2026 Tours and Excursions

Our tours begin at 2 pm. No reservations needed. It costs $5 for non-members and $2 for members. The fee can be paid by cash or e-transfer.

Tour locations are noted in the description. Most of our tours take place at Ross Bay Cemetery, RBC. For the Ross Bay Cemetery tours we meet at the cemetery entrance on Fairfield Road, opposite the south end of Stannard Street.

OCS members get a discount on the weekly tours and receive six copies per year of the newsletter “Stone Cuttings” plus advance notification of tours and other activities. Part of each membership and all donations assist many worthwhile projects undertaken by the OCS at RBC and other Greater Victoria heritage cemeteries each year.

We also offer private group tours on request on other days of the week. Contact us for information.

Please visit our membership page to join the Old Cemeteries Society.

List of Tours for 2026

Click on a tour’s title to see the details.

Download the OCS 2026 Tour Schedule

Feb. 15. RBC. Ross Bay Cemetery Top 10.

Whether it’s your first visit or you’ve been many times before, you’ll enjoy this tour with John Adams to the top 10 attractions at BC’s most famous Victorian-era cemetery. As we begin our 2026 tour season, we’ll visit RBC’s most iconic graves, hear about its most famous people, explore its unique landscape features, and learn about its interesting history. New stories and old favourites will be included. This accessible tour will stay on the paved pathways and focus on the original section of the cemetery to minimize walking distance.

Feb. 22. RBC. A Celebration of Black History in Victoria.

February is Black History Month in Canada, and the OCS partners with the BC Black History Awareness Society (BCBHAS) to present stories about many of the Black pioneers buried at RBC. Some were famous in their day and played leading roles in Victoria; others were not so well known but were an integral part of the city’s life in the 1800s

March 1. RBC. Welsh Victoria.

March 1 is St. David’s Day, the national festival of Wales. Pluck a daffodil and wear it to today’s tour or just enjoy the ones that bloom in profusion on many graves. To mark the occasion, John Adams will visit the graves of many of the Welsh people who strayed from their native land and ended up at RBC. Among those who will be included are a pirate, a prospector, a school trustee, a Royal Engineer, a ne’er do well, a respected court recorder, a pioneer telegrapher and a publican. Bydd y daith hon yn cael ei chynnal yn gyfan gwbl yn Saesneg.

March 8. RBC. SPECIAL EVENT: International Women’s Day.

Celebrate International Women’s Day with a guided walk honouring eight remarkable women: Emily Carr, ground-breaking painter and writer; Hannah Maynard, surrealist photographer and entrepreneur; Sophie Pemberton and Josephine Crease, pioneering artists; Lottie Bowron, tireless advocate for rural teachers and women’s clubs; Nancy Lester, African-American settler and abolitionist; Jane Anne Nesbitt, who arrived on a Bride Ship and became a businesswoman; and Martha McNeill, Nisga’a chief and fur trader. Their stories—of courage, creativity, and resilience—come to life in the very place they now rest. Join us as we remember and celebrate their legacy. Presented by the Old Cemeteries Society and Emily Carr Chronicles. Tour guides: Yvonne Van Ruskenveld and Marilyn Jones.

Note: There will be 2 tour times at 10 am and 2 pm. It will be the same tour each time. No reservations necessary.

March 15. Measure, Map and Mark: Early Surveyors of Vancouver Island.

International Surveyors’ Day is celebrated annually on March 21st to recognize the crucial role of surveyors in shaping history, communities, and infrastructure. The first surveyor contracted by the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) was Captain Walter Grant whose only legacy was the 1850 introduction of Scotch broom plants. The real surveying of Vancouver Island began with HBC engineer and surveyor Joseph Pemberton, whose first task was to lay out a townsite and survey the agricultural lands on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Mike Woodcock will take us to the graves and highlight the fascinating stories of Pemberton and other early surveyors buried at Ross Bay Cemetery.

March 22. RBC. Peninsula Settlers and History.

Many folks who have longstanding connections to Sidney are buried in Ross Bay Cemetery. For this week’s tour, the OCS has partnered with the Sidney Museum and Archives to learn more about the history of Sidney, the Saanich Peninsula, and the residents who have lived there. Charlotte Clar introduced us to peninsula pioneers in Royal Oak Burial Park last year and has discovered a new cast of interesting characters for today’s tour.

March 29. RBC. Emily Carr Tour – Part 1.

Emily Carr’s grave is one of the most visited at RBC. Every year, a team of OCS guides visits the graves of many people Emily knew. Emily herself (a.k.a. Molly Raher Newman) will delight us with readings about these people from Emily’s prolific writings. A second, different Emily Carr tour is scheduled later this year.