Pender Island
Pender Island is really made up of North and South Pender Islands. The two islands were once one but were separated in 1902 by a canal dredged to allow easy access between Bedwell Harbour on South Pender and Port Browning on North Pender Island. They remained separated until 1955, when a single lane bridge was constructed to rejoin the two islands.
South Pender Island is much smaller in size and has a permanent population of only about 150 people. North Pender has a larger population of about 2000 and provides several services, including a library, bank, garage, pharmacy, liquor store as well as marinas, pubs, restaurants, grocery stores, ATMs and an internet cafe.
A car ferry services North Pender Island several times daily from Vancouver Island (Swartz Bay) and twice daily from the mainland (Tsawwassen). A number of float plane services also provide daily access from Vancouver and Seattle. Boaters will find Pender Island very accessible from west coast ports and only minutes from Sidney, British Columbia or the San Juan Islands in the United States. In the summer months, a Canada Customs office is located at Bedwell Harbour on South Pender Island.
