The British Columbia Women’s Institute (BCWI) was founded in 1909. This founding was initiated by Laura Rose, who was invited by the BC Provincial Government to extend her Women's Institute organizing activities in Alberta and Ontario to British Columbia. The objective of organizing Women's Institutes in BC was to support settler women in household and family management, food production and preservation, and other farming and homestead activities.
Following an initial survey tour, Rose organized the first fifteen BC Women's Institutes: Gordon Heard, Lake Hill, Sooke and Otter, Metchosin, Tynehead, Coquitlam, Matsqui, Chilliwack, Agassiz, Summerland, Salmon Arm, Nakusp, Kaslo and District, Nelson, and Cranbrook. Geographical coverage expanded and in 1911, branches were organized into four districts: Vancouver Island, Lower Mainland, Okanagan, and Kootenay. These aggregated districts were overseen by an Advisory Board appointed by the BC Department of Agriculture. At the Board's inaugural meeting, August 14-15, 1911, the BCWI motto "For Home and Country" was adopted.
Between 1919 and 1929, achievements included the establishment of the British Columbia Crippled Children's Hospital, the Queen Alexandra Solarium, and the Othoa Scott Fund. At mid-century, the BCWI influenced the provincial government to name the Dogwood as the official provincial emblem. In the decades to follow, efforts focused on education, fundraising, and activism relating to agricultural sustainability and child welfare.
As of 2023, the BCWI is headquartered in Barriere, BC. The BCWI, along with other provincial Women’s Institute organizations, are connected to the national organization, the Federated Women’s Institutes of Canada (FWIC).