Editing Victoria, British Columbia (section)

===Modern history (1871–present)===
[[File:Personnel of the Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve outside the British Columbia Legislature.jpg|thumb|left|[[Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve]] members stand outside the [[British Columbia Parliament Buildings]] in 1914.]]
[[File:Bird’s-eye view of Victoria, British Columbia, 1889 - Vue à vol d’oiseau de Victoria (Colombie-Britannique), 1889 (38868364955).jpg|thumb|left|Bird's-eye view of Victoria in 1889. After the completion of the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] in 1886, Victoria lost its position as the commercial centre of the province to [[Vancouver]].]]
In the latter half of the 19th century, the Port of Victoria became one of North America's largest importers of [[opium]], serving the opium trade from Hong Kong and distribution into North America. Opium trade was legal and unregulated until 1865, when the legislature issued licences and levied duties on its import and sale. The opium trade was banned in 1908.<ref>{{cite news |title=House Passes Anti-opium Bill |url=https://archive.org/stream/dailycolonist19080714uvic/19080714 |access-date=19 May 2019 |publisher=Daily Colonist |date=14 July 1908}}</ref>

In 1886, with the completion of the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] terminus on [[Burrard Inlet]], Victoria's position as the commercial centre of British Columbia was irrevocably lost to the city of [[Vancouver]]. The city subsequently began cultivating an image of genteel civility within its natural setting, aided by the impressions of visitors such as [[Rudyard Kipling]], the opening of the popular [[Butchart Gardens]] in 1904 and the construction of the [[The Empress (hotel)|Empress Hotel]] by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1908. [[Robert Dunsmuir]], a leading industrialist whose interests included coal mines and a railway on Vancouver Island, constructed [[Craigdarroch Castle]] in the [[Rockland, Greater Victoria|Rockland]] area, near the [[Government House (British Columbia)|official residence]] of the [[Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia|province's Lieutenant Governor]]. His son, [[James Dunsmuir]], became [[Premier of British Columbia|Premier]] and subsequently Lieutenant Governor of the province and built his own grand residence at [[Hatley Park]] (used for several decades as [[Royal Roads Military College]], now civilian [[Royal Roads University]]) in the present City of [[Colwood, British Columbia|Colwood]].{{fact|date=October 2024}}

A real-estate and development boom ended just before [[World War I]], leaving Victoria with a large stock of [[Edwardian architecture|Edwardian]] public, commercial and residential buildings that have greatly contributed to the city's character. With the economic crash and an abundance of unmarried men, Victoria became an excellent location for military recruiting. Two militia infantry battalions, the [[88th Victoria Fusiliers]] and the 50th Gordon Highlanders, formed in the immediate pre-war period. Victoria was the home of [[Sir Arthur Currie]]. He had been a high-school teacher and real-estate agent prior to the war and was the Commanding Officer of the Gordon Highlanders in the summer of 1914. Before the end of the war he commanded the Canadian Corps.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.acitygoestowar.ca|title= Home|work= acitygoestowar.ca|access-date= 20 August 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181220162929/http://acitygoestowar.ca/|archive-date= 20 December 2018|url-status= dead}}</ref> A number of municipalities surrounding Victoria were incorporated during this period, including the Township of Esquimalt, the District of Oak Bay, and several municipalities on the [[Saanich Peninsula]].<ref>{{cite web|publisher = University of Victoria|url = http://www.acitygoestowar.ca|title = Home|access-date = 20 August 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181220162929/http://acitygoestowar.ca/|archive-date = 20 December 2018|url-status = dead}}</ref>

Water in Greater Victoria had a reputation for excellent purity, and for several decades in the 20th century there was effective resistance to [[water chlorination|chlorination]]. However, drinking water has been chlorinated since March 1944.<ref>https://www.newspapers.com/image/506169130/?terms=chlorination&match=1 Victoria Daily Times, 5 May 1944, page 1</ref>

Since [[World War II]] the Victoria area has seen relatively steady growth, becoming home to two major universities. Since the 1980s the western suburbs have been incorporated as new municipalities, such as Colwood and [[Langford, British Columbia|Langford]], which are known collectively as the [[Western Communities]].

[[Greater Victoria]] periodically experiences calls for the [[amalgamation (politics)|amalgamation]] of the thirteen [[municipal government]]s within the [[Capital Regional District]].<ref name="Hansard">{{cite web |title=Hansard – Tuesday, February 19, 1974 – Afternoon Sitting. |url=http://www.leg.bc.ca/hansard/30th4th/30p_04s_740219p.htm#00305 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070513182634/http://www.leg.bc.ca/hansard/30th4th/30p_04s_740219p.htm#00305 |archive-date=13 May 2007 |access-date=2008-01-11 |publisher=Queen's Printer |location=Victoria, B.C., Canada}}</ref> The opponents of amalgamation state that separate governance affords residents a greater deal of local autonomy.<ref>{{cite web |last=Cleverley |first=Bill |date=30 March 2016 |title=Amalgamation costs 'a lot more' than most expect: Think-tank |url=https://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/amalgamation-costs-a-lot-more-than-most-expect-think-tank-1.2219825 |website=[[Times Colonist]]}}</ref> The proponents of amalgamation argue it would reduce duplication of services,<ref>{{cite web |last=Knox |first=Jack |date=16 November 2014 |title=So Greater Victoria is in favour of amalgamation – kinda |url=http://www.amalgamationyes.ca/so-greater-victoria-is-in-favour-of-amalgamation---kinda.html |access-date=3 January 2020 |archive-date=3 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103025651/http://www.amalgamationyes.ca/so-greater-victoria-is-in-favour-of-amalgamation---kinda.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> while allowing for more efficient use of resources and the ability to better handle broad, regional issues and long-term planning.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kushner |first1=Joseph |last2=Siegel |first2=David |title=Effect of Municipal Amalgamations in Ontario on Political Representation and Accessibility. |journal=Canadian Journal of Political Science |date=December 2003 |volume=36 |issue=5 |pages=1035–1051 |doi=10.1017/S0008423903778950 |s2cid=154273644 }}</ref>