About James Bay
History
The geographical area known as James Bay was, in the mid 1800s, more of a peninsula than it is today.
The bay of water, now called the inner harbour, was a tidal inlet which extended to today’s Blanshard St. and had a side bay, Major Bay, which covered today’s Fisherman’s Park, with open creeks running into it from the East and Southwest. The land was the home to the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations, in particular the Swengwhung family of the Lekwungen-speaking people.
Sir James Douglas, after whom the bay and later the peninsula were named, was a key figure in the founding of Victoria and the creation of British Columbia. Douglas chose the site for Fort Victoria in 1842, supervised its construction in 1843, and moved to the fort as chief factor of the Hudson Bay Company. The fertile flat lands of James Bay became farms.
By 1859, after the first Legislative Building was built and a wooden piling bridge to span the bay was completed, the elite of Victoria built residential properties in the south and east of James Bay. The west side of James Bay became an industrial and shipping hub with working class cottages being built during the following decades.
Rapid growth of Greater Victoria brought redevelopment to James Bay during the 1950s and 1960s. Much of the historical housing stock was demolished to make way for apartments. By the mid-70s, there was a strong reaction to the rapid changes which threatened historical Victoria.
Thanks to federal funding that was available at the time, the 1970s was a very active time in James Bay. Surveys were done to determine local needs, which were determined to be a seniors’ social and recreation centre, community school centre and health and family services. Additional federal and provincial funding was requested to build the James Bay New Horizons Centre, the James Bay Community Project (operated by the James Bay Health and Community Services Society) and the James Bay Community School. These James Bay institutions continue to serve the community today.
James Bay Today
James Bay has the clearest physical definition of any neighbourhood in Victoria. Rather than having residential neighbourhoods which share our boundaries, we have government buildings and hotels to the north, water and the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) foreshore lands to the north, south and west, and Beacon Hill to the east. This isolation presents unique challenges to our James Bay community.
James Bay is home to the Legislative Precinct, an area that encompasses the BC Legislature Building and Provincial Government offices. The community is also home to the Ogden Point cruise ship terminal, a large Canada Coast Guard facility, Department of National Defence Malahat building, and Transport Canada Harbour Master office for Victoria Harbour.
James Bay is the most populous neighbourhood in Victoria with 15% of the city’s population. We have the largest group of 65+ residents in Victoria. Approximately 70% of residents rent their homes.
The Five Corners area has been the centre of James Bay. With the development of Capital Park the Menzies corridor, from Belleville through to the Five Corners, has become the heart of James Bay. This corridor links key public facilities, namely the inner harbour, the Legislative precinct, James Bay New Horizons as well as Five Corners. A few blocks to the west of Five Corners on Oswego Street is the James Bay Community School & Centre.
Nearby is the James Bay Community Project and South Park School. The community also has substantial publicly subsidized housing.
These public amenities deliver education, health and other social services programs. Other public facilities include a second elementary school and substantial publicly subsidized housing.
Residents within James Bay favour walking and cycling within James Bay. However, the community also serves as a major transit corridor for the greater Victoria area for ferries, cruise ships, helicopters, the Canadian Coast Guard, fishing boats, pleasure crafts and tourist vehicles such as horse-drawn carriages and pedicabs.
James Bay serves as an “image” of Victoria which promotes tourism. The old streets of James Bay and the remaining vintage housing stock serve as character components which emphasize the Victorian charm of the city. Fisherman’s Wharf and the Dallas Road walkway add to the ambiance of our delightful city.
Challenges
We have challenges facing our neighbourhood.
Our growing population has limited access to existing facilities. Programs are targeted to select demographic groups and this, combined with time constraints, results in some groups being unable to access many of the programs on offer.
There is no one central building, park or village square gathering place for residents.
Our infrastructure is aging. Our built heritage is disappearing. Our original housing stock which forms the basis of our community’s heritage character’ is being demolished.
Opportunities
Let us dare to dream!
Imagine a James Bay corridor stretching along Menzies from Belleville south to Simcoe.
Imagine the public land along Menzies re-energized with new mixed housing/retail complexes, a library and a community recreation and cultural centre with space for public gatherings. Included would be a permanent home in the summer months for the James Bay Community Market.
Then, we might realize the vision articulated in the Neighbourhood Plan workshops:
