One of BC’s Oldest Municipalities Gets Its Own Mailing Address

A mail box is seen outside a Canada Post office in Halifax on July 6, 2016. The Canadian Press/Darren Calabrese

Residents in B.C.’s fifth oldest municipality will soon be recognized by Canada Post with a unique mailing address.

In 1873, the Municipality of North Cowichan became the fifth to be incorporated in the province, but the city of Duncan became its own recognized municipality directly to the south in 1912. Mail through Canada Post has since been labeled with Duncan as its address.

That is set to change on March 17, according to North Cowichan officials.

The municipality says addresses within its jurisdiction that were previously labelled as Duncan will now be recognized as North Cowichan.

The municipality said it had been trying for some time to have its municipality recognized in the postal service, but that Canada Post just recently approved the request.

“This change is an important step in strengthening North Cowichan’s identity and ensuring our community is recognized appropriately,” Mayor Rob Douglas said.

“For many years, residents and businesses – as well as many past Councils -- have expressed a desire to have their mailing address reflect where they truly live, and we’re pleased that Canada Post has now made this possible.”

Douglas encouraged North Cowichan residents to be patient as the change occurs.

The change is expected to clear up confusion among residents and businesses, according to the municipality, particularly for those who have not been clear what municipality they live in, it said.

It’s a move that is also expected to eliminate problems with service requests, voting in local elections, business licensing, and public engagement on municipal issues, the municipality said.

The address change will only apply to those addresses that currently use Duncan as their mailing address, according to the municipality.

North Cowichan addresses that have been using Crofton or Chemainus will not be affected and do not need to change their addresses. Residents of those areas will still use those community names as their mailing address.

The municipality said that residents and businesses in the area do not need to do anything for the change to take effect. However, it advised they may want to update their addresses if needed.

The municipality said the initiative stems from its 150th anniversary that was celebrated in 2023.

The municipality of North Cowichan was the fifth to be incorporated in the province, on June 18, 1873. It followed the City of New Westminster (1860), the City of Victoria (1862), and the City of Chilliwack and the Township of Langley, both of which were incorporated on April 26, 1873.

North Cowichan extends across 195 square kilometres, including about 30 kilometres of oceanfront land running along the east side of Vancouver Island.

The total population in the municipality was 31,990 in 2021.