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The Road Act, 1860 established several road districts in the Colony of Vancouver Island. Each road district was managed by several Road Commissioners appointed by the Governor. The commissioners were responsible for ensuring adequate roads were constructed and maintained in their districts. Each district’s Road Commission was headed by a Chairman who also acted as Treasurer. Fines and taxes may be collected by the Commissioners and used for road construction expenses. Financial records were to be supplied to the Colonial Secretary every June.

The initial districts included: Esquimalt Road District (consisting of Metchosin, Sooke and Esquimalt land districts),Esquimalt Town Road District, Victoria Road District (consisting of the Victoria, Lake and Saanich land districts), Cowichan Road District, Chemainus Road District and Nanaimo Road District. New districts were to be established once 24 landholders settled in an area. Each landholder was required to spend several days of labour a year (or provide a labourer as their replacement) on road improvement.

The Police and Prisons Dept. of the Colony of Vancouver Island was established when a Commissioner of Police, Augustus F. Pemberton, was appointed in 1858. Prior to that, from 1849 to 1853, the affairs of the Colony of Vancouver Island were also the affairs of the Hudson’s Bay Company and were administered by the chief factor (James Douglas) and employees of the company. In 1853, James Douglas, Governor of the Colony of Vancouver Island, commissioned four citizens to serve as magistrates and justices of the peace for the three districts of the colony that comprised the area immediately west of Victoria. He then established a Supreme Court of Civil Justice for the colony. In 1858, due to the gold rush on the Fraser River, the population of the Colony of Vancouver Island rose from a few hundred to many thousand, almost overnight. The newly appointed Commissioner of Police, who was also the Police Magistrate, was the representative of law and order and his immediate job was to organize a police force for the colony. He was responsible for the police stations and jails in Victoria and neighbouring communities. Pemberton was Commissioner of Police until 1866 when the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia were united. At that time, Chartres Brew, who had been appointed Chief Inspector of Police for the Colony of British Columbia in 1858, became the Superintendent of Police for the united Colony of British Columbia.

The first Surveyor General for the Colony of Vancouver Island was appointed in 1859 under the name Colonial Surveyor. Prior to that, the affairs of the colony were also the affairs of the Hudson’s Bay Company and were administered by the chief factor (James Douglas) and employees of the company. The name was changed to Surveyor General by Royal Warrant in 1861. The first Surveyor General was Joseph Despard Pemberton who was originally hired as Colonial Surveyor and Engineer for the Hudson’s Bay Company in Victoria in 1851. In 1859, when his contract with the company expired and the Hudson’s Bay Company surrendered the Colony of Vancouver Island to the British government, Pemberton was appointed as Colonial Surveyor for the colony. In 1861, Pemberton received a royal warrant from Queen Victoria naming him as Surveyor General for the Colony of Vancouver Island. He served in that position until 1864 during which time his assistant, Benjamin W. Pearse, served as Acting Surveyor General when Pemberton was absent. Pemberton resigned his post in 1864 and Pearse continued as Acting Surveyor General until 1866 when Vancouver Island was united with the Colony of British Columbia. The Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works and Surveyor General for the Colony of British Columbia was responsible for Vancouver Island from 1866 until 1871 when the Colony of British Columbia joined confederation as a province of the Dominion of Canada.

The Legislative Council of the Colony of Vancouver Island was established in 1863 when the governor, under instruction from the Colonial Office, introduced a new government structure for the colony. The governor dissolved the Council and replaced it with an Executive Council and a Legislative Council.

The Legislative Assembly, with an increase to fifteen members, retained its status as lower house, where legislation initiated by the Executive Council was debated and approved. The Legislative Council assumed the legislative functions of the former Council (upper house). Its fifteen members included five members of the Executive Council (not the governor), five magistrates, and five appointed members representing the districts of the colony (Victoria, Esquimalt, Sooke, and Nanaimo).

When the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia were united in 1866, the government administration for the Colony of Vancouver Island ceased to exist. The power and authority of the Executive and Legislative Councils of the Colony of British Columbia was extended to include Vancouver Island. Two magistrates and four selected representatives from the island were added to the Legislative Council of the united British Columbia.

The Legislative Assembly of the Colony of Vancouver Island was established in 1856 under its first name, the General Assembly (also known as the House of Assembly or simply the Assembly), after Governor James Douglas was reminded by the Colonial Office to establish an elected assembly of landowners as authorized in his 1851 commission. Prior to that, the government of the colony was administered, first, by the Hudson’s Bay Company and, secondly, solely by the 3-member Council appointed by Richard Blanshard in 1851.

By proclamation, dated 16 June 1856, Douglas announced the process by which the election of an Assembly would take place in the four designated electoral districts of Victoria, Esquimalt, Sooke and Nanaimo. The first House of Assembly was opened in August 1856 with seven members. The purpose of the Assembly was to represent the wishes of the general population to the governor and council on the provision of laws and legislation for the colony.

The second election, held in 1859, reflected the change in status of the colony resulting from the termination of its grant with the Hudson’s Bay Company and, at the same time, the influx of population resulting from the Fraser River gold rush and the establishment of the Colony of British Columbia. Three acts were passed to standardize election procedures. The Registration of Voters Act outlined the procedures for compiling voters’ lists, the Representation Act established electoral boundaries and representation for seats in the Legislative Assembly, and the Franchise Act established qualifications for voters. The Franchise Act also defined the duration of the House of Assembly as three years. The Representation Act provided for an increase in members to thirteen, including more members from Victoria and Esquimalt and adding representatives from parts of the colony north of Victoria (including the Lake District, Saanich, Salt Spring, and Chemainus districts).

In 1863, the governor, again under instruction from the Colonial Office, introduced a new government structure for the Colony of Vancouver Island. He dissolved the 3-member Council and replaced it with an Executive Council (5 members including the governor) and a Legislative Council (15 appointed members including 5 selected from the Legislative Assembly). The Assembly continued in its function as representative government with an increase to fifteen constituencies. The Assembly acted as lower house, where legislation initiated by the Executive and Legislative Councils (acting as upper house) was debated and approved. The Assembly was increasingly referred to as the Legislative Assembly from this time.

When the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia were united in 1866, the government administration for the Colony of Vancouver Island ceased to exist. The power and authority of the Executive and Legislative Councils of the Colony of British Columbia was extended to include Vancouver Island. Two magistrates and four selected representatives from Vancouver Island were added to the Legislative Council of the united British Columbia.

The first Executive Council of the Colony of Vancouver Island was appointed by Governor Douglas in 1863. Prior to that, the government of the colony was administered first by Governor Blanshard and after 1851 by a 3-member Council under Governor Douglas. In 1863, the Colonial Office in England instituted constitutional changes for the Colony of Vancouver Island and the Council, established in 1851, was dissolved.

The Executive Council inherited the power and authority of the former Council except for the enactment of laws. It was responsible for advising the governor on matters of government administration. Its members were appointed by the Governor and included the Colonial Secretary, Attorney-General, Treasurer, and Surveyor-General, with the Governor as presiding member. The Legislative Council, which assumed the legislative functions of the former Council, was appointed at the same time. Its fifteen members included five members of the Executive Council (not the governor), five magistrates, and five appointed members representing five districts of the colony. The Assembly retained its status as lower house, where legislation initiated by the Executive Council was debated and approved.

When the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia were united in 1866, the government administration for the Colony of Vancouver Island ceased to exist. The power and authority of the Executive and Legislative Councils of the Colony of British Columbia was extended to include Vancouver Island.

The first Colonial Secretary of the Colony of Vancouver Island, William A.G. Young, was appointed by Governor James Douglas in 1859. Prior to that, the affairs of the colony were also the affairs of the Hudson’s Bay Company and were administered by the chief factor (Douglas) and employees of the company. The Colonial Secretary was the administrative assistant to the Governor as well as keeper of the official record for the council, and later, of the Executive and Legislative Councils.

From 1859 to 1863, one Colonial Secretary (William Young) served both the Colony of British Columbia and the Colony of Vancouver Island under Governor Douglas. In 1863, the Colonial Office in England instituted constitutional changes that required a separate government for each colony. Along with James Douglas, Young relinquished his position with the Colony of British Columbia but they kept their positions with the Colony of Vancouver Island. Douglas appointed Young, as Colonial Secretary, to the Executive Council, along with the Attorney-General, Treasurer, and Surveyor-General. The Governor was the presiding member, but in the event of his incapacity or absence from the colony, the Colonial Secretary became the officer administering the government.

Young travelled to England in 1864/65, during which time Henry P. Wakeford, private secretary to Arthur Kennedy, the new governor of Vancouver Island (1864-1866), performed the duties of the Acting Colonial Secretary. Young returned to the position from 1865 to 1866. In November 1866, the Colony of Vancouver Island was united with the Colony of British Columbia, after which time there was a single Colonial Secretary for the united colony. Edwin Nesbitt served briefly as Colonial Secretary during the transition period. Arthur N. Birch was the first Colonial Secretary for the united Colony of British Columbia.

The Customs Dept. for the Colony of Vancouver Island was situated at Customs House in Victoria.

The first Council of the Colony of Vancouver Island was appointed by Governor Richard Blanshard immediately before his departure in August 1851. Prior to that, the affairs of the colony were also the affairs of the Hudson’s Bay Company and were administered by the Chief Factor (James Douglas) and employees of the company.

The Council had three members (James Douglas, John Tod, and James Cooper) with Douglas as senior member until he was made Governor the following year (28 April 1852). It was responsible for the administration of the government of the colony, including the keeping of records of all proceedings to be forwarded to the Colonial Office in England.

In 1856, at the insistence of the Colonial Office, Douglas held an election that added seven elected representatives to the Council (sometimes referred to as the Assembly, General Assembly, or House of Assembly). Before a second election was held in 1859, three acts were passed to standardize election procedures. They were the Registration of Voters Act to outline the procedures for compiling voters’ lists, the Representation Act to establish electoral boundaries and representation for seats in the Legislative Assembly, and the Franchise Act to establish qualifications for voters.

The Council remained in place until 1863 when it was dissolved and replaced by an Executive Council and a Legislative Council.

Born in Germany, Jurgen Hesse was a freelance CBC radio broadcaster based in Vancouver. He died on July 30, 2008.

Hugh Curtis was born in Victoria, British Columbia on October 3, 1932. He started his career as a radio announcer before focusing on politics. He became a municipal councillor for Saanich in 1961 and served as mayor of Saanich from 1964-1973.

His provincial political career began in 1972 as a Progressive Conservative; he joined the Social Credit party in 1974. Curtis served in the provincial cabinet as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing (1975-1978), Provincial Secretary and Minister of Government Services (1978), and Minister of Finance (1979-1986). He left the provincial government in 1986. He died on May 27, 2014.

Harold Mortimer-Lamb was born in Surrey, England in 1872. He came to Canada and settled first in Montreal, Q.C., and later he moved to Vancouver, B.C., and contributed articles to the Bureau of Information for the B.C. Government. He became Secretary-Treasurer of the Provincial Mining Association of B.C.; Secretary of the Canadian Mining Institute and served on the staff of the Department of Mines in Ottawa.

He was also an internationally respected photographer and art critic. As an early proponent of photography as fine art, Lamb corresponded with the most avant-garde photographers of the era and was an invited member of the Linked Ring. As an art critic he wrote in defence of the Group of Seven when many other critics attacked their work. After his retirement he took up painting, around 1942. His paintings and photography were displayed in a monograph exhibition curated by Jack Shadbolt at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1952.

Harold Mortimer-Lamb married Vera Weatherbie (1909-1977), and is also the father of prominent Canadian artist: Molly Lamb Bobak.

Frederick Dally was born in Southwark, London, England in 1838. He arrived in Victoria, British Columbia, in 1862, on the China Clipper “Cyclone.” In March 1864, Dally leased a store at the corner of Fort and Government streets, and in 1866 he opened a photographic studio in Victoria. Between 1865 and 1870, he took extensive photographs around Vancouver Island and in the Cariboo District.

In 1866 Dally accompanied Governor A.E. Kennedy on H.M.S. Scout for a tour of Vancouver Island and Nootka Sound with his primary purpose being to visit and photograph First Nations communities.

In 1867, Dally visited the Cariboo goldfields in the central interior of British Columbia, and opened for business in Barkerville. He remained here for one month before returning to Victoria after a brief stay in Quesnelmouth. He returned to the Cariboo and again set up shop in Barkerville the following summer. His studio was in operation for only two weeks before it was destroyed by the Barkerville fire on September 16, 1868. During his stays in the Cariboo, Dally photographed mines, towns, and scenery. By December of the same year, Dally had returned to Victoria and was again operating his studio on Fort Street.

In 1870, Dally’s business was taken over by the Green Brothers, who were meant to purchase Dally’s negatives and photography equipment. Two years later, these items went for sale at auction and many of Dally’s negatives were apparently purchased by Richard and Hannah Maynard. Many of Dally’s photographs were published for sale under the Maynard name.

In October of 1870, Frederick Dally travelled to Philadelphia where he enrolled in a dentistry program. He graduated in 1872, at which point he returned to England to practice dentistry.

Frederick Dally died in 1914.

Rita Johnston was born in Melville, Saskatchewan on April 22, 1935, although she later moved to Surrey, British Columbia where she ran a successful trailer park. She was first elected to the BC Legislature in 1983 as an MLA for the riding of Surrey. However, Johnston’s political career had started much earlier in 1969, upon her election as a municipal councilor for Surrey. During the same 1969 election, future premier Bill Vander Zalm was elected as mayor of Surrey. Following his 1975 entry into provincial politics, Johnston ran for Surrey mayor in a bid to replace him. She lost the election by fewer than 100 votes, and served several two more Council terms from 1978 to 1980 and 1982 to 1983.

Johnston’s move into provincial politics came in 1983, when she succeeded Vander Zalm as the Surrey riding’s Social Credit candidate. She won the riding in the 1983 election and was re-elected three years later in the Surrey-Newton riding.
Between 1985 and 1986, Johnston served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy, Mines, and Petroleum Resources. In 1986, she served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Municipal Affairs, and was subsequently appointed to a Cabinet position. Upon Vander Zalm’s resignation in 1991, Johnston was chosen as the interim leader of the Social Credit party, narrowly defeating Attorney-General Russ Fraser. She became Acting Premier and the first female premier in Canada, and was officially elected party leader at the Social Credit leadership convention in July 1991. During her term, she vowed to placing a higher priority on issuing affecting women. However, Johnston’s term as premier was short-lived. The Social Credit party was defeated in the October 1991 election and Johnston lost her riding. She officially resigned as Social Credit leader in January 1992.

St. Mary’s (Mission) Indian Residential School (IRS) was located at Mission in the Fraser Valley north of Abbotsford and east of Vancouver. The IRS operated from 1867 - 1984 (117 years).

Missionaries opened a boarding school at the St. Mary Mission in the Fraser Valley in 1863. The school was relocated in 1882, and a new school was built in 1933.

In its early years, the school made little use of corporal punishment, but this policy was dropped as the school was increasingly integrated into the federal residential school system.

The school closed in 1984.

The home communities of children sent to St. Mary's include: Agassiz, Ahousaht, Boston Bar First Nation, Chawathil First Nation, Cheam First Nation, Coldwater Indian Band, Cowichan, Creekside, D’Aroy, Daroy, Deroche, Ditidaht First Nation, Ehattesaht First Nation, Harrison, Hesquiaht First Nation, Homalco First Nation, Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’ / Che:k’tles7et’h’ (Kyuquot / Checleseht First Nations), Kanaka Bar Indian Band, Katie, Katz, Katzie First Nation, Klahoose First Nation, Kwakwelth, Kwaw-Kwaw-apilt, kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem First Nation), Laidlaw, Lake Babine Nation, Langley, Lillooet, Líl̓wat Nation, Lyackson First Nation,Lytton First Nation, Malahat Nation, Matsqui First Nation, Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation, N'Quatqua, Nicomen Indian Band, Nuchatlaht, Osoyoos Indian Band, Pacheedaht First Nation, Pauquachin First Nation, Penelakut Tribe, Pocum, Popeum, Popkum First Nation (Pópkw’em), Ruby Creek, SAMAHQUAM, Sardis, scəẃaθən məsteyəxʷ (Tsawwassen First Nation), Seabird Island Band, Seabird, Sekw’el’was (Cayoose Creek Band), Semiahmoo First Nation, Seton Portage, Shxw’ōwhámél First Nation, Skatin Nations, Skookum Ok., Skowkale First Nation, Skwah First Nation, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), Slave, Snaw-naw-as (Nanoose First Nation), Snuneymuxw First Nation, Spuzzum First Nation, Sq'éwlets, Sq’ewá:lxw (Skawahlook First Nation), Squiala First Nation, Sts'ailes, Stswecem'c Xgat'tem First Nation, Stz’uminus First Nation, Sumas First Nation, T’exelc - The Williams Lake First Nation, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, Tla’amin Nation (ɬaʔəmen Nation), Ts'kw'aylaxw First Nation, Tsal’alh, Tsartlip First Nation, Tsawout First Nation (SȾÁUTW̱ FIRST NATION), Tzeachten (Ch’iyaqtel) First Nation, Uchucklesaht Tribe, Uhehalis, Union Bar, Xa’xtsa (Douglas First Nation), Xaxli’p, Xwísten (Bridge River Indian Band), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Yakweakwioose First Nation (Yeqwyeqwí:ws), Yale First Nation.

In British Columbia, the Executive Council is synonymous with the cabinet, which is composed of the Lieutenant-Governor's principal advisors or ministers. While an advisory council of sorts had existed in Vancouver Island since 1851, a distinct Executive Council (separate from the legislature) was not established on the island colony until 1863. A similar body was not established on the mainland colony of British Columbia until 1864. In both colonies the councils were appointed by the Governor, and even after the union of 1866, the Executive Council of British Columbia was responsible only to the Crown, not to the popularly selected Assembly. Not until British Columbia joined Confederation in 1871 and assumed responsible government were members of the executive accountable to the legislature.

The Executive Council of British Columbia, unlike the cabinets of most of the other provinces of Canada, was created by letters patent, rather than by statute. B.C.'s Executive Council was, nevertheless, regulated by provincial statute, notably by the Constitution Act of 1871 (34 Vict, c.3.). Sections 2 - 5 of the Act provided for a council that would be composed of "such persons as the Governor from time to time thinks fit". Officers of the council were to include the heads of important government departments and were to serve at the pleasure of the governor. Yet while nominally appointed by the Crown's personal representative in the province, Executive Councillors are, in fact, chosen by the Lieutenant-Governor's chief minister, the Premier.

The Premier usually serves as President of the Executive Council and it is expected that he will choose his cabinet colleagues from members of the legislature. It is instructive to note, however, that there is no legal connection between the Executive Council and the Legislative Assembly of the province; that is, it is possible for a person to be a member of the Council without holding elected office. Of course, the conventions of constitutional monarchy and responsible government are normally upheld, and it is unlikely that a lieutenant governor would maintain a minister against the wishes of the elected majority. Similarly, although there have been exceptions to the rule, a premier would not normally take into his cabinet anyone who had not been elected to the House.

It is also instructive to note that British Columbia is one of the few provinces in Canada where the size of the Executive Council is limited by statute. Indeed, only Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have similar legislation. At present, the cabinet comprises twenty-three members, nineteen of whom are entitled to receive the salaries of Executive Councillors. In 1871 the Council was limited to five members. By the terms of the Constitution Act, members were to include the Colonial Secretary (who, after 1872, was styled the Provincial Secretary), the Attorney-General, and the Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works. Two years later (1873) the Constitution Act was amended and the Council enlarged to six members, including the Minister of Finance and Agriculture. Further revisions followed and by 1911 the Council had increased to eight members, six of whom were entitled to ministerial salaries. The Executive Council then included the Provincial Secretary, the Attorney-General, the Minister of Finance and Agriculture, the Minister of Mines, the Minister of Public Works, the Minister of Railways, and the President of the Council.

Since the cabinet is the executive arm of the government, it has the authority to enact regulations, as defined by the Regulations Act (RS 1979 c. 361), Regulations, so defined, include rules, orders, proclamations, and bylaws of a legislative nature, made under or by the authority of any act passed by the legislative assembly. Among the regulations are Orders-in-Council which are formally described as "official documents promulgating Government decisions concerned with the day-to-day operation of the Province. Note that Orders-in-Council are made under the authority of the Lieutenant-Governor or, more precisely, the Lieutenant-Governor in Council. The latter implies the Lieutenant Governor acting by and with the advice of, or by and with the advice and consent or in conjunction with, the Executive Council (Interpretation Act, RS 1979, c.206). Thus, the term "Lieutenant-Governor in Council" occurs frequently with reference to business conducted by what is otherwise known as the Executive Council, or cabinet.

The intricacies of the Executive Council in the colonial period are discussed in James E. Hendrickson, ed., The Journals of the Colonial Legislatures of Vancouver Island and British Columbia, 1851-1871. (Victoria: Queen's Printer, 1980), I, xxvi-xlviii. The nature and limitations of the provincial Executive Council are detailed in A.B. Keith, Responsible Government in the Dominions, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1926), vol. 1. John T. Saywell's The Office of the Lieutenant Governor (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1957) is also useful in understanding the constitutional character and complexities of the provincial cabinet.

By 1863 the colony of British Columbia had a government structure that consisted of an Executive Council and a Legislative Assembly

In 1866, the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia were united and the power and authority of the Executive and Legislative Councils of the Colony of British Columbia was extended to include Vancouver Island. When British Columbia joined Confederation as a province of the Dominion of Canada in 1871 the government structure continued to be based on the system of government in place in the colony, including the bicameral legislature

Kenneth R. Genn owned an accounting firm that had been established in 1901 by William Curtis Sampson. Sampson began the firm after working for the Canadian Pacific Railway and as a rancher in the Fraser Valley. In 1921, Reginald Genn took over the firm when Sampson retired. In 1953, Kenneth Reginald Genn took over the firm after his father died. Kenneth Genn died in 1982.

The first Legislative Council of the Colony of British Columbia was established by an Order in Council in 1863 (22 Vict., 11 June 1863). Prior to that, the governor of the colony (James Douglas) had unconditional power and authority to legislate and administer justice by proclamation.

In 1863, the Colonial Office in England instituted constitutional changes for the Colony of British Columbia, parallel to those already instituted in the Colony of Vancouver Island, by establishing a Legislative Council that was responsible for advising the Governor and giving consent on legislation for the colony. The Legislative Council had fifteen members: five principal heads of government departments (Colonial Secretary, Attorney-General, Treasurer, Commissioner of Lands and Works, and Collector of Customs), five magistrates appointed by the governor, and five members, selected by the gold commissioners, representing five districts of the colony.

The first Legislative Council was convened in January 1864 and a few days later the Governor formed an Executive Council consisting of himself as presiding member, the Colonial Secretary, Attorney-General, Treasurer, Commissioner of Lands and Works, and Collector of Customs.

When the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia were united in 1866, the government administration for the Colony of Vancouver Island was transferred to the authority of the Executive and Legislative Councils of the Colony of British Columbia. After 1868, the Police Magistrate for New Westminster replaced the Treasurer. The Colony of British Columbia had no Legislative Assembly.

Eight sessions of the Legislative Council were held between 1864 and 1871. In 1870, the British Columbia Government Act was passed in the British parliament which replaced the existing Legislative Council with one in which six of the nine members were elected for four year terms. It was this quasi-representative body, presided over by an elected speaker, which ratified the terms of confederation for the province of British Columbia.

The Executive Council and Legislative Council of the Colony of British Columbia ceased to exist when the colony became a province of the Dominion of Canada in July 1871. The first provincial election took place a few months later, electing the first premier, John McCreight. His government consisted of an Executive Council (Commissioner of Lands and Works, Attorney-General, and Colonial/Provincial Secretary) and a Legislative Assembly of 25 elected representatives.

The first Governor of the Colony of British Columbia, James Douglas, was appointed in 1858 by royal commission (22 Vict., 2 September 1858). Prior to that, the territories known as New Caledonia were under grant to the Hudson’s Bay Company. The establishment of the Colony of British Columbia resulted from two events: the termination the Crown grant with the Hudson’s Bay Company and, at the same time, an influx of population into the area resulting from the Fraser River gold rush.

The Government of British Columbia Act provided for a legislature with a council and an assembly, but from 1858 to 1864 absolute power and authority for the colony was invested by the Crown in the Governor. He was responsible for making and proclaiming laws and ordinances to establish "peace, order and good government" in the Colony. During this time, James Douglas was also the Governor of the Colony of Vancouver Island.

In 1863, the Colonial Office in England instituted constitutional changes for the Colony of British Columbia, parallel to those for the Colony of Vancouver Island, by establishing an Executive Council and a Legislative Council. The Governor was still the officer administering the government.

Douglas retired in 1864 and Frederick Seymour was appointed Governor of the Colony of British Columbia. At the same time, Edward Kennedy was appointed Governor of the Colony of Vancouver Island. When the two colonies united in 1866, the government administration for the Colony of Vancouver Island ceased to exist and the island came under the governance of the Colony of British Columbia.

Seymour remained as Governor of the united Colony of British Columbia and it was under his administration that the capital of the colony was moved from New Westminster to Victoria in 1868.

Seymour died in 1869 and he was succeeded as Governor by Anthony Musgrave. Musgrave was the Governor for the next two years, strongly supporting the Colony’s bid to join confederation as a province of the Dominion of Canada, which it did in 1871. Most of the colonial officials remained in their positions, under the authority of Lieutenant-Governor Joseph Trutch, until an election was held a few months after confederation. The first Premier of the province of British Columbia was John McCreight who served from 1871 to 1872.

Patricia Jordan, a registered nurse and politician, represented the North Okanagan in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1966 to 1982 as a Social Credit party member. She was Minister without Portfolio in the W.A.C. Bennett administration from December 12, 1966 to September 15, 1972. She was the Minister of Tourism in the Bill Bennett administration from January 11, 1980 to August 10, 1982.

The Lieutenant Governor in British Columbia was established July 20, 1871. The Lieutenant Governor is appointed by the Governor General acting by and with the advice of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada. Lieutenant governors are normally appointed for a period of not less than five years. The Lieutenant Governor fulfills several roles:

Vice-Regal

Directly represents the Queen of Canada, who is the legal Head of State in British Columbia. As Vice-Regal representative, the Lieutenant Governor acts as chief public representative and has the highest ranking position in the Provincial Government.
Represents the Crown as Chief Executive Officer during state and ceremonial events;
Acts as the vice-regal host for distinguished guests to British Columbia;
Perpetuates the traditional bond between the Crown, the Canadian Forces and uniformed services across British Columbia;
Supports an ongoing relationship between the Crown and the Indigenous Peoples of British Columbia and represents Her Majesty at appropriate events and ceremonies.

Constitutional

Upholds the constitutional framework in British Columbia. In this role the Lieutenant Governor personifies the Crown, which is both the apex and the unifying link in the constitutional and political structure of the province – executive, legislative, and judicial.
Ensures the continued existence of government in the Province of British Columbia;
Selects a First Minister as Premier of the Province;
Appoints and administers the Oaths of Office, Allegiance and Confidentiality to the Premier and members of the Executive Council;
Summons, prorogues and dissolves the Legislature;
Delivers the Speech from the Throne;
Provides Royal Assent to provincial legislation;
Signs orders-in-council, proclamations and other official documents before they have the force of law;
Presents Bills by Message into the Legislature when they involve taxation or expenditure of public money.

Celebratory

Celebrates, inspires and connects British Columbians, while promoting the history, culture and achievements of the province.
Recognizes distinguished British Columbians by presenting orders, decorations and medals, including prestigious award programs that carry the name of the Lieutenant Governor
Provides personal patronage to support and encourage worthy endeavours focused on public service, philanthropy, the arts and community volunteerism
Hosts and attends celebrations and social events to connect British Columbians
Showcases the heritage, art and culture of the province while hosting members of the Royal Family, heads of state, ambassadors, consuls general and other distinguished visitors

William Tipton was a Hudson's Bay Company clerk and postmaster at Telegraph Creek.

Beautiful British Columbia Magazine was the brain child of founding editor Clyde Harrington who initially suggested a full-colour travel publication to the provincial government. The first issue was entitled “Beautiful British Columbia: Land of New Horizons.” The magazine used large-format full-colour content. The magazine experienced a sharp increase in sales in the early 1960s as British Columbians started to send issues and subscriptions to friends and relatives worldwide. In 1983 the magazine was sold to the Jim Pattison Group.

From 1891 until 1971 the Public Schools Act provided for a "Council of Public Instruction composed of the Minister [of Education] and other members of the Executive Council of British Columbia." As chairman of the council, it was the minister's duty to advise his cabinet colleagues "on all matters relating to education in the province." In other words, when the cabinet met to consider educational matters it was functioning as the Council of Public Instruction.

The council was the highest level in the province's educational bureaucracy. It had a wide range of powers that it exercised by issuing rules and through orders in council. The rules of the council dealt with general regulations while orders concerned specific situations.

The powers of the council were laid out in the Public Schools Act. In general terms, its powers may be summarized under seven categories: definition, regulation, approval, investigation and adjudication, appointment, and establishment. Through its powers of definition the council could establish or abolish school districts, define the length of school terms, and decide the classes of teachers' certificates. Under its powers of regulation it could set conditions for establishing schools, determine conditions under which Bible readings were held in the schools, and establish the general duties of school teachers.

Through its powers of approval it formally sanctioned the use of certain textbooks. Under the heading of authorization the council approved the course of study used in the schools and made grants for vocational programmes. Investigation and adjudication involved cases of disputed school board elections and the suspension of teachers' certificates. The council's powers of appointment allowed it to appoint school trustees and members of the Provincial Board of Examiners, while under the category of establishment the council could establish special training programmes and summer schools for teachers.

The Council of Public Instruction ceased to exist on 02 April 1971 by an amendment to the Public Schools Act.