Port Clements Explained

Port Clements
Official Name:Village of Port Clements[1]
Settlement Type:Village
Pushpin Map:Canada British Columbia#Canada
Pushpin Label Position:none
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Port Clements in British Columbia
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Canada
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:British Columbia
Subdivision Type2:Region
Subdivision Name2:Haida Gwaii
Subdivision Type3:Regional district
Subdivision Name3:Skeena-Queen Charlotte
Leader Title:Governing body
Leader Name:Port Clements Village Council
Leader Title1:Mayor
Leader Name1:Doug Daugert
Established Title:Founded
Established Date:1907
Established Title2:Incorporated
Established Date2:1975
Area Total Km2:13.59
Population As Of:2021
Population Footnotes:[2]
Population Total:340
Population Density Km2:26
Timezone:PST
Utc Offset:−08:00
Coordinates:53.6878°N -132.1689°W
Elevation M:5
Blank Name:Highways
Blank1 Name:Waterways
Blank1 Info:Masset Inlet
Website:Port Clements

Port Clements is an incorporated village situated at the east end of Masset Inlet in Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands) off the coast of the Province of British Columbia in Canada. Known as Gamadiis[3] in HlG̱aagilda X̱aayda kil, it is one of seven village sites that flourished in the rich waters at the mouth of Yakoun River, where an estuary shelters nine Pacific salmonid species and many kinds of birds.[4] Founded by Eli Tingley in 1907, it was once known under the name Queenstown, but renamed to Port Clements in 1914 after Herb S. Clements, the local MP at the time[5] (for Comox—Atlin, then 1917-1921 for Comox—Alberni), when the name "Queenstown" duplicated and therefore became unusable for the post office.

The highway leading to Port Clements from Tlell and from Port Clements to Masset was paved in 1969 and soon after completion the village became incorporated in 1975. The road to Tlell is called the straight stretch, as it is straight. The other main road that heads west to Juskatla Camp and back south to Queen Charlotte City is still gravel and mainly a logging road only open to public traffic after working hours.

Port Clements was and still is to a lesser extent the centre of the remaining logging on northern Graham Island. In this community 29.2% of the labour force works in the forest industry.[6] Most of the processing takes place in Juskatla Camp.

Past tourist attractions were Kiidk'yaas (The Golden Spruce) which was illegally felled by Grant Hadwin in 1997, and the White Raven, which has died.

Today, Port Clements and the nearby mouth of the Yakoun River attract visitors intending to fish for steelheads, chinook and other salmon or to go kayaking.[7] There are a few camp and picnic sites as well as hiking trails in and around Port Clements, which also has one gas station, one grocery store, a public library, a Canada Post office, a bar, a museum, a hostel, a grade school, a church and a wharf. Businesses include mechanics, small farmers and forestry contractors.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Port Clements had a population of 340 living in 181 of its 205 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 282. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2021.[8]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: British Columbia Regional Districts, Municipalities, Corporate Name, Date of Incorporation and Postal Address. British Columbia Ministry of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development. XLS. November 2, 2014. July 13, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140713004716/http://www.cscd.gov.bc.ca/lgd/infra/library/Name%20Incorp%202011.xls. dead.
  2. Web site: 2021 Census of Population geographic summary. 9 February 2022 . February 9, 2024.
  3. Book: Elders of Skidegate. Hlg̱aagilda X̱aayda Kil K'aalang. 1 July 2016. Skidegate Haida Immersion Program. Skidegate, Haida Gwaii. 978-0-9940525-6-8. 630. 1.
  4. Web site: Council of the Haida Nation. Yaaguun Gandlaay Management Plan. haidanation.ca. Haida Nation, British Columbia, BC Parks. 15 Aug 2018.
  5. Web site: The Village of Port Clements - History . 2020-05-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070205055125/http://www.portclements.com/ . 2007-02-05 . dead .
  6. http://www.bcstats.gov.bc.ca/DATA/DD/facsheet/CF282.pdf BC Stats community facts - Port Clements
  7. http://www.britishcolumbia.com/regions/towns/?townID=3886 BritishColumbia.com - Regions & Towns - Port Clements
  8. Web site: Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), British Columbia . . February 9, 2022 . February 20, 2022.