B.C.'s most valuable private islands revealed

file An aerial view of James Island, off of Sidney. PNG

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The B.C. Assessment Authority has released its list of the province’s most valuable properties for 2026.

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Among the list are four privately owned islands.

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Here is some information on those pricey islands:

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The dining room inside a home on James Island owned by U.S. billionaire Craig McCaw. PST

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James Island: $57,096,000

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James Island, in Haro Strait between Saanich and Sidney Island, is owned by a company controlled by Seattle-based telecom billionaire Craig McCaw.

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McCaw bought the Stanley Park-sized island in 1994 for $26 million and has since added houses, an airstrip, yacht moorage and a golf course.

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Ranked as the third most valuable property in B.C. at $57,096,000, it has an estimated $10 million worth of buildings on the site.

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The island was placed on the market in 2012 for $75 million but never sold.

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Between 1910 and the 1970s, James Island was the site of a large explosives plant that supplied vast amounts of TNT during the First World War and the Second World War. At one point 800 people lived in a large village on the top of the island, with the plant in the south.

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In 2018, the 900-member Tsawout First Nation sued the federal and provincial governments for the island, arguing it should have been assigned to them under the terms of the Douglas Treaties of 1852.

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Samuel Island: $19,209,000

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This American-owned island is ranked the 94th most valuable property in B.C.

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The heavily forested site is 190 hectares in size and sits east of Mayne Island, with a narrow but fast-flowing channel between it and Saturna Island.

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The island was purchased by the Washington state-based company Saturna Island Associates Inc. in 2003 for $9.21 million.

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It’s now valued at $19,209,000.

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According to Realtor Li Read, in the 1960s there was a short-lived plan to join Mayne Island and Saturna Island with a bridge via Samuel Island.

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Read says Samuel Island has had several owners including developer A.J.T. Taylor and grocery-store magnate George Weston.

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Forrest Island: $13,700,000

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Ranked the 306th most valuable property in B.C., Forrest Island is located off the coast of Sidney and north of Sidney Island.

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The property was purchased in 2002 for $7.1 million and is now valued at $13.7 million. The island is owned by Forrest Island Ranch Ltd., which has as its sole director James W. Sievers.

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A review on Google earth shows the 21-hectare property has one large home and a large man-made harbour.

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Subtle Islands: $12,439,000

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Subtle Islands is owned by a company controlled by AbCellera CFO Andrew Booth. AbCellera is a medical technology company founded at the University of B.C. that rose to prominence during COVID-19 and became publicly listed in December 2020, after which stocks soared.

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The 30-hectare islands were bought for $18.3 million in 2021 and boasts a 13,000-square-foot home that is valued at almost $9 million.

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The Subtle Islands are located in the northern part of the Georgia Strait, west of Cortez Island.

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It’s valued at $12,439,000, making it the 419th most valuable property in the province.

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B.C.’s most valuable private islands revealed

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