Town of Sidney Capital Regional District, British Columbia
Town - A populated place with legally defined boundaries, incorporated as a town municipality under the provincial Municipal Act. NE end of Saanich Peninsula, N of Victoria, North Saanich Land District
Mapped Location
Town of Sidney: The mapped location is an approximation and should not be used for navigation or wayfinding.
Information
General information on Town of Sidney
- Feature Type: Incorporated
Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for Town of Sidney
A brief list of names that this geographic feature has been named
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Town of Sidney | Official |
Origin Notes and History of Town of Sidney
References to Town of Sidney that document the origin of its place name
Sidney (Town) adopted in the 13th Report of the Geographic Board of Canada, 30 June 1914, as labelled on BC map 2A, 1913. Incorporated as a Village Municipality 30 September 1952. Re-incorporated as a Town Municipality 1 January 1967; confirmed in 1977 Cumulative Supplement to the BC Gazetteer.
Sidney Post Office was opened 1 June 1892, named in association with nearby Sidney Island, in turn named 1859 by Captain Richards. See also the municipality's own website.
There was a village here, called SET,TINES meaning 'chest sticking out'. (writing system developed by Dave Elliot Sr., Saanich Native Studies Program, 1983).
The W̱SÁNEĆ People have lived on the Saanich Peninsula for thousands of years. Prior to European contact, they maintained winter villages throughout the Region. The language of the W̱SÁNEĆ People is SENĆOŦEN, and the site which the Town of Sidney now sits on is called "SET,TINES", which means "chest sticking out," in reference to the way the land juts out into the water. The area was used for launching boats to travel to the Gulf Islands. The W̱SÁNEĆ People are saltwater people, meaning the sea is very important to their way of life. (Information from Sidney website, for additional information see: http://www.sidney.ca/About_Sidney/History_of_Sidney___SET_TINES.htm)
....Apparently the Sidney [Richards'] had in mind was Frederick W. Sidney, who entered the Royal Navy only a few months after Richards and like him joined the surveying branch. Hydrographer of the Admiralty, 1864-74. The Saanich Indians knew the site of Sidney as "Tseteenus' meaning 'sticking out'.
Related Catalog Titles
A Bibliography for Town of Sidney, Capital Regional District, British Columbia
The story of Sidney by Peter Grant
Authored by Peter Grant, The Story of Sidney chronicles the evolution of the coastal town on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, from its early Indigenous presence and 19th-century agricultural settlement into a vibrant modern community. The book details the establishment of local farms, the arrival of the railway, and the maritime connections that bridged the Saanich Peninsula to the broader Salish Sea region. Drawing on local archives, historical photographs, and personal accounts, the text highlights the community's persistent drive to balance commercial growth with small-town coastal character. A keen insight drawn from the work is how transportation revolutions dictate the very heartbeat of coastal towns; just as the transition from neighborhood steamships to the Swartz Bay ferry terminal radically reshaped Sidney's economic destiny, it proved that the survival of an island-adjacent community depends entirely on how successfully it manages its role as a regional gateway.
96 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm
CIRC [ 1 ]
The Victoria and Sidney railway, 1892-1919 by Darryl E. Muralt, British Columbia Railway Historical Association, British Columbia Heritage Trust
Wonderfully written history of the ever-troubled Victoria and Sidney Railway in British Columbia. Packed with black and white photos, the book brings the railway and the people who ran it (and the long-suffering passegers) to life while providing a fascinating look at life in rural Canada at the turn of the century. With maps, equipment rosters, chronology and numerous appendices that flesh out the history of the Saanich Peninsula. 236 pages.
236 pages : illustrations, maps, portraits ; 28 cm
CIRC [ 1 ]
Related Online Resources
Town of Sidney, British Columbia
The site where the Town of Sidney sits is called “SET,TINES” by the W̱SÁNEĆ, which means “chest sticking out,” in reference to the way the land juts out into the water. Bazan Bay, which lies near the southern border of Sidney and North Saanich long served as a gathering site for camas and urchins, and also a site for greeting visitors from neighbouring tribes. From this site, First Nations people launched their canoes to travel to the surrounding islands. Tsehum Habour at the northern end of Sidney was a historic village called W̱SI,I,KEM.
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Capital Regional District
- Albert Head
- Ardmore
- Bear Mountain
- Beaver Lake
- Beaver Point
- Bedwell Harbour
- Belmont Park
- Braemar Heights
- Brentwood Bay
- Cadboro Bay
- District of Central Saanich
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- City of Colwood
- Cordova Bay
- Deep Cove
- East Sooke
- Township of Esquimalt
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- Fulford Harbour
- Galiano
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- Glen Lake
- Goldstream
- Gordon Head
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- District of Highlands
- Hope Bay
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- Keating
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- District of Metchosin
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- District of North Saanich
- District of Oak Bay
- Otter Bay
- Pender Island
- Port Renfrew
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- Prospect Lake
- River Jordan
- Royal Oak
- District of Saanich
- Saanichton
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- Shirley
- Town of Sidney
- District of Sooke
- Strawberry Vale
- Sturdies Bay
- Swartz Bay
- Tillicum
- Vesuvius
- City of Victoria
- Town of View Royal
- Village Bay
Political Boundaries
Last updated: 2025-09-23