About Us

Location and Information about the Centre

The Tribune Bay Outdoor Education Centre , is located on 6 hectares (14 acres) in the incredibly beautiful Tribune Bay Provincial Park, on Hornby Island*. The Centre has a Park Use Permit with the Province of BC, and is a partnership of two school districts; School District 71 (Comox Valley) and School District 69 (Qualicum). The two Districts contribute funds for a portion of the Centre's annual operating budget (11%), the remainder of the budget comes from user fees (50%), grants and donations (35%) and other income (4%). The Centre has a non-profit society, the Tribune Bay Outdoor Education Society , that fund raises and operates programs and services for the Centre. Capital funds for the Centre are raised solely through grants and donations.

Hornby Island and specifically Tribune Bay Provincial Park, is an ideal location for an outdoor education facility. Hornby Island has a moderate coastal climate, wide variety of marine and land-based natural history sites and evidence of ancient human social interaction. Tribune Bay Provincial Park has 200 acres of first and second growth forest, open meadow and field areas and a kilometre of sandy beach that slopes gently into Tribune Bay, allowing the tidal waters to warm significantly in the summer.

The Centre's mandate is to offer exceptional outdoor education (experiential and environmental) programs to youth. Almost 3000 young people utilize the Centre annually.

*Hornby Island is located just off the east coast of Vancouver Island. To travel to Hornby Island by car, drivers need to take a 10 minute ferry from Buckley Bay on Vancouver Island (1 hour north of Nanaimo-15 minutes south of Courtenay) to Denman Island, drive across Denman Island (10 km.) and then take a second ferry to Hornby Island. The Centre is 10 km. from the Hornby Island ferry landing (The Centre is at the second right entrance after turning left at the 4-way stop).