In the winter months, occasional Arctic bursts from the interior of British Columbia can make their way to the coast, bringing temperatures below freezing. If a Pacific low reaches the coast, a large snowfall can occur. Snowfalls in excess of have been recorded in a 24-hour period, and the greatest recorded snowfall was in 1978. Demographics In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Campbell River had a population of 35,519 living in 15,557 of its 16,194 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 33,007. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. Ethnicity Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses. Religion According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Campbell River included: Irreligion (22,235 persons or 63.7%) Christianity (11,585 persons or 33.2%) Sikhism (200 persons or 0.6%) Hinduism (175 persons or 0.5%) Buddhism (150 persons or 0.4%) Islam (65 persons or 0.2%) Judaism (50 persons or 0.1%) Indigenous Spirituality (35 persons or 0.1%) Economy Campbell River has a variety of growing industries and small businesses suitable to an oceanside community. As of 2012 the focus of business is directed towards aquaculture, agrifoods, clean energy development, construction, creative industries, forestry, fishing, health care, international education, mining, technology and tourism. Elk Falls Mill, one of the largest employers in the area shut down in 2009; however, logging continues to be a significant source of employment. There have been many cases of former mill employees moving away to other places with higher demands for a similar labour force, particularly Fort McMurray, Alberta. Education Public schools are administered by School District 72 Campbell River. North Island College has a campus in Campbell River. Campbell River has recently developed a new international program accepting students from Germany, Austria, and various other countries across Europe, South America, and Asia. Along with School District 72, there is also a private K–12 Christian school, this being Campbell River Christian School. The two public high schools are Carihi Secondary School and Timberline Secondary School. Carihi Secondary School is also a part of School District 93 Conseil scolaire francophone. The Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique operates one Francophone school in Campbell River: the école Mer-et-montagne'' primary school. Politics In the House of Commons of Canada, Campbell River is represented by the riding of North Island—Powell River (Rachel Blaney, NDP). In the Legislative Assembly