Dease Lake is located in northern BC, on Highway 37 (Stewart-Cassiar Highway) 272 kilometres south of Watson Lake, Yukon and 600 kilometres north of Terrace, BC. The community offers a complete range of services and is home to several provincial government offices, including B.C. School District 87. Population is 650 fulltime residents.
Dease Lake was established around 1839, and was once a Hudson Bay Company Trading Post. The town got its name from the chief factor of the Hudson Bay Company, Peter Warren Dease. Dease Lake was a hub of activity when the Cassiar gold rush erupted in 1872. And, in 1941, Dease Lake was a transportation hub for supplies headed for the troops that were building the Alaska Highway.
Today, the Dease Lake Campus provides support to part-time and full-time vocational and Workforce Training/Continuing Education courses in the following communities:
- Telegraph Creek: a community of 400, located on the Stikine River 119 kilometres west of Dease Lake, on the Tahltan Reserve;
- Lower Post: a community of 80, located on the Liard River 20 kilometres east of Watson Lake on the Liard River, on the Kaska Reserve;
- Iskut: a community of 350, located on Highway 37, 83 kilometres south of Dease Lake; and
- Good Hope Lake: a community of 50, located on Highway 37, 183 kilometres north of Dease Lake.
The Campus supports part time and full time students in programs such as Career and College Preparation and various online courses.
Workforce Training/ Continuing Education supports more than 500 students each year throughout the Stikine region in shorter courses such as First Aid, Traffic Control, Air Brakes, Computer Skills and other general interest courses.
Campus facilities include a library, computer/Internet access, and bookstore, as well as the Building Blocks program.
