GOOD VIBES IN COMOX VALLEY
Charming B.C. region beckons
There are great vibes and “good hearts” beating in the small towns that make up British Columbia’s Comox Valley.
“You will find a town that fits your personality,” says Heather Mceachen, trade and media specialist with Vancouver Island Tourism, whether that is in Comox, Courtenay or Cumberland.
“All three have such positive vibes.”
The three communities (Courtenay is a city, Comox a town and Cumberland a village) that make up this valley on the east coast of Vancouver Island have everything a tourist or vacation homebuyer could want. There are beautiful beaches and local cuisine — and craft breweries — attractive to any foodie, including spectacular seafood and its own 10-day B.C. Seafood Festival. There is easy, direct access from Alberta to the airport in Comox (a historic naval and steamer port town). The area offers top-notch mountain biking and a recent massive investment in the Mount Washington ski resort aims at making it a winter and summer destination.
And then there is the nearby gem of Hornby Island, known locally as “little Hawaii” with its stretches of white sand beaches, that’s also part of the Comox Valley experience. It has fewer than 1,000 permanent residents, but in summer the 30-square-kilometre island (half of which is parkland) swells with hikers, mountain bikers and those looking for marine activities.
“There’s just a different mix of things in each place,” says Mceachen.
When you jet in, you are immediately struck by the blue ocean, the protected water ... It still has that wilderness.
And with the addition of new non-stop flights from Air Canada (in addition to those by Westjet) from Edmonton and Calgary, the valley continues to see increased tourism from Alberta — the second-biggest tourist draw after other British Columbians.
While other parts of the island — including Victoria, Nanaimo and Lantzville — have been hit by the annual 0.5 per cent speculation tax on vacation home values held by people who are not full-time B.C. residents, the Comox Valley is exempt.
Kevin Reid, a realtor in Comox and president-elect of the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board, says the attraction for people from all over Canada to the Comox Valley is the “wild frontier” lure of the pristine Vancouver Island location.
“When you jet in, you are immediately struck by the blue ocean, the protected water, the beautiful green emerald island…. It still has that wilderness while having an international airport, a great hospital and care facilities, and all the other amenities.”
The number of Alberta purchasers grew exponentially when Westjet started direct flights to Comox more than a decade ago. In the years 2007-08, 12 per cent of purchasers were from the Calgary or Edmonton areas. Those purchasers, then and now, says Reid, are looking to escape harsh winters by either retiring to the area, or are investors seeking a property foothold, with the view to moving later.
Reid says prices have increased in the area over the last three years, but are now plateauing with an average benchmark price (sale price predicted for a specified area for a general property, based on housing price index) of $518,400. Last year, despite its economic downturn, 9.2 per cent of Comox valley purchasers were from Alberta.