Strathcona Regional District

Strathcona Regional District covers the northern part of Vancouver Island and extends across 18,329 square kilometers with scattered communities like Campbell River, Gold River, and Tahsis. The area is characterized by dense forests, rugged coastlines, and numerous islands, with water transport being essential for reaching many remote locations.

The area was created in 2008 when Comox-Strathcona Regional District divided into separate administrative entities, retaining about 91 percent of the original territory. This reorganization established an independent body to manage the unique needs of the northern island region.

The area maintains close ties with First Nations communities whose heritage shapes how people relate to the land and waters around them. Visitors notice these connections woven through local practices and how the landscape itself tells their stories.

The administrative office in Campbell River manages services across four electoral areas with very different conditions and terrain. Reaching remote communities is easiest by boat or floatplane, since roads do not connect many of these isolated places.

The area contains most of the Discovery Islands, a scattered archipelago with countless small islands and narrow channels. A floatplane network connects these remote islands to each other, serving as one of the few reliable ways to travel between them.