Dayman Island

Thetis Island (population: 379) is an island and unincorporated community off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, lying between Vancouver Island, which is to the west across Stuart Channel, and the west from the north tip of Galiano Island, from which it is separated by Trincomali Channel. With its immediate southern neighbour Penelakut Island (formerly Kuper Island), it is one of the Gulf Islands. Thetis island is 2,560 acres (1,036 ha) in size. It is approximately two miles (3.2 kilometres) wide and three miles (4.8 kilometres) long north to south. Two north to south land ridges define the east and west sides of the island. Burchell Hill is 503 feet above sea level, and forms the high point on the west side of Thetis island, and Moore Hill is 511 feet above sea level, and forms the high point ridge on the east side of the island

Stuart Channel is a strait in the Gulf Islands region of the Gulf of Georgia, separating Vancouver Island on the west from Thetis, DeCourcy and Penelakut (Kuper) Islands on the east. Ladysmith Harbour and the town of Chemainus face onto it from Vancouver Island. It is crossed by a BC Ferries route serving Thetis and Penelakut Islands.

Penelakut Island (called Kuper Island by British colonists between 1851–2010) is located in the southern Gulf Islands between Vancouver Island and the mainland Pacific coast of British Columbia, Canada. The island has a population of about 300 members of the Penelakut Band. The island has an area of 8.66 square kilometres (3.34 sq mi). There is frequent car and passenger ferry service to Penelakut from Chemainus on Vancouver Island. On its west side sits Telegraph Harbour.A Mediterranean climate of mild winters and warm, dry summers supports a unique ecosystem and an ideal living environment. The island is in the rain shadow of Vancouver Island, with an annual rainfall of about 850 millimetres (33 in). Unlike most neighbouring Gulf Islands, the topography is subdued with few bluffs or rock outcrops. Poorly drained soils are common.There is a Roman Catholic Church and a longhouse, but no commercial establishments on the island. Because it is an Indian reserve, property is not available for purchase. (There is one private lot dating from the events of 1863). From 1890 to 1978, the Catholic Church operated a residential school on the island. The present comprehensive school is run by the Penelakut. There is still much bitterness in the community over the violence and sexual abuse suffered by Indigenous children who attended the school. In 2002, Glenn Doughty, a Catholic Oblate brother who was employed at the school was sentenced to three years in prison for his historical crimes at the Kuper Island School, including indecent assault on a male, gross indecency, and one count of buggery involving 11 different victims. Those were the laws on the books when the crimes occurred in the 1960s and '70s., and former attendees say the abusive practices were widespread. In July 2021, an announcement was made that 160 unmarked graves were identified near the site of the residential school.

Chemainus Secondary is a public high school in Chemainus, British Columbia part of School District 79 Cowichan Valley. It was founded in 1953 and serves students from the area around Chemainus, Crofton, Thetis Island and southern Saltair, British Columbia. There are approximately 360 students at the school, the majority of whom are Caucasian, but with many nearby Aboriginal Reserves there is a sizeable First Nations minority. Also, about 30-35 students from Asia, mainly Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong are enrolled. From 2003 until 2005 the school went through a major renovation, updating many facilities. The library has been twice received Times Colonist Raise a Reader Grants. The first in 2008–9, for $1,400, was directed to Science reading materials. In 2009–10, the school received $1,200 for audio books and the companion novels.

Chemainus is a community within the municipality of North Cowichan in the Chemainus Valley on the east coast of southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Founded as an unincorporated logging town in 1858, Chemainus is now famous for its 53 outdoor murals. This outdoor gallery has given birth to many businesses, including a theatre, antiques dealers, and eateries. The tourist industry stemming from the murals helped rejuvenate the town after its large sawmill closed in the early 1980s and was replaced by a smaller, more efficient, mill. The name Chemainus comes from the native shaman and prophet "Tsa-meeun-is" meaning broken chest. Legend says that the man survived a massive wound in his chest from an arrow in battle to become a powerful chief. His people took his name to identify their community, the Stz'uminus First Nation, formerly the Chemainus Indian Band. The railway arrived in the 1880s and by the early 1920s the town's population had ballooned to 600 persons. Chemainus was eventually designated a census populated area by Statistics Canada comprising the more built-up residential and commercial neighbourhoods. Its population had further grown to 3,035 residents by 2011. A larger more inclusive Chemainus area is customarily regarded as comprising part of the District of North Cowichan that lies north of the Chemainus River. This is the area covered by the Chemainus Advisory Committee set up as a consultation body by North Cowichan. Chemainus Secondary School is located in the town, and serves as a secondary school for students living in Chemainus, Crofton, and Saltair. A BC Ferry terminal is located in Chemainus, which provides service to Thetis Island and Penelakut Island (previously Kuper). On 13 January 2006, a Boeing 737 aircraft was sunk off the coast in order to build an artificial reef. The sinking was documented in "Sinking Wings", an episode of the Discovery Channel series, Mega Builders.

The Chemainus station is located in Chemainus, British Columbia. The station was a flag stop on Via Rail's Dayliner service. The station closed in 2011 due to poor track conditions.

Saltair is an unincorporated community with a population of 2,325 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, or the Georgia Strait. It is a predominantly rural community located between the urban centers of Ladysmith and Chemainus. Saltair is within the Cowichan Valley Regional District. It is home to a number of parks: Stocking Creek Park, Diana, Princess of Wales Wilderness Park, and Saltair Centennial Park. In part, Saltair is a community of artists, scenery and farmland. It provides panoramic ocean and mountain views and a rural ambiance its residents treasure. Community news and updates can be found on Saltair websites. The area is served by the coast-spanning Island Highway and the Island Rail Corridor.

Whaleboat Island Marine Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, located just southeast of Ruxton Island, to the southeast of the city of Nanaimo.

Crofton Mill is a pulp mill and paper mill located in the Vancouver Island town of Crofton, British Columbia. The mill has 3 paper machines (only 2 are operational) and 2 pulp machines, which produce 349,000 tonnes of newsprint and directory paper, and 355,000 tonnes of northern bleached softwood kraft. Two operational recovery boilers (#3&4) are supported by one full time hog boiler (#4 power boiler) and one standby natural gas and oil fueled boiler (#5 power boiler). The plant also has a state of the art waste treatment facility and oxygen plant, the oxygen plant supplies oxygen for the waste treatment facility and bleach plants as well as medical and non medical oxygen to praxair. The mill has 578 employees as of 2014.British Columbia Forest Products (BCFP) established the mill in 1957, originally operating only a single-line kraft pulp mill. A newsprint line was installed in 1964. Fletcher Challenge bought BCFP (including the mill) in 1987 through its Canadian operations division Crown Forest Industries, and merged to form Fletcher Challenge Canada. Norske Skog bought the latter in 2000, to operate within its Canadian division, which became Catalyst Paper in 2005. Paper Excellence Canada completed its acquisition of Catalyst Paper in 2019.

Westholme is a community located in the Chemainus River Valley alongside the Island Highway, between Chemainus and Duncan in British Columbia, Canada. It is part of the Chemainus Land District in the District Municipality of North Cowichan. Westholme is one of the original settlements on Vancouver Island. Once a thriving mining and farming community, it is now filled with hobby farms and upscale private estates on large acreages, many of which are owned to this day by the descendants of original settlers to this area. Westholme is divided by the Island Highway. It is bordered by the Somenos Land District to the south, Mount Sicker to the west, the Chemainus River to the north, the Halalt First Nation Reserve to the northeast, and Crofton to the east. It is a peaceful private community nestled in the shadow of Mount Sicker which is on the western edge of this community. The ending to the movie Five Easy Pieces starring Jack Nicholson was filmed in Westholme.The area is served by the coast-spanning Island Highway and the Island Rail Corridor.

Ruxton Island (population 10) is one of the six islands in the De Courcy Islands group. It is one of the southern Gulf Islands in British Columbia. It is due south-east of DeCourcy Island, being separated by Ruxton Passage. It is home to approximately seven year round cabins and 110 seasonally occupied cabins. The island is composed primarily of sandstone. At the north end is Ruxton Passage, which separates Ruxton Island and De Courcy Island. At the southern end is Whaleboat Passage which separates Ruxton from Pylades. The island is forested with Douglas fir, balsam fir, red cedar, maple, vine maple, arbutus, shore pine, Garry oak, Red Alder and willow trees. There are approximately 12 km of trails. The few mammals that inhabit the island include otters, mink, Douglas squirrels, mice, and a few homo sapiens. The entrance to Herring Bay is marked at the north west corner, and entrance to Herring bay should be made between this marker and the small islet to the east. At low tide, the reef, which dries out at anything except high tide, extends several hundred yards to the south east. The reef continues underwater and is frequently hit by visiting vessels. This islet was recently named "Long Point" in honour of Ted Long, who was resident here for many years. There is a smaller bay located about halfway down the island on the west side, locally known as Nayler Bay, after the Nayler family who sold the island to Frank Ney (former mayor of Nanaimo, B.C.) who in turn developed the island into the current 199 privately owned lots. Typical waterfront properties are roughly 1/2 an acre in size, and the inside lots are roughly 2 acres in size. There is a wetland in the middle of the island which is roughly 10 acres in size. Canada Geese usually nest in this wetland, and many pairs may be seen during their visiting season. Numerous smaller waterfowl and frogs inhabit the wetland year round. North Bay and Otter Bay are located at the north and east sides of Ruxton Island respectively.

Valdes Island is one of the Gulf Islands located in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada. It is across Porlier Pass from Galiano Island, which lies to the southeast. It has an area of 23 square kilometres (9 square miles), and is 1.6 kilometres (1.0 mile) wide by 16 kilometres (9.9 miles) in length. The island is popular with kayakers, boaters and has historically been the site of several human settlements.