British Columbia British Columbia British Columbia (BC; ) is the westernmost province of Canada, located between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. With an estimated population of 4.817 million , it is Canada's third-most populous province. The first British settlement in the area was Fort Victoria, established in 1843, which gave rise to the City of Victoria, at first the capital of the separate Colony of Vancouver Island. Subsequently, on the mainland, the Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866) was founded by Richard Clement Moody and the Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment, in response to the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush. Moody was Chief
Premier of British Columbia Premier of British Columbia The premier of British Columbia is the first minister, head of government, and "de facto" chief executive for the Canadian province of British Columbia. Until the early 1970s the title "prime minister of British Columbia" was often used. The word "premier" is derived from the French word of the same spelling, meaning "first"; and ultimately from the Latin word "primarius", meaning "primary". Although the premier is the day-to-day leader of the provincial government, they receive the authority to govern from the Crown (represented in British Columbia by the province's lieutenant governor). Formally, in fact, the executive