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Tsawwassen

Tsawwassen is the southwest corner of Delta, between the Strait of Georgia and Boundary Bay, with the BC Ferries terminal at the end of a causeway. South Delta Secondary is the one secondary school for the peninsula, and the ferry terminal is 11 to 14 minutes by car with no traffic.

Six places on the peninsula

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Tsawwassen, framed on its OpenStreetMap boundary. The ferry terminal lies west of the frame, at the end of the causeway. Delta does not divide Tsawwassen into named sub-areas, so these six places are tied to a school, a road or a park.

The Town Centre, on 56 Street

The commercial centre sits on 56 Street around 12 Avenue. OpenStreetMap shows the Tsawwassen Town Centre Mall, the Tsawwassen Library at 1321A 56 Street, the Tsawwassen Arts Centre at 1172 56 Street, and Winskill Park with its aquatic and fitness centre just south.

Delta’s February 2024 release on its Official Community Plan update names Tsawwassen (56 Street) as one of four growth areas. Council adopted the plan on July 8, 2024. On November 28, 2024 Delta announced a rezoning application for the mall site: about 1,400 homes in four mixed-use towers up to 24 storeys, with low-rise buildings of five to six storeys beside them. We have not checked what happened to it since.

The west shore and the south: English Bluff and Pebble Hill

English Bluff Road and Tsawwassen Beach Road run along the Strait of Georgia side. English Bluff Elementary is at the edge of that strip.

Pebble Hill Elementary sits in the south, near 52 Street.

The north-west: Cliff Drive and Springs Boulevard

Cliff Drive Elementary is at 5025 12 Avenue. Springs Boulevard and the Tsawwassen Springs golf course are at the north end of that block.

OpenStreetMap lists Tsawwassen Springs as a residential neighbourhood around Springs Boulevard.

The east: Beach Grove and Boundary Bay

Beach Grove has its own elementary school, a park, and the Beach Grove Golf and Country Club.

South of that, Boundary Bay Regional Park and Centennial Beach run along the bay. South Park Elementary (735 Gilchrist Drive) serves the central and eastern block, including Boundary Bay Road and Boundary Beach.

The ferry causeway

The BC Ferries Tsawwassen terminal is at 1 Ferry Causeway, off the west edge of the map, about 8 km by road from the Town Centre. OpenStreetMap shows BC Ferries routes from it to Swartz Bay, Duke Point and Mayne Island via Galiano Island. Crossing times and sailings are on the BC Ferries schedule.

The Tsawwassen First Nation lands, north of Highway 17

The district’s school map labels the north-west corner Tsawwassen First Nation. Tsawwassen Mills (5000 Canoe Pass Way) and Tsawwassen Commons are in that area on OpenStreetMap. The Tsawwassen First Nation Final Agreement took effect on April 3, 2009 (BC Treaty Commission).

The Tsawwassen First Nation makes its own laws for its lands, and its website lists them. For any parcel there, have a lawyer confirm the title, the property taxes and the financing before you write an offer.

Schools: School District 37 (Delta) catchments

South Delta Secondary, at 750 53 Street, is the secondary school for the whole peninsula on the district’s map. Elementary catchments are smaller, and there are five.

  • English Bluff Elementary. The west shore, south of roughly 8A Avenue.
  • Pebble Hill Elementary. The south-central block, about 52 Street to 56 Street, south of roughly 4 Avenue.
  • Cliff Drive Elementary (5025 12 Avenue). The north-west block, Highway 17 south to roughly 8A Avenue, including Springs Boulevard.
  • Beach Grove Elementary. The north-east corner, from roughly 12 Avenue north.
  • South Park Elementary (735 Gilchrist Drive). The central and eastern block, including Boundary Bay Road and Boundary Beach.

These come from the district’s Tsawwassen catchment maps, uploaded in July 2017. Confirm the address in the district’s school locator before you pay a premium for a catchment. Boundaries run through streets, and a block can change the school.

A hypothetical $2.1M detached purchase

An invented example, not a sale: on a $2.1M detached house with 25% down ($525,000), the standard Property Transfer Tax is $41K and a Canadian resident needs roughly $574K on closing day.

See the full worked example

Subject property

A detached house built in 1992 on fee-simple land in Delta, not on Tsawwassen First Nation lands. A 25% down payment is $525,000. The price is $2.1M.

Property Transfer Tax

Standard tax on a $2.1M price: 1% × $200K + 2% × $1.8M + 3% × $100K = $2K + $36K + $3K = $41K. The first-time-buyer exemption does not apply at this price. The newly-built exemption does not apply either, because the house is a 1992 build. For a new build, that exemption phases out by $1.15M, so it would not apply at $2.1M.

Foreign buyer additional tax (if applicable)

Delta is in the Metro Vancouver Regional District, a specified area for the 20% additional Property Transfer Tax. For a non-resident buyer the additional 20% on $2.1M is $420K, on top of the $41K standard tax, for $461K in transfer tax. The federal ban on foreign purchases of residential property is set to run to January 1, 2027, with exemptions. It lapses then unless extended. The federal budget of November 5, 2026 proposes extending it to January 1, 2029 for existing homes, with new homes exempt; that is not law yet. For Canadian residents only the $41K applies. See the Foreign Buyer Ban and 20% tax guide.

CMHC default insurance

CMHC default insurance covers purchases under 20% down only up to a $1.5M price (the cap since December 15, 2024). A $2.1M price is over the cap, so the minimum down payment is 20%, or $420K. The worked example uses 25%.

Closing-day cash for a Canadian resident

Down payment $525K + transfer tax $41K + legal fees $1.5K to $2K + title insurance about $1K + an allowance of about $3K for the property tax holdback = roughly $574K. The legal fee, title insurance and holdback are our estimates, and adjustments are extra. Run your own numbers through the closing costs calculator before you remove subjects. For a non-resident buyer, add the $420K additional tax.

Drives to the ferry and downtown

We measured the drives with the OpenStreetMap routing engine, from the centre of Tsawwassen near 56 Street and 12 Avenue. To the ferry terminal it is about 8 km, 11 to 14 minutes. To downtown Vancouver it is about 33 km, about 40 minutes. The engine models no traffic, so the tunnel, ferry traffic and rush hour all add to these times.

What Delta’s rules allow

Delta had to update its zoning to allow small-scale multi-unit housing before June 30, 2024. Its page lists up to three units on a lot of 280 m² (3,014 sq ft) or less and up to four on a lot over 280 m² (3,014 sq ft), on lots zoned for a single house or duplex. It also lists a six-unit area within 400 metres of frequent transit along Scott Road, in North Delta. No part of that area is on the Tsawwassen peninsula.

Delta notes that covenants on title, steep slopes and nearby streams can limit what a lot allows, and each unit needs one parking space on the lot. Open the Info Report for an address on DeltaMap to see what applies to it. Ask Delta’s Development Department before you plan work on a sloped or shoreline lot.

Frequently asked questions

  • Which elementary school serves my Tsawwassen street?
    There are five elementary catchments on the School District 37 map for Tsawwassen: English Bluff Elementary on the west shore, Pebble Hill Elementary in the south-central block, Cliff Drive Elementary in the north-west, Beach Grove Elementary in the north-east, and South Park Elementary across the central and eastern block, including Boundary Bay Road. The district’s maps were uploaded in July 2017, so confirm the address with the district’s school locator before you pay a premium for a catchment.
  • Which high school serves Tsawwassen?
    South Delta Secondary, at 750 53 Street. The district’s secondary map shows one catchment covering the whole Tsawwassen peninsula outside the Tsawwassen First Nation lands. Delta Secondary is in Ladner and is not the Tsawwassen catchment school.
  • How far is the ferry terminal, and how long does it take to reach Vancouver?
    We measured both with the OpenStreetMap routing engine from the centre of Tsawwassen, near 56 Street and 12 Avenue. The ferry terminal is about 8 km away, 11 to 14 minutes. Downtown Vancouver is about 33 km away, about 40 minutes. The engine models no traffic, so peak-hour and ferry-peak trips take longer. Drive the route at the time you would actually commute.
  • When will the Massey Tunnel replacement open?
    The Province’s Highway 99 Tunnel Program website says the new eight-lane, toll-free tunnel will open in 2031. The existing four-lane George Massey Tunnel opened in 1959. Check the program website for changes, and for a short hold do not pay for a crossing that does not exist yet. Source: Province of British Columbia, Highway 99 Tunnel Program (highway99tunnel.ca).
  • How many units can I build on a Tsawwassen lot?
    Delta’s small-scale multi-unit housing page lists up to three units on a lot of 280 m² (3,014 sq ft) or less and up to four on a lot over 280 m² (3,014 sq ft). The six-unit area it describes is within 400 metres of frequent transit along Scott Road, in North Delta, not on the Tsawwassen peninsula. Delta lists covenants on title, steep slopes and nearby streams as restrictions that can limit what a lot allows. Each unit needs one parking space on the lot. Check the Info Report for the address on DeltaMap. Source: City of Delta, small-scale multi-unit housing (delta.ca).
  • Does the BC 20% foreign buyer tax apply in Delta?
    Yes. Delta is in the Metro Vancouver Regional District, a specified area for the 20% additional Property Transfer Tax on foreign buyers. The federal ban on foreign purchases of residential property is set to run to January 1, 2027, with exemptions, and it lapses then unless extended. The federal budget of November 5, 2026 proposes extending it to January 1, 2029 for existing homes, with new homes exempt; that is not law yet. On a $2.1M purchase the standard tax is $41,000 and the 20% additional tax is $420,000, for $461,000 in transfer tax. Source: Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act, S.C. 2022, c. 10, as amended by S.C. 2024, c. 17, s. 149 (laws-lois.justice.gc.ca); Government of British Columbia, Additional property transfer tax (gov.bc.ca).
  • What is different about buying on Tsawwassen First Nation lands?
    Those lands are governed by the Tsawwassen First Nation Final Agreement, in effect since April 3, 2009, and by the First Nation’s own laws. The Town Centre and the neighbourhoods south of Highway 17 are in Delta. Before an offer on a parcel north of the highway, have a lawyer confirm the title, the taxes and whether your lender will finance it. This page does not state those rules.
Sources(10)

Also drawn from: City of Delta, Delta School District, Province of British Columbia.

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Last reviewed by Bronson Job PREC, REALTOR®. Licence CC BY 4.0. How we verify.

I’m Bronson Job, a REALTOR® (PREC) with Momentum Realty Inc., so I earn a commission when I help someone buy or sell. This is general information, not advice on your situation, and I take no payment from any third party named here. How I verify.