British Columbia Online Historical Newspapers Summary

British Columbia is one of the Canadian provinces that does have a single central online repository for searching historical newspapers. . Also, there are quite a few free publications available on other sites and there are collections available on subscription sites. Below is a list of where the titles are stored and the link so that you can access them.

So go for it – find your British Columbia ancestors and all the interesting articles that capture the stories of their lives. 

Please note that I have not always entered the dates that are included in the collections, as I suspect they will change as more items are digitized. Also, I suspect that some of these links may change over time – so if there is a dead link – please use your favorite search engine to find their new location. 

(Updated October 2023; recently added links are in BOLD)

Free Sites:

Provincewide Collections:

British Columbia Historical Newspapers

• The Abbotsford Post
• The Advance (Midway)
• Agassiz Record
• Alberni Advocate
• The Aldergrove Star
• The Alice Arm and Anyox Herald
• The Anaconda News
• Armstrong Advance
• Arrow Lake Advocate
• The Atlin Claim
• BC Labor News (Vancouver)
• BC Lumberman (Vancouver)
• BC Trades Unionist (Vancouver)
• Bella Coola Courier
• Bennett Sun
• The Boundary Creek Times
• British Columbia Federationist
• British Columbia News
• British Columbia Record
• British Columbia Retailer
• British Columbia Tribune (Yale)
• Brooklyn News
• Canadian Farmer Labor Advocate and Canadian Labor Advocate
• Canford Radium
• The Cariboo Sentinel (Barkerville)
• Cascade Record
• Cassiar News (Stewart)
• Chase Tribune
• Chilliwack Free Press
• Citizen – New Westminister
• Clanwilliam Hustler
• Coalmont Courier
• Coast Miner (Van Anda)
• The Coast News (Gibsons)
• Columbia Review
• Courtenay Review
• Courtenay Weekly News
• Cranbrook Herald
• The Creston Review
• Crofton Gazette and Cowichan News
• Cumberland Islander
• The Cumberland News
• Daily British Columbian
• Daily Building Record
• The Daily Canadian
• The Daily Ledger (Ladysmith)
• The Daily Telegram
• The Delta News
• The Delta Times
• The Despatch (Morrissey)
• The District Ledger (Fernie)
• Duncan Enterprise
• East Kootenay Miner (Golden)
• Echo (Duncan)
• The Enderby Press and Walker’s Weekly
• Enderby Progress and North Oakanagan Herald
• The Evening Kootenaian
• Evening Telegraph (Victoria)
• Evening World (Rossland)
• The Express (North Vancouver)
• The Fernie Ledger (Fernie)
• Fort George Herald
• Fraser Advance (Chilliwack)
• General Conference Daily Bulletin (Victoria)
• Glenora News
• Golden Era
• Golden Times
• The Grand Forks Miner
• The Grand Forks Sun
• Greater Vancouver Chinook
• The Greenwood Miner
• Hazelton Queek
• The Hedley Gazette
• The Hosmer Times
• Hot Springs News (Ainsworth)
• Hubert Times and Bulkley Valley Advertiser
• The Independent (Vancouver)
• Industrial World (Rossland)
• Kamloops Wawa
• Kelowna Record and The Orchard City Record
• Keremeos Chronicle
• The Kootenay Liberal
• The Kootenay Mail
• Kootenay Star (Revelstoke)
• Labor Star (Vancouver)
• Ladysmith Leader
• Ladysmith Recorder
• Ladysmith Signal
• Ladysmith Standard
• Lardeau Eagle (Ferguson)
• Lardeau Mining Review (Trout Lake)
• Leader Advocate (Vancouver)
• The Ledge (Fernie)
• The Ledge (Greenwood)
• The Ledge (Nakusp)
• The Ledge (Nelson)
• The Ledge (New Denver)
• The Lillooet Advance
• Lowery’s Claim
• Mail Herald (Revelstoke)
• The Marysville Tribune
• The Massett Leader
• Michel Recorder
• The Miner (Nelson)
• The Mining Review (Sandon)
• The Mission City News
• Morning Ledger – New Westminster
• The Morrissey Mention
• The Morrissey Miner
• Mount Pleasant Advocate (Vancouver)
• The Moyie Leader
• The Nanaimo Courier
• The Nanaimo Mail
• Nelson Daily Miner
• Nelson Daily News
• The Nelson Economist
• Nelson Weekly Miner
• New Westminster Daily News
• New Westminster Times
• Nicola Herald
• The Nicola Valley News (Merritt)
• North Coast (Port Simpson)
• The Nugget
• Okanagan Mining Review
• Omineca Herald (Hazelton)
• Omineca Miner (Hazelton)
• Pacific Canadian (New Westminster)
• Paystreak (Sandon)
• The Peninsula Times
• The Penticton Press
• The Phoenix Pioneer
• Port Essington Loyalist
• Port Moody Gazette
• Prince Rupert Journal
• Prince Rupert Optimist
• Progress and Week – Victoria
• Prospector (Cranbrook)
• The Prospector (Fort Steele)
• Prospector (Lillooet)
• Prospector (Rossland)
• Quartz Creek Miner
• Queen Charlotte Islander
• Red Flag (Vancouver)
• Revelstoke Herald
• San Francisco Journal of Commerce B.C. Edition (Victoria)
• Saturday World (Rossland)
• Silverton Silvertonian
• Similkameen Star
• Slocan Drill
• Slocan Mining Review
• Slocan Prospector
• Slocan Record
• The Star (Port Essington)
• The Sun (Port Essington)
• Surrey Gazette
• Surrey Times (Cloverdale)
• The Tribune (Nelson)
• Truth – Donald
• Valley Sentinel – Langley Prairie
• Vancouver Advertiser
• Vancouver Building Record
• The Vancouver Weekly Herald and North Pacific News
• The Wave (Victoria)
• West Forks News (Beaverdell)
• The Western Call (Vancouver)
• Western Clarion (Vancouver)
• Westward Ho!
• Ymir Herald
• Ymir Miner
• Ymir Mirror

Canadiana Online

• Nanaimo, The Daily Herald
• Nelson, Weekly news
• Nelson, The miner
• Nelson, Nelson weekly miner.
• Prince Rupert, Daily news
• Rossland, The Rossland miner
• Rossland, Rossland Weekly Miner
• Sidney, Sidney and islands review and Saanich gazette
• Sidney, Sidney and islands review
• Vancouver, The Independent
• Vancouver, The Canadian farmer-labor advocate.
• Vancouver, The Canadian labor advocate
• Vancouver, The British Columbia Federationist
• Vancouver, Vancouver Weekly world.
• Vancouver, The British Columbia labor news
• Vancouver, Western Socialist
• Vancouver, Labor star
• Vancouver, Western Clarion
• Vancouver, The Vancouver semi-weekly world
• Vancouver, The Daily news-advertiser
• Victoria, Le Courrier de la Nouvelle-Caledonie
• Victoria, The Victoria weekly colonist.
• Victoria, The Weekly colonist.
• Victoria, The Semi-Weekly Colonist.

Google News Archive​

• Ladysmith – Ladysmith-Chemainus Chronicle 
• New Westminster – British Columbian 
• New Westminster – Daily British Columbian 
• New Westminster – Mainland Guardian 
• Port Hardy – North Island Gazette 
• Vancouver – Evening Sun 
• Vancouver – Sun 
• Vancouver – Sunday Sun 
• Vancouver – Vancouver Daily Sun 
• Vancouver – Vancouver Sun 
• Vancouver – Vancouver Sunday Sun 
• Vancouver –  Weekend Express 
• Vancouver – Weekend Sun 
• Victoria – Daily British Colonist 
• Victoria – Daily British Colonist and Victoria Chronicle 
• Victoria – Vancouver Times 
• Victoria – Victoria Daily Standard 
• Victoria – Vancouver Daily Post ​

Prince George Newspapers Project 1909-2009

• CNC Student Newspapers
• Fort George Herald
• Fort George Tribune
• Prince George Citizen
• Prince George Herald
• Prince George Free Press
• Prince George Post
• Prince George Star
• The Leader

Multi-Cultural Canada

• Al-Hilāl
• C. District Union News
• C. Saturday Sunset
• Bavarijas Latviesu Vestnesis
• Berliner Journal
• British Columbia Federationist
• Brivais Latvietis
• Canadan Uutiset
• Canadian India Times
• Canadian Jewish News
• Canadian Jewish Review
• Celtic Connection
• Chinatown News
• Chinese Canadian Community News
• Chinese Express
• Courrier Sud
• Crescent
• El Popular
• Fisherman Publishing Society Newspaper
• Hung Chung She Po
• Jewish Western Bulletin 
• Kanadai Magyar Munkas
• L’ Ami du Peuple
• Latvija Amerika
• Le Courrier d’Essex
• Le Courrier d’Outaouais
• Le Cri de l’ est
• Le Cultivateur
• Le Rempart
• Le Soleil de Colombie
• Liekki
• Meie Elu
• Messenger
• Minchung Sinmun
• Modern Times Weekly
• On the Level
• Ottawa Chinese Community Newsletter
• Shing Wah Daily News
• Tairiku Jiho = The Continental Times
• The Chinese Times
• The Commentator
• The New Canadian
• The Peak
• Vaba Eestlane
• Vapaus
• Vestnik
• Voice of Pakistan
• Zhyttia I Slovo
• Zwiazkowiec

​Squamish History Archives

• Squamish Review
• Squamish Times
• Squamish Advance
• Squamish Chief

Thompson-Nicola Regional District Library (1882–2014)

• Clinton Lariat
• Inland Sentinel
• Kamloops Daily News
• Kamloops Daily Sentinel
• Kamloops News
• Kamloops Sentinel
• Kamloops Standard
• Kamloops Standard-Sentinel
• Kamloops This Week
• Merritt Herald
• Merritt News
• Sun Peaks Independent news

Victoria Newspapers 1858-1936 (Index only, but some search results have links to page image)

• Colonist Daily News 
• Evening Express 
• The (Daily) Press 
• Vancouver Daily Evening Post 
• Victoria Daily Chronicle 
• Victoria Daily Standard 
• Victoria Gazette 
• Victoria Times 
• Victoria Times & Evening Express

Bill Silver Digital Newspaper Archive 1917-2007

• Vanderhoof Herald 1917-1920
• Nechako Chronicle 1920-1983
• Caledonia Courier 1981-1982
• Omineca Express 1982-2007

BCRDH Community Newspapers

• Armstrong Advance
• Armstrong Advertiser
• Fernie Free Press
• Kelowna Courier
• Kootenay Express
• Leaser
• Oliver Chronicle
• Penticton Herald
• Prospector
• Slocan City News
• Slocan Enterprise
• Slocan Herald
• Slocan Pioneer
• Slocan Record
• Slocan Times
• Summerland Review
• Valley Voice
• Vernon News

Student Collections:

British Columbia Institute of Technology – Burnaby

• LINK Magazine

Camosun College

• ​​Nexus

Capilano University – North Vancouver

• Capilano Courier

College of New Caledonia – Prince George

• Confluence
• ​Free Press

Douglas College  New Westminster

• Douglas Pinion
• The Other Press

Kwantlen Polytechnic University – Surrey

• Chronicle
• Runner

Langara College – Vancouver

• The Voice

Simon Fraser University – Burnaby

• The Peak

Thompson Rivers University – Kamloops

• The Omega

Trinity Western University – Langley

• Salmon River Digest
• The Echo
• TWU Today
• Mars’ Hill

University of British Columbia, Okanagan – Kelowna

• The Phoenix

University of British Columbia – Vancouver

• Ubyssey 

University of Northern British Columbia – Prince George

• Over the Edge

University of the Fraser Valley – Abbotsford

• The Cascade

University of Victoria

• The Martlet 

Miscellaneous Collections:

Eleanor Muehle Newspaper Archive

• Daily Herald
• Omineca Herald (1913-1935, 1966-1977, 1983)
• Omineca Herald (1931-1934)
• Omineca Miner
• Terrace Review
• Terrace Standard

For Obituary Indexes, transcriptions, and other death/obituary information from historic newspapers, please check out the Obituaries page.​​

Other Free Sites:

Abbotsford

• The Abbotsford Post

Canterbury

• The Outcrop

Cassiar

• Asbestos Sheet

Chilliwack

• Chilliwack Progress 

Duncan

• Cowichan Leader

Nanaimo

• Nanaimo Free Press

Port Alberni

• Ha-Shilth-Sa

Prince Rupert

• Prince Rupert Daily News

Quesnel

• Quesnel Cariboo Observer 

Salt Spring Island

• Gulf island Driftwood

Summerland

• Summerland Review

Vancouver​

• Jewish Western Bulletin
• Tairiku Nippo (Continental Daily News) 
• Ming Pao Daily News Database
• Western Clarion ​
• The B.C. Catholic 
• The/La Source

Victoria

• British Colonist 
• Daily British Colonist and Victoria Chronicle
• Daily Colonist
• Victoria Daily Times

Whistler

• Whistler Answer

White Rock

• Semiahmoo Sun & White Rock Sun (Images only)

Subscription or Pay Sites:

Ancestry.com:

There are currently 2 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Ancestry – British Columbia Newspapers

Newspaper Archive:

There are currently 177 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Newspaper Archive – British Columbia

Newspapers.com:

There are currently 97 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Newspapers.com – British Columbia. 

Paper of Record:

There are currently 4 publications available on this site. See the titles at Paper of Record – British Columbia

And Finally:

You might want to check out the British Columbia Genealogical Society site from time to time to see what is available online or otherwise. There are a number of links to many newspaper and obituary collections throughout the province. 

Please note – even more may be available via a local or provincial library where a library card is required.  And of course, there is always microfilm for those that have not been made available online as yet.

For more links for different states, provinces, and countries – please see the Newspaper Links page on this website.