Marine Parks on the Coast of British Columbia

The coast of BC has over 40 designated marine parks. These are parks that include both water and land areas but are generally accessible by float plane or boat only (with some exceptions). Many of them allow wilderness camping but only a few offer even basic services (an outhouse, water, campsites).

Rebecca Spit Marine Park, accessible by road as well as boat on Quadra Island.

These marine parks run along the entire coast of BC and among the numerous islands that dot the coast. They are an attraction for boaters, kayakers, hikers and many others. The largest marine park on the coast is the Broughton Archipelago Marine Park, off the NE coast of Vancouver Island, which consists of dozens of small islands and the waters around them. This park is very popular with kayakers and people whale watching.



Marine parks often provide a welcome refuge for people traveling along the coast, and are common meet-up spots for boaters.  Desolation Sound Marine Park, along the central coast, is very popular with boaters due to its protected waters, easy access to the Discovery Islands and its beautiful beaches.

private properties within Desolation Sound Marine Park



Some of the remote and recreational properties we have listed through the BC Oceanfront office either border or are very near to marine parks. A select few are even lucky enough to be private property within a marine park - very rare.

flying over Surge Narrows Marine Park

It's a Coastal Lifestyle ... Live It!

Campbell River Carving Competition 2016

The annual Chainsaw Carving competition was at the end of June. This is a great draw for locals and tourists alike, and attracts chainsaw carvers from across the province and even a few from out of province. The carvers spend five days working the logs provided and turning them into works of art. These pieces are then judged. While some are moved quickly after the competition (already sold or spoken for) others are left in place at Frank James Park through the summer.

The competition includes categories from Novice to Professional, and there are also some consultants on hand to assist. Observers can wander through and watch the carvings in progress.

The competition is well known in the carving community and is a draw for tourists coming to spend Canada Day in our community (the competition usually ends just before Canada Day so that the carvings are in place for the festivities). The Transformations on the Shore, as it is officially known, is a perfect example of this island's communities - a mix of resource-base and the arts celebrating both our logging legacy and our artistic heritage.

To see all the action, check out the Shoreline Arts page.

It's a Coastal Lifestyle ... Live It!

BCO Coastal Gems: Knight Inlet

Knight Inlet is a majestic body of water on the coast of BC. The largest of the major southern BC inlets, it has become well known for magnificent Grizzly Bear watching. The spectacular landscape and easy access from Johnstone Strait and Vancouver Island make this body of water attractive to sight seers, fishermen and whale watchers.

The inlet is 125km long and averages 2.5km in width. It produces strong turbulence and outflow winds, affecting conditions in Queen Charlotte Strait at its mouth.

Properties in this region are accessed by boat or float plane. It is home to wilderness lodges and fishing resorts, most of them floating.

Knight Inlet is a place that takes your breath away and leaves you feeling in awe of the raw wilderness that shapes so much of coastal BC.

It's a Coastal Lifestyle ... Live It!

Office Procedures: What is FINTRAC?

FINTRAC forms have become a standard part of the Real Estate paperwork. FINTRAC stands for Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada. The completion of these documents by realtors and the brokerages they work for is a federal requirement.

According to the government's FINTRAC website: FINTRAC is part of Canada's national initiative to combat money laundering and terrorist activity financing. It is a specialized agency created to collect, analyze and disclose financial information and intelligence on suspected money laundering and terrorist activities financing.

Not only is filling out the documents required for every transaction, the documents need to be witnessed by a professional, in our case either a realtor or a notary/lawyer. A realtor in a cooperating office generally will not charge for this service (so if you are a Royal LePage client you can go to any RLP office to fill out the paperwork) but a notary/lawyer generally will.

The information collected is kept locked away and confidential, by the brokerage office. It does not stay in our files.

For more information on this, please visit the website: http://www.fintrac.gc.ca/intro-eng.asp

It's a Coastal Lifestyle ... Live It!