BALFOUR

BALFOUR

Balfour’s population: 479

^{Balfour is a small community overlooking the West Arm of Kootenay Lake, 34 kilometers northeast of Nelson in the southeast corner of British Columbia.}

^{Balfour’s history dates back to 1889 when it was originally a site of a port for steamboats that ran across the lake. The Canadian Pacific Railway opened a 50-room resort hotel and during the First World War (WWI), the hotel was used temporarily as a hospital for veterans who fought in the war. The hotel closed in 1920. There are a couple of amenities that serve travelers and tourists alike, including a couple of pubs, a school, marina, several beds and breakfasts, and a golf course.}

^{There is even a car ferry terminal that is used for a ferry that operates on Kootenay Lake to the small settlement of Kootenay Bay. A 45-minute ferry ride, it known for being “North America’s longest free ferry ride”.}

^{Balfour is named after former United Kingdom Prime Minister James Arthur Balfour (1848-1930), and is sometimes referred to as Balfour Bay.}

^{The two vessels that operate at the ferry terminal are the 80-car and 250 passenger capacity MV Osprey 2000 (the largest of the two) and the 28 car and 150-passenger capacity MV Balfour (used only during the summer months for additional sailings).}