from VREB) increased to $938,000. The average home value as of July 1, 2022 as determined by BC Assessment was $831,000. Demographics In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Sooke had a population of 15,086 living in 6,129 of its 6,431 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 13,001. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. A full summary of Sooke results from the 2021 Census is available from Statistics Canada. Ethnicity Religion According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Sooke included: No religion or secular perspectives (9,825 persons) Christianity (4,755 persons) Judaism (70 persons) Buddhism (504 persons) Islam (10 persons) Muslim (50 persons) Indigenous Spirituality (20 persons) Hinduism (10 persons) Sikhism (10 persons) Politics The District of Sooke was incorporated as a municipality in December, 1999. It is part of the Capital Regional District. Municipal Sooke is governed by a mayor and six councilors, who are elected every four years. The current council was elected on Oct. 15, 2022. Mayor Maja Tait Councillor Al Beddows Councillor Dana Lajeunesse Councillor Jeff Bateman Councillor Megan McMath Councillor Tony St-Pierre Councillor Kevin Pearson Provincial Sooke in part of the riding of Langford-Juan de Fuca represented by John Horgan of the BC NDP, who first won in 2009. Federal Federally the town is in the riding of Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke, represented by Randall Garrison of the New Democratic Party. He was first elected in 2011. Climate Sooke has a Mediterranean climate, with warm summers and mild winters, defined by the Köppen climate classification as Csb. Although its precipitation is more like dry summer climates, its temperatures resemble oceanic climates as found in Ireland, for example. Education Sooke is a part of the School District 62 Sooke. There is one high school, Edward Milne Community School, and one junior high school, Journey Middle School. The four elementary schools in the area are John Muir (in the town's west end), Sooke Elementary (town centre), the French immersion Ecole Poirier (town centre), and Saseenos Elementary (east end). In 2018, SD62 announced it would be building Sooke River Elementary in the Sunriver neighbourhood. Continuing adult education programs are offered by the Edward Milne Community School (EMCS) Society, which also operates with day, evening and weekend programs. The closest post-secondary institutions are Royal Roads University and Camosun College's Interurban campus. Neighbourhoods (in order from east