unnamed fire V316431.1 ha in all1.1 ha here
2022Soo River FSR wildfire2.1 ha in all2.1 ha here
2022Unnamed fire V324521.8 ha in all1.8 ha here
2022Birkenhead Peak wildfire1 ha in all1 ha here
2020Lillooet Lake wildfire368 ha in all368 ha here
2020Miller Bench wildfire47 ha in all47 ha here
2020Unnamed fire V3117634 ha in all34 ha here
2020Unnamed fire V3130922 ha in all22 ha here
2020Unnamed fire V3118216 ha in all16 ha here
2020Lilloet Lake wildfire1.8 ha in all · 93% of it here1.7 ha here
2020Poole Creek Peat Bog wildfire0.5 ha in all0.5 ha here
2019North Creek wildfire1.1 ha in all1.1 ha here
2018Unnamed fire K70348505 ha in all · 10% of it here52 ha here
2018Unnamed fire V301038.4 ha in all8.4 ha here
2018Unnamed fire V304951.6 ha in all1.6 ha here
2017Unnamed fire V304162.5 ha in all2.5 ha here
2017Unnamed fire V322221.8 ha in all1.8 ha here
2016Unnamed fire V302392.9 ha in all2.9 ha here
2016Unnamed fire V302511.3 ha in all1.3 ha here
2016Unnamed fire V304030.7 ha in all0.7 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 C's land is 47% NDT5 (alpine tundra and subalpine parkland), 34% NDT2 (burned in large fires about every 200 years), 18% NDT1 (rarely burned, about every 250 to 350 years and in patches), 1% NDT4 (burned often and lightly, every 4 to 50 years) and under 1% NDT3 (burned in large fires about every 100 to 150 years). Its main biogeoclimatic zones are Mountain Hemlock (31%), Coastal Western Hemlock (27%), Coastal Mountain-heather Alpine (22%) and Engelmann Spruce–Subalpine Fir (11%). 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 2 wildfire events with an evacuation order or alert over Area C, alerts only. The latest: Signal Hill Wildfire, July 2026.

2026Signal Hill WildfireJuly 2026 · evacuation alert · Squamish-Lillooet Regional District68 homes
2018Grouse CreekAugust 2018 · evacuation alert · Squamish-Lillooet Regional District79 homes

Listed when an order or alert area covered at least 5% of the land in Area C, or lay mostly in 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 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 Area C.

163 landslides are recorded inside Area C in the Preliminary Canadian Landslide Database (version 14.0), including 34 mountain slope deformations, 30 debris flows and 24 rock slides. The latest with a date of its own: a rock irregular slide, Jul 2025 (listed under “Mt. Matier rock collapse”). 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 maps about 42.9 km of dikes in Area C, along Lillooet River, Miller Creek, Ryan River and Jason Creek and others; the longest are Miller - Lillooet Dike, Ryan Dike and Pemberton Meadows Berm. About 7.2 km is orphaned, with no local authority responsible. A dike lowers the chance of a flood behind it, not to nothing; a report names the dikes within 1 km of a lot and who maintains them. Dikes in BC, by place.

The Province lists 7 dams in 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.

3 Water Survey of Canada gauges in Area C have 5 or more years of yearly peak flows: Lillooet River near Pemberton peaked highest at 1,490 m³/s in 2003 (64 years on record), Green River near Pemberton peaked highest at 416 m³/s in 1937 (19 years on record) and Place Creek near Birken peaked highest at 7 m³/s in 1984 (19 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.

Poor-air days: at the Whistler Meadow Park air monitoring station, 26 km from Pemberton, fine particles passed the level of BC's 24-hour objective (25 µg/m³) on a median of 4.5 days a year over the 10 years with a full record, 2015 to 2025; the most was 15 days in 2017, most of them in August. Most of these days fell from June to September, the wildfire season (our reading: mostly wildfire smoke). How smoky it gets across BC.

Radon

In the North Shore/Coast Garibaldi health region, 2 of the 81 homes tested (2.5%) 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

Homes: the typical home costs 9.8 years of a typical household's income, compared with 7.1 years in a typical rural area.

Typical home value against typical household income: 9.8 years of income typical rural area: 7.1 years
Median home value (owners' estimate, 2021): $900,000
Median monthly rent (2021): $1,330
Speculation and vacancy tax: doesn't apply here

Property tax

In Area C, the Province collects the property tax. At 2026 rates every home here pays at least $2.96 to $4.04 per $1,000 of assessed value: about $2,956 to $4,038 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 $4.46 per $1,000 each; which ones cover a given lot is on its tax notice.

Regional district (the electoral area's share) $1.07
Regional hospital district $0.31
School (set by the Province) $1.01
Provincial rural tax $0.39
Police tax $0.09
Other $0.04

Where each $1,000 of assessed value goes, 2026, before local service areas; the lowest of the area's rates, as it spans tax jurisdictions or school districts.

Price or assessed value$

On $500,000: at least about $1,478 to $2,019 a year; on $1,000,000: at least about $2,956 to $4,038, 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 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 9.8 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 C were issued for at least 21 new homes: at least 12 houses.

New homes permitted each year

Houses
Row houses
Apartments
Not broken down (months withheld)

	New homes	Houses	Row houses	Apartments
2018	≥ 35	≥ 9	withheld	≥ 6
2019	≥ 29	≥ 13	withheld	withheld
2020	≥ 20	≥ 16	withheld	withheld
2021	≥ 43	≥ 16	withheld	withheld
2022	84	≥ 17	≥ 42	≥ 8
2023	≥ 54	≥ 16	≥ 13	≥ 6
2024	≥ 17	≥ 10	withheld	≥ 4
2025	≥ 21	≥ 12	withheld	withheld
2026 (January to July)	≥ 16	≥ 10	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.

Land for sale nearby

The 5 nearest listings on AcreScout within 25 km of the middle of the area's addresses at Pemberton, nearest first.

Listing	Asking price	Size	Per acre	Away
7677 Cerulean DrPemberton, listed 161 days ago	$474,000	0.28 acres	–	2.3 km
7634 Seven O Clock DrivePemberton, listed 313 days ago	$545,000	0.27 acres	–	2.3 km
8218 Merlot Peak DrivePemberton, listed 143 days ago	$650,000	Not given	–	2.3 km
8207 Merlot Peak DrPemberton, listed 204 days ago	$639,000	0.25 acres	–	2.4 km
7620 Seven Oclock DrPemberton, listed 355 days ago	$399,000	0.17 acres	–	2.4 km

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

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 C (list in force from June 1, 2026).
In the farmland reserve (ALR): 1.1% typical rural area: 4%

Living here Stands out

Emergency care: the nearest emergency department open around the clock is in Lillooet, 70 km away in a straight line. The one nearer, in Pemberton, keeps set hours (Mon 08:30 - 20:30, and so on).

Homes with 50/10 Mbps internet or faster: 79% typical rural area: 81%
Homes with LTE mobile coverage: 64%
Nearest emergency department open around the clock: Lillooet, 70 km in a straight line
Fire halls: 2 on the Province's list; the nearest 4.1 km from the middle of the area's addresses at Pemberton
Buses: 1 route, every day
Licensed child care: 1 (0 group facilities, 1 family home)
Crime, weighted for how serious it is: no police service of its own in Statistics Canada's figures: those of the Pemberton RCMP detachment (rural) are under More

Internet

79% of homes in Area C have 50/10 Mbps or faster recorded, wired or fixed wireless, against 97.6% across BC. 20% have nothing at 25/5 Mbps or faster.

	Share of homes here	BC
50/10 Mbps or faster, wired or fixed wireless	79%	97.6%
50/10 Mbps or faster over a wired line	76%	96.2%
50/10 Mbps or faster over fixed wireless	41%	87%
Nothing at 25/5 Mbps or faster	20%	1.4%
LTE mobile coverage	64%	99.1%
Homes counted (2021)	1,122	2,170,255
Rank in BC, homes without 50/10 Mbps	77th 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 Lillooet Hospital and Health Centre, about 70 km in a straight line from the middle of the area's addresses at Pemberton. The nearest emergency department on HealthLink BC's list is Vancouver Coastal Health's emergency department in Pemberton, about 3.7 km away; hours on HealthLink BC's list: Mon to Sun 08:30 to 20:30. 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 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 Squamish-Lillooet Regional District which department responds, if any. The Province's list (updated 2026-09-11) has two fire halls in Area C: Birken Fire Hall and Pemberton Meadows Fire Association. The nearest to the middle of the area's addresses at Pemberton is Pemberton Village Fire Rescue, about 4.1 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 route (100) in Area C, every day, from 5 stops. Read from the published schedules for one week (the week of October 12, 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 1 licensed family child care home in Area C, and no group facility. It takes 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 Pemberton RCMP detachment (rural) reported a crime severity index of 51 in 2025, below BC's 92; down 26% since 2015 (BC unchanged).

Crime severity index, 2025	51 (BC 92)
Violent / non-violent index	83 / 38 (BC 98 / 91)
Crime severity index, 2015	69 (BC 93)
Change since 2015	Down 26% (BC unchanged)
Break and enter, per 100,000 people, 2025	142 (BC 281)
Theft of a vehicle, per 100,000 people, 2025	53 (BC 138)
Theft from a vehicle, per 100,000 people, 2025	124 (BC 441)
Violent crime, per 100,000 people, 2025	1,098 (BC 1,531)
All Criminal Code offences (not traffic), per 100,000 people, 2025	3,719 (BC 6,943)

Inferred: the nearest RCMP rural detachment Statistics Canada publishes figures for, about 24 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

310 water-supply wells on record; half are deeper than 35 m, and the median tested yield is 95 L/min.

Water-supply wells on record: 310; half deeper than 35 m; median tested yield 95 L/min
Rank in BC for well depth: 147th of 245 (tied)

Mapped aquifers

8 mapped aquifers lie in Area C, most wells first.

1Aquifer 1016: Owl Creekfractured sedimentary rock34 wells · low productivity
2Aquifer 326: Pembertonunconfined sand and gravel (medium stream system)26 wells · high productivity
3Aquifer 1014: Owl Ridge Aquiferconfined sand and gravel (glacial)23 wells · moderate productivity
4Aquifer 1015: Birkenhead River Aquiferunconfined sand and gravel (small stream system)19 wells · high productivity
5Aquifer 322: Lower Gates Riverunconfined sand and gravel (medium stream system)17 wells · moderate productivity
6Aquifer 321: Upper Gates Riverunconfined sand and gravel (medium stream system)11 wells · moderate productivity
7Aquifer 391: Bedrock aquifer above and on the northwest side of the valleyfractured crystalline bedrock6 wells · moderate productivity
8Aquifer 405: D'Arcy Creek Alluvial Fanunconfined sand and gravel (alluvial or colluvial fan)0 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 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

2 sampled lakes lie in Area C, largest first.

1Birkenhead Lake4 km²too few readings to judge
2Mosquito Lake (Lillooet watershed)5.4 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

Summers: the 8th most hot days of BC's 100 rural electoral areas with a climate station nearby. 32 days a year over 30 °C, compared with 7 in a typical rural area.

January mean temperature: -2.6 °C typical rural area: −1.2 °C
July mean temperature: 19.8 °C
Days a year over 30 °C: 32 days* typical rural area: 7

Winter sun

About 5 h 20 min of possible direct sun on December 21 at the middle of the area's addresses at Pemberton, 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, 9 h 20 min against 12 h; on June 21, 11 h 50 min against 16 h 10 min. Our estimate from the terrain around the point, ground at about 414 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 69th of 310 (tied). How winter sun is read.

The skyline from the middle of the area's addresses at Pemberton, from NRCan's elevation model every 5°, and the sun's path on December 21, March 21 and June 21: solid where the sun clears the hills, dotted where they hide it. Angles are drawn true to scale.

Land use around

3 major projects in assessment or approved in or near Area C on the Environmental Assessment Office's register; 3.8% of its land is under mineral, placer or coal titles.

Major projects in assessment or approved, in or within 5 km: 3: Ryan River Hydro; Upper Lillooet Hydro; Whistler Nordic Centre
Under mineral, placer or coal titles: 3.8%
Who holds them: Largest company holders: Cazador Resources Ltd (17% of the land under title), Beyond Minerals Inc. (15%), Meager Creek Development Corporation (8.8%); private individuals hold titles over 44% of it, on the Province's record as of October 29, 2026.

Major projects in Area C

The Environmental Assessment Office's register places 3 major projects in assessment or approved in Area C or within 5 km of it: Ryan River Hydro (power plant, in assessment (pre-application)); Upper Lillooet Hydro (electric transmission line, certificate issued Jan 8, 2013, operating); Whistler Nordic Centre (ski resort, certificate issued Apr 5, 2005, operating).

Project	Decision	Phase	Where
Ryan River HydroPower Plants	In Progress	Pre-Application	In Area C
Upper Lillooet HydroElectric Transmission Lines	Certificate Issued, Jan 8, 2013	Post Decision – Operation	In Area C
Whistler Nordic CentreSki Resorts	Certificate Issued, Apr 5, 2005	Post Decision – Operation	About 2.8 km outside

Not assessed or closed: 4 projects found to need no assessment, withdrawn, terminated, refused, expired or not reviewable

Resort Municipality of Whistler - Drinking Water Well Enhancement (groundwater extraction, reviewed Jun 17, 2021: no assessment needed, referred for a decision; about 4.6 km outside)
Lumby Muscovite (sand and gravel pit, withdrawn 1996; in Area C)
South Meager Geothermal (power plant, terminated 2016; in Area C)
Melvin Creek/Cayoosh Mountain Resort (ski resort, certificate expired 2020; about 2.7 km outside)

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 4 active waste discharge authorizations in Area C; the commonest kinds: sewage treatment or discharge site (2), concrete plant (1) and wood residue burner (1). Of these, 1 may discharge to air, 2 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.

The Province maps 2 open gravel pits and quarries in Area C: OWL CREEK and PEMBERTON PORTAGE ROAD PIT. 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 C is 1% private, 2% Crown land with a parcel drawn (1% with no title); no parcel is mapped over 97%, 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 2 active Crown range tenures (2 grazing) reaching into Area C, over 3% of its area, licensed for about 206 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 29 registered traplines over 88% of the area and 7 guide outfitter territories over 26% in Area C. 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 C lies in wildlife management units 2-11 (57%), 2-6 (18%), 2-9 (10%), 2-10 (9%): the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis sets seasons and closed areas by unit. Hunting and shooting on your own property.

BC Parks maps 9 parks and protected areas (Birkenhead Lake Park, a provincial park; Callaghan Lake Park, a provincial park; Clendinning Park, a provincial park; Duffey Lake Park, a provincial park; and 5 more) reaching into Area C, over 16% of its land. Recreation Sites and Trails BC lists 14 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 Stands out

Growth: the 9th fastest-growing of BC's 125 rural electoral areas with 1,000 people or more in 2016 and 2021. +20.3% from 2016 to 2021, compared with +6.3% in a typical rural area.

	Here	BC
Population, 2021	2,000	5,000,879
Change since 2016	+20.3%	+7.6%
Median age	42.8	42.8
Under 15	14.8%	14.3%
65 and over	12.5%	20.3%
Median household income (2020)	$92,000	$85,000
Homes owned by the people living in them	70.6%	66.8%
Single-detached houses	78.5%	42.4%
Movable dwellings (mobile homes and the like)	8.6%	2.5%
Built before 1961	8.0%	12.5%
Needing major repairs	9.8%	5.8%
Median home value (owners' estimate)	$900,000	$785,000
Median monthly rent	$1,330	$1,370
Worked from home	23.6%	22.6%
Unemployment rate	7.9%	8.4%

Bars: the dark bar is this place, the red mark is BC.

Who lives here

	Here	BC
Indigenous identity	6.0%	5.9%
Immigrants	11.0%	29.0%
Visible minority	5.5%	34.4%
No religion or a secular outlook	72.7%	52.1%

Census figures, shown for context like the others. We don't rank or score places on these.

	1991-2020 normals	Rank in BC
January mean temperature	-2.6 °C	71st of 116 (tied)
July mean temperature	19.8 °C	28th of 116 (tied)
Lowest temperature recorded, 1991-2020	-22.6 °C (1997)	31st of 64 (tied)
Days a year over 30 °C	32 days; 6.6 days over 35 °C*	Not ranked*
Highest temperature recorded, 1991-2020	40.6 °C (1998)
Wettest day recorded, 1991-2020	63.4 mm of rain and melted snow, January 19, 2005
Deepest snow on the ground recorded, 1991-2020	75 cm, February 7, 2008
Strongest gust recorded, 1991-2020	104 km/h, August 30, 1996
Heating degree days, below 18 °C	3,595 a year*
Growing degree days, above 5 °C	2,087 a year; 1,097 above 10 °C*