The Community

The Cowichan Valley Regional District is a regional district in the Canadian province of British Columbia is on the southern part of Vancouver Island, bordered by the Nanaimo and Alberni-Clayoquot Regional Districts to the north and northwest, and by the Capital Regional District to the south and east. As of the 2006 Census, the Regional District had a population of 76,929. The regional district offices are in Duncan.

Incorporated communities:
City of Duncan
Town of Ladysmith
Town of Lake Cowichan
District Municipality of North Cowichan

The city is about 50 kilometres from both Victoria to the south and Nanaimo to the north. Although the City of Duncan has a population of just under 5000, it serves the Cowichan Valley which has a population of approximately 80,000, many of whom live in North Cowichan contiguous with Duncan. This gives Duncan a much larger “greater” population than that contained within the strict city limits. People in areas of North Cowichan bordering on Duncan usually use “Duncan” as their mailing city. Duncan is the seat of the Cowichan Valley Regional District.

Duncan’s tourism slogan is “The City of Totems”. The city has 80 totem poles around the entire town, which were erected in the late 1980s. Duncan has a large First Nations community and is the traditional home of the Cowichan Tribes, who are the largest band among the Coast Salish people

Duncan is home to the BC Forest Discovery Centre. Before the Canada–United States softwood lumber dispute, Duncan and the whole Cowichan Valley were a thriving lumber centre in British Columbia.

Duncan has the world’s largest ice hockey stick, officially recognised by Guinness World Records on July 14, 2008,`{`6`}` which is on display on the side of the local arena – formerly known as the Cowichan Community Centre home of the Cowichan Capitals Junior Hockey Club. The centre is now called The ‘Island Savings Centre’, (in 2008 Island Savings entered into a 10 year/one million dollar naming rights agreement with the CVRD).