The province of British Columbia is divided into exactly twenty-eight regional districts. Each regional district is a federation of its component municipalities and electoral areas. Initially enabled by the Municipal Act of 1965, the regional districts have three basic roles:
- Act as a regional government over issues affecting the entire region, particularly in the area of service delivery
- Provide administrative framework for economic or service partnerships between two or more municipalities or areas, and
- In the absence of incorporated municipalities, the regional district acts as the "local" government for rural areas.
Regional districts in British Columbia are somewhat analogous to counties in the
United Kingdom or the
United States, or departments in
France.