| Delta, British Columbia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — District — | |||
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| Motto: Ours to preserve by hand and heart. | |||
| Location of Delta within the Greater Vancouver Area in British Columbia, Canada | |||
| Country | Canada | ||
| Province | British Columbia | ||
| Regional District | Metro Vancouver | ||
| Incorporated | 1879 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Lois Jackson | ||
| • Governing body | Delta Municipal Council | ||
| • MPs | Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Jinny Sims | ||
| • MLAs | Guy Gentner, Vicki Huntington | ||
| Area | |||
| • Land | 183.70 km2 (70.9 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 10 m (33 ft) | ||
| Population (2007) | |||
| • Total | 101,668 (Ranked 50th) | ||
| • Density | 279.3/km2 (723.4/sq mi) | ||
| • Demonym | Deltan | ||
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) | ||
| Postal code span | V4C to V4G, V4K to V4M | ||
| Area code(s) | +1-604/778 | ||
| Website | Delta.BC.ca | ||
Delta is a district municipality in British Columbia, and forms part of Metro Vancouver. Located south of Richmond, it is bordered by the Fraser River to the north, the United States (Point Roberts, Washington) to the south and the city of Surrey to the east. Delta is composed of three distinct communities: Ladner, Tsawwassen, and North Delta.
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Prior to European settlement, Delta's flatlands and coastal shores were inhabited by the Tsawwassen indigenous peoples, of the Coast Salish First Nations . The land was first sighted by Europeans in 1791, when Spanish explorer Lieutenant Francisco de Eliza mistook the area for an island and named it "Isla Capeda". The first Europeans to settle in the area were Thomas and William Ladner, who began farming the area in 1868. Farming and fishing helped the community grow quickly over the next few decades. In 1879, the area was incorporated to become "Delta", and the village of Ladner was made as its administrative centre.
Due to its geography, Delta was a relatively isolated community. The completion of the George Massey Tunnel in 1959 linking Ladner to Richmond and Vancouver along with the opening, in 1960, of the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal and the Highway 99 being rerouted from the King George Highway in Surrey in 1962 to a new route through Delta, ended Delta's isolation and resulted in a massive 400% population growth over the next 20 years. The 1986 completion of the Alex Fraser Bridge connecting North Delta to New Westminster and Vancouver also helped Delta's growth.
As of 2005, Delta's population was 102,655. About 23% of Delta's population are visible minorities, of which there are approximately 12,000 South Asians and 5,400 Chinese Canadians. There are also about 1,400 Aboriginal peoples, some from the Tsawwassen Indian band, who still hold traditional lands on the Tsawwassen Indian Reserve as well as the Hwlitsum First Nation, at the mouth of the Fraser River.
Delta comprises three distinct, geographically separate communities:
| Climate data for Delta | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 15 (59) |
18 (64) |
17 (63) |
27 (81) |
33 (91) |
30 (86) |
32.5 (90.5) |
32.2 (90.0) |
30.5 (86.9) |
24.5 (76.1) |
18 (64) |
15 (59) |
33 (91) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 5.8 (42.4) |
7.9 (46.2) |
10.5 (50.9) |
13.5 (56.3) |
17.2 (63.0) |
19.9 (67.8) |
22.5 (72.5) |
22.4 (72.3) |
19 (66) |
13.8 (56.8) |
8.7 (47.7) |
6 (43) |
13.9 (57.0) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −0.3 (31.5) |
1 (34) |
2.6 (36.7) |
4.2 (39.6) |
7.2 (45.0) |
9.9 (49.8) |
11.4 (52.5) |
11.4 (52.5) |
8.6 (47.5) |
5 (41) |
2 (36) |
0.2 (32.4) |
5.3 (41.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −15 (5) |
−13 (9) |
−7.2 (19.0) |
−3 (27) |
1.1 (34.0) |
0.6 (33.1) |
5 (41) |
2.8 (37.0) |
−2 (28) |
−8 (18) |
−15 (5) |
−16.1 (3.0) |
−16.1 (3.0) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 114.9 (4.524) |
110.4 (4.346) |
92.8 (3.654) |
69.5 (2.736) |
56.8 (2.236) |
45.4 (1.787) |
34.4 (1.354) |
32.7 (1.287) |
57 (2.24) |
93.3 (3.673) |
157.3 (6.193) |
143.5 (5.65) |
1,008.1 (39.689) |
| Source: Environment Canada[1] | |||||||||||||
Delta is located 27 kilometres (17 mi) south of Vancouver and 22 kilometres (14 mi) north of the U.S. border at Peace Arch, Surrey. It is bordered by water on three sides: The Fraser River to the north, the Georgia Strait to the west and Boundary Bay to the south.
At 364 square kilometres (141 sq mi), Delta is the largest municipality in the GVRD; the second largest is its neighbour to the east, Surrey, at 317.4 square kilometres (122.5 sq mi).
Delta's flat, fertile land has made it one of the most important agricultural areas in Metro Vancouver. The Agricultural Land Reserve regulations preserve most of this land for agricultural use, preventing its conversion to suburban housing. North Delta is also home to the Burns Bog, 40 square kilometres (10,000 acres) of natural wetlands that are important for wildlife.
Delta is governed by the Delta Municipal Council, led by a Mayor and six Councillors. They are elected for three-year terms, the last elections being held in November 2008. The current mayor is Lois Jackson. Unlike most communities in Canada, but like Vancouver and Richmond, Delta has a system of loosely organized, locally based political parties such as TriDelta, IDEA, One Delta and the Delta Residents Association.
Delta's rural-urban split is reflected in its politics, with urbanized North Delta voting more to the left, while rural western areas of Delta have voted more conservative. For example, in the most recent elections to the British Columbia Legislature, the North Delta seat went to Guy Gentner of the New Democratic Party, however in South Delta the other seat went to independent Vicki Huntington.
Likewise, in the House of Commons of Canada, one of Delta's two MP seats is held by Kerry-Lynne Findlay of the Conservative Party while the other is held by Jinny Sims of the New Democratic Party, both elected in May 2011.
Delta, unlike most Lower Mainland municipalities, has its own police department.
In Delta is the Arnott Substation (ARN), the mainland terminal of the HVDC Vancouver Island circuit.
Delta has many minor sports teams in hockey, baseball, and lacrosse. Over 160 young people play ringette in Delta. The Delta Ringette Association has 13 teams in 2005. Notable professional sports players from Delta are Jeff Francis (MLB), Justin Morneau (MLB), Brent Seabrook (NHL), Troy Brouwer (NHL) and Mitch Berger (NFL). Delta's unique and varying terrain provides a challenging test for many of the world's best cyclists in the Tour de Delta. Since its first event in 2001, the Tour de Delta has grown to be Canada's largest cycling event, held annually in July as part of BC Superweek. More info on this world-class race at www.tourdedelta.com. The Delta Triathlon is also a very popular event, selling out each year in April. The event takes place in Ladner from the Ladner Leisure Centre. Over 500 participants take part, including many from the local South Delta Triathlon Club.
| Club | Sport | League | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Ice Hawks | Ice hockey | PIJHL | Ladner Leisure Centre |
| North Delta Devils | Ice hockey | PIJHL | Sungod Recreation Centre |
| Delta Islanders | Box Lacrosse | BCJALL | Ladner Leisure Centre |
| Richmond | Burnaby, New Westminster, Coquitlam |
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| Strait of Georgia | Surrey | |||
| Delta | ||||
| Point Roberts (Washington, USA) | Boundary Bay, White Rock, Surrey, Blaine (Washington, USA) |
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