Patricia Bay facts for kids
Patricia Bay is a beautiful bay of salty ocean water located on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. Locals often call it "Pat Bay." It stretches east from Saanich Inlet and forms part of the coastline of North Saanich, British Columbia. The bay is just west of the Victoria International Airport.
Most of Patricia Bay's eastern shore is covered by a public park. However, the southern end is busy with important facilities. These include a base for the Canadian Coast Guard, a port for seaplanes called Victoria Airport Water Aerodrome, and two Canadian government science centers. These centers are the Institute of Ocean Sciences, where scientists study the ocean, and the GSC Pacific Sidney, which focuses on Earth sciences.
History of Patricia Bay
Patricia Bay received its name in honor of Princess Patricia of Connaught. She was the daughter of the Duke of Connaught, who served as the Governor General of Canada. A Governor General is the King or Queen's representative in Canada. Princess Patricia helped start the building of the Connaught Wing of the Parliament Buildings on September 28, 1912. This part of the building is now home to the Legislative Library.
In the early 1900s, a train track ran between Sidney and Victoria. The Canadian National Railway operated this track. However, the railway stopped using this section in 1931, and the tracks were later moved further south.
