Gabriola Island

Gabriola Island Real Estate

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The most "untouched" Gulf Islands are those which aren't directly accessible from mainland BC. Access to "Gabe" is via vehicle ferry from downtown Nanaimo; the crossing takes about 25 minutes and runs throughout the day.

Gabriola Island is a huge space with only about 4000 residents, though this number increases during the tourist season. There are amazing parks on the shores and among the hills of this island. And a great community vibe! Imagine the stereotypical Gulf Island hippies and hillbillies of course, but also a lot of happy retired people with money, riding bikes.

Gabriola Island is about the size of Manhattan (but with 0.3% of the population). Compared to Vancouver, It's warm and dry and has more gardening days per year. It has 77 more frost-free days per year than Toronto! As you can imagine, this means GARDENS and farmers markets and tours of galleries and artisans' studios. There's also golf, boating - several marinas and boat launches, as well as good beaches to launch your smaller craft.

Land development policies on Gabriola are more rural, of course. You can't usually build multiple dwelling spaces on a single lot under 2.0 hectares (4.94 acres). Similarly, 2 hectares is usually the smallest that a new lot (created by subdivision) may be. There are many residential lots on the island which are less than one acre, but those were likely created through density transfers and are grandfathered.

The 2023-2024 "Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act" (foreign buyers ban) does NOT apply to Gabriola, which means that non-Canadians ARE allowed to purchase real estate on Gabriola Island.

Yes, there is good internet service here!