On the southeast tip of Vancouver Island in Langford, British Columbia, the construction phase has begun for the Victoria British Columbia Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Elder James E. Evanson presided over the temple’s groundbreaking ceremony, held Saturday, Aug. 22. Born in Alberta, Canada, Elder Evanson is a General Authority Seventy and member of the Church’s Canada Area presidency.
He said the Victoria temple “will bring a spirit of peace, devotion, compassion and joy into this community, and it will influence everyone’s lives simply for the better.”
Among the government, faith and community leaders in attendance were Langford Mayor Scott Goodmanson and North Cowichan Mayor Rob Douglas. Photos and information of the livestreamed groundbreaking were published Aug. 22 on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Earlier that Saturday, ground was also broken for the Tulsa Oklahoma Temple. Elder Pedro X. Larreal — a General Authority Seventy and member of the Church’s United States Southwest Area presidency — presided over the ceremony.
Elder Evanson promised that those who see this temple being built will start to see something change in their neighborhood. “It will become a beacon of peace and a place where we can know that there is a God in heaven who loves us and that we are all His children.”
The temple is a reminder to all — regardless of culture, creed or religion — that there is life after death, said Elder Evanson.
In his dedicatory prayer on the site and construction process, he pleaded that individuals and families throughout the community will find peace.
“We pray that the Spirit will be apparent as the building takes shape, from foundation to spire, and point all of us to Thy Son, Jesus Christ. May this sacred land and temple be a reminder that Jesus Christ has the power to raise us up unto eternal life through His grace.”
Also speaking at the groundbreaking was Elder M. Shayne Olsen, an Area Seventy who was born in British Columbia.
“Here on Vancouver Island, the beauty of the natural world invites reflection, gratitude and reverence for our Heavenly Father’s handiwork,” he said. “Today, we look forward to a new addition that will be added to the beauty God has already provided. The Victoria British Columbia Temple will stand as a testament of God’s love and His desire to draw His children close to Him.”
Noting Victoria’s nickname as “The Garden City,” Elder Olsen said: “Just as gardens nourish life, the temple will nourish and uplift the souls of all who enter. The effects of a temple will not be confined to its physical walls.”
About the Victoria temple and the Church in Canada
Planned as a single-story building of approximately 11,400 square feet, the Victoria temple will be built on a 4.7-acre site located along Mantle Heights Road, Langford, British Columbia. An accompanying patron waiting area is also planned.
On April 7, 2024, then-Church President Russell M. Nelson announced a temple for Victoria, British Columbia. It was one of 15 locations he identified in the April 2024 general conference.
The Victoria temple is planned to be the second in British Columbia, and it’s one of 11 temples in various stages throughout Canada.
Nine of those are dedicated: the Cardston Alberta (dedicated in 1923), Toronto Ontario (1990), Halifax Nova Scotia (1999), Regina Saskatchewan (1999), Edmonton Alberta (1999), Montreal Quebec (2000), Vancouver British Columbia (2010), Calgary Alberta (2012) and Winnipeg Manitoba (2021) temples.
The Victoria temple joins one other temple in Canada in the construction phase — ground was broken for the Lethbridge Alberta Temple in April 2025.
The gospel was first preached in Canada when Joseph Smith Sr., the father of the Prophet Joseph Smith, crossed the U.S. border and went to several towns in eastern Canada. Over the next two decades, some 2,500 Canadians were converted. Cardston was settled by Latter-day Saints in 1887.
More than 211,000 Latter-day Saints live in Canada, meeting in around 500 wards and branches.
