Introduction
Northwest Region
Peace River-Liard Region
South-Central Region

Introduction

UNBC serves the northern two-thirds of British Columbia. This area is divided into three regions: the South-Central, the Peace River-Liard, and the Northwest. The university presently has four main campuses: Prince George, Terrace, Quesnel, and Fort St. John. Teaching centres are also found in Prince Rupert, the Nass Valley, Williams Lake, Dawson Creek, Chetwynd, Fort Nelson, and Tumbler Ridge, among others. Check the course offerings page for a complete list of locations. Prospective students should contact the nearest regional campus for information on how they may access our courses in their community.

Northwest Region

UNBC's Northwest Campus is located in Terrace. UNBC also maintains a presence at the Prince Rupert campus of Northwest Community College.

The Northwest Region for UNBC is the area served by Northwest Community College. From Houston to Haida Gwaii, the communities of the Northwest are eager to work with UNBC.

The Northwest Region has been the homeland since time immemorial of the Northwest Coast First Nations: the Wet'suwet'en, Gitksan, Haisla, Nisga'a, Tsimshian and Haida. These nations still comprise over 25% of the population of the region and their communities are growing. There are now over seventy thousand people living in several dozen communities in the region: (roughly from east to west) Houston, Telkwa, Smithers, Moricetown, the Hazeltons (including Gitanmaax), Gitwangak, Gitanyow, Kitsegukla, Stewart, Terrace, Kitamaat Village, Kitimat, Kitselas, Kitsumkalum, Port Edward, Prince Rupert, Metlakatla, Lax Kw'alaams, Hartley Bay, Kitkatla, Sandspit, Queen Charlotte City, Skidegate, Tlell, Port Clements, Masset and Old Masset. The four communities of the Nass Valley (Gingolx [Kincolith], Lakalzap [Greenville], Gitwinksihlkw [Canyon City], and Gitlakdamiks [New Aiyansh]) on the northernmost coast are served by the Wilp Wilxo'oskwhl Nisga'a, which has a partnership with UNBC.

The Northwest is an area of stunning beauty visited by almost half a million tourists each year. The scenery they enjoy here ranges from interior farming valleys to coastal fjords-- interspersed with craggy mountains and lava flows that still resist the incursion of vegetation. The outstanding recreational opportunities offered in the region include hiking, fishing, whale-watching, rock-climbing, skiing and visiting such venues as 'Ksan and Pike Island, which feature the rich heritage of the First Nations of the Northwest.

The Northwest Region is prime habitat for wildlife. A few species, such as the Kermode bear (a non-albino white variety of black bear), are unique to the area. Some of the more common wildlife species include moose, black bear, grizzly bear, wolves, lynx, elk, deer, dall sheep, mountain goat, beaver, muskrats, ducks, swans, geese and many other species of birds such as owls, ravens and eagles. The rivers of the region are among the most productive salmon streams in the world, and the coastal waters yield halibut, cod, crab, octopus and shellfish from the intertidal zones.

The climate of Haida Gwaii and the North Coast is tempered by the ocean, but on the landward side of the Coast Mountains the weather is characteristically continental, with cold winters and warm summers. This region abuts the Alaska Panhandle, and in summer the daylight lasts from 4:00 a.m. until after 11:00 p.m.

The economy of the Northwest has developed into a complex system over the past century though it still relies on resource extraction, freighting, government services, and retail trade and service delivery. In the decades since World War II the Northwest has experienced both boom and bust. A sustainable economic future is the goal of all the communities in the region. The increase in available local capital that will follow the settlement of the long-standing First Nations land rights cases may be an important economic stimulus for the entire region.

Northwest Region - Community Profiles

Peace River - Liard Region

UNBC's Peace River-Liard Campus is located at the Fort St. John partnership campus of Northern Lights College.

Located at the edge of the Great Northern Plain, the Peace River-Liard Region is vast. It includes all of Northeastern British Columbia, which constitutes approximately one-fifth of the total landmass of the province (46,000 square miles or 12 million hectares). This is equivalent to the size of Great Britain.

The topography varies immensely in this region from the Rocky Mountains in the West to the Interior Plains in the Eastern sections. More specifically, the terrain changes from a prairie environment of the Peace River country to the boreal forests of Fort Nelson and the mountain valleys of Iskut and Atlin.

In short, this is a country of big skies, expansive horizons, wild valleys, mountains, muskeg and rivers. Some of the better-known rivers of this region include the Peace, Beatton, Fort Nelson, Pine, Moberly, Sikanni, Halfway, Prophet, Ominica, Muskwa and the Fontas.

The Peace River-Liard Region hosts an immense variety of wildlife and is home to the largest and most diverse ungulate population in North America. Some of the more common wildlife species include moose, black bear, grizzly bear, wolves, caribou, elk, mule and white tail deer, stone sheep, mountain goats, beavers, muskrats, ducks, swans, geese and many other species of birds such as owls, eagles and other raptors. The incredible abundance of wildlife in this area has led some naturalists to describe it as the "Serengeti of the North". The fish population is also quite diverse and includes rainbow trout, lake char, dolly varden, arctic grayling, whitefish, burbot, northern pike and perch. This region does not have a salmon population, which distinguishes it from every other part of British Columbia. The size and diversity of Northeastern BC's wildlife and fish population is matched only by the numbers and dimensions of its mosquitoes and blackflies. The climate of this region is continental, being characterized by beautiful and hot summers where the sun rises at 4:00 am and sets by 11:00 pm, and by winter where temperatures can drop below -50 degrees Celsius. While the winters can be long, the region is usually blessed with blue skies and sunny days even though the temperatures may be quite low.

South-Central Region

UNBC's South-Central Regional Office is located at the Quesnel partnership campus with the College of New Caledonia. We also work in cooperation with the regional campus of the University College of the Cariboo in Williams Lake.

Our South-Central Campus in Quesnel serves an area that stretches from 100 Mile House to Valemount to Burns Lake. Full degree programs available in Quesnel include a Bachelor of Social Work, a Bachelor of Arts (General and English and History majors) and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a collaboration with the College of New Caledonia. Special courses have included Local History in Barkerville and Creative Writing in Wells and Quesnel, and cohort-based graduate degree programs such as the Master of Education. In future we expect to offer locally the Master of Social Work and the Master of Science in Community Health.

In Williams Lake the Weekend University is delivered in partnership with the Cariboo Tribal Council and the University College of the Cariboo. It offers university-level courses, certificates, associate of arts degrees and Bachelor's degrees through coursework on alternate weekends to mature students throughout the Cariboo and Chilcotin. Open to anyone, these courses appeal particularly to working First Nations who wish to remain in the their communities while still participating in post-secondary education.

The South Central Region - Community Profiles