Huge province has lots of wilderness

Mother Nature has befriended British Columbia and vice-versa.

Mika Ryan of Destination British Columbia told delegates to Rendez-vous Canada 2023 that her province is “just really big,” size-wise being the equal of France, Germany and Holland combined.

And she told her late May Quebec City audience visitors will find no shortage of wilderness.

“There are a lot of beautiful, wild places in our province,” she said “Nature impacts how we work and how we play.”

Nature can have a “healing effect,” helping to reduce stress, Ryan added.

Fourteen percent of B.C. is protected from development, more than any other province, she continued.

Among specific natural attributes is the Great Bear Rainforest, which Ryan labelled the “largest intact coastal rainforest in the world.”

B.C. has bear-viewing tours that begin in the spring and continue into the fall, with the province home to black, grizzly and spirit bears, the latter known for their white colouring and which are only found in the province.

Birdwatching enthusiasts can opt for Brackendale, found northeast of Vancouver and known for the “hundreds and hundreds of bald eagles” that gather there.

Ryan noted that “storm-watching” is available at times by some ocean-fronting Vancouver Island lodges.

Ryan added that Jacques Cousteau said B.C. had the best cold-water diving in the world.

She said those who live in B.C. urban areas are cognizant of nature, with Vancouver hoping “to become the greenest city in the world.”

Ryan added that B.C. has a large number of Indigenous communities and there are now 2 Indigenous-owned wineries in the province.

Meanwhile, Ryan said active tourists will enjoy B.C., pointing to the likes of year-round surfing and the province being the “birthplace of heli-skiing.”