Talk:List of municipalities in British Columbia/Archive 1

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Sechelt Indian Government District
This is mentioned, but not explained; it's under the Municipal Act and not a band government, although the Shishalh Nation and the Band Council are part of the apparatus; it's a unique situation and when it was passed was seen as a way to derail sovereignty issues in the Lands Claim process; no other First Nation has gone forward with any similar enacting legislation, which is under the Municipal Act. Too complicated to explain further but see this google search and read its first three or four links; it should be on the List of Municipalities for sure, with a special designation just like the Island Municipality of Bowen Island and the Resort Municipality of Whistler.Skookum1 (talk) 16:58, 7 August 2008 (UTC)

Sorting
When sorting by population, I think it is sorting by the first digit rather than the whole number. I sure don't know how to fix it. AntidoteWasHad (talk) 21:12, 8 September 2009 (UTC)

New format
I've created a new format for this page and am looking for input. The motivation is primarily that it would not meet Featured List status today given the very short lead and tables containing only 1 item, as well as a desire to see it formatted in a consistent way with other Canadian municipality featured lists. I did add information and sources from other pages, but it's mostly formatting. Specifically I: corrected decimals, merged the tables, added sums for each municipal type, merged municipal subheading with the lead, added some stats to the lead, pulled descriptions of municipal types from their respective pages, changed the order of the columns to match each other, and added more images. The only thing missing is a description of some of the more obscure municipality types and some of of the very nice maps found in the other featured municipality lists. Please let me know what you think and if you can help on the last two points. Thanks.

The version can be found here. Mattximus (talk) 21:41, 15 September 2014 (UTC)


 * I support this for the latter reason – to make it consistent with other Canadian municipality FLs. The data in the table for cities, DMs, towns and villages should be transcluded from their main articles to prevent having to update the data in two places. Had it been done this way, the fact that Maple Ridge became a city last Friday would have been automatically transcluded to your sandbox version. Do you want me to do this? I will make the usual maps when there is time. Hwy43 (talk) 02:53, 16 September 2014 (UTC)
 * That would be wonderful. I don't know how to do the transcluding myself, but it would be great if we only need to update one page. Is it still ok if they are together in a table? Looking forward to your maps as well! Mattximus (talk) 21:54, 16 September 2014 (UTC)


 * I have begun. There is a little bit a re-work that I ask you do. Please visit the four main articles to correct the decimals there. Thanks, Hwy43 (talk) 03:40, 17 September 2014 (UTC)


 * The build of the transcluded consolidated table is done and has been transferred into this article. Hwy43 (talk) 06:23, 17 September 2014 (UTC)
 * Will work on decimals. What do you think about the short summaries for each municipality type (with the most/least populous) found here? The other provinces have something equivalent. Mattximus (talk) 21:19, 17 September 2014 (UTC)


 * Of course. The summaries should replace the first section in its entirety. Hwy43 (talk) 07:11, 18 September 2014 (UTC)


 * Replaced all summaries. I much prefer this format. I hope the content is still featured level. Have not yet worked on the decimals, but that's my next project. Thanks for your support! Mattximus (talk) 21:48, 18 September 2014 (UTC)


 * I found relevant sections of the Local Government Act that describe incorporation of mountain resort municipalities and island municipalities. See Sections 11 and 11.1. Hwy43 (talk) 05:32, 19 September 2014 (UTC)


 * Here is the current RM of Whistler Act. According to this, I'm guessing the first edition of this act was enacted in 1975. The original RM of Whister Act appears to have been approved in 1975. Hwy43 (talk) 06:00, 19 September 2014 (UTC)


 * This appears to be the federal legislation that created the Sechelt IGD, while this appears to be the provincial legislation that provides it municipal powers. Hwy43 (talk) 05:49, 19 September 2014 (UTC)


 * And according to this, the official classification of Northern Rockies Regional Municipality is "district municipality", not "regional municipality". Hwy43 (talk) 05:55, 19 September 2014 (UTC)


 * This observation about Northern Rockies Regional Municipality has since been addressed at its article, this article, and List of district municipalities in British Columbia. Hwy43 (talk) 07:52, 20 September 2014 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the sources, I believe I've now incorporated all of them into the article. What do you think of the page? I think all we need are some nice maps and it's complete. Should I move efforts onto the next municipal list? Only 6 more to go...! Mattximus (talk) 17:04, 27 September 2014 (UTC)

Looking good. I'd like to see the "Other municipal status types" section divided into separate sections for each of the four types, just like done at all the other FLs. Maps are forthcoming. For the remaining six, I suggest NS or PE based on availability of references. See User:Hwy43/Sandbox for a library of known references found thus far. Hwy43 (talk) 08:14, 28 September 2014 (UTC)
 * Linked legislation notwithstanding (NB other oddities in BC are that ski lift operations are "railways" and governed by the Railways Act), BC Names, which is also official and the main name-directory for BC items, says "Regional Municipality"; CGNDB would have the sameSkookum1 (talk) 03:26, 23 November 2014 (UTC)
 * Somewhere there's a cite for regional districts being defined/classed as municipalities in and of themselves (though actually accretions of them plus surrounding non-municipal areas). So what's in the legislation vs what's in official government name/classification systems is an issue in general.Skookum1 (talk) 03:32, 23 November 2014 (UTC)

Defunct municipalities
There are quite a few, ranging from those absorbed by current municipalities, such as the District of Sumas and District of Matsqui and Village of Kinnaird (now part of the City of Castlegar), Fraser Mills (now part of the City of Coquitlam) or the former Town of Mission City, now part of the District of Mission since amalgation with the District. One I came across which quite surprised me was Dewdney, which used to be a municipality early in the 20th Century but I cant' find out when it was decommissioned back into an unorganized area (lack of revenues/viability probably). Others which I think had municipal status include Sandon, Phoenix, Fairview and various others; I don't think Barkerville was ever incorporated but maybe so....some large towns like Ocean Falls, Anyox and Bralorne were never incorporated so far as I know, but were company towns only.Skookum1 (talk) 16:58, 7 August 2008 (UTC)
 * NB there are also defunct Regional Districts (Dewdney-Alouette, Central Fraser Valley and certain others).Skookum1 (talk) 16:59, 7 August 2008 (UTC)


 * I created such a list in my user space but never transferred it over to the mainspace. I was not able to find sources for the empty fields. --maclean 19:18, 7 August 2008 (UTC)
 * interesting - Chilliwhack was the old District vs the City of Chilliwack, which I think was always a city (or maybe a town?). Dewdney I only know about from a bio of a Mr. McKamey, who was its first reeve; I have the bio, think it was from an old-old newspaper column somewhere, but no info on when the muni was founded or ended and what its boundaries were.  Fraser Mills the city of Coquitlam should have something on; an anomaly in the RD, its mayor was the Prez of Crown Zellerbach, or the big bossman of the mill itself maybe, and the only voters (about 100) lived in workers' housing; a "pocket borough" for CZ in terms of local politics - a seat on the RD board, once RDs were created.  South Fort George User:CindyBo may be able to help with, just by going to PG City Hall and asking; this table should be added to the bottom of hte current page, or maybe be its own page; Category:Former municipalities in British Columbia seems a more apt wording for the cat, as some aren't defunct but survive in amalgamations.  Thanks for the list, glad someone else was thinking along the same lines.  Something similar for company-owned company towns could maybe be come up with, though none had councils and what the list would be was the roster of company bosses in charge of them.....Skookum1 (talk) 19:57, 7 August 2008 (UTC)

I just found and added cites/content to the Dewdney, British Columbia and Nicomen Island articles as to their previous municipal status; what their exact boundaries were I'm not sure; the community of Dewdney as we know it today was called Johnston's Landing then and is on Nicomen Island. The Nicomen Island municipality seems to have been called "Nicomen" and included Deroche and Lake Errock, Dewdney municipality included Hatzic Island and I'm guessing maybe Hatzic Prairie/Durieu just north of it,and probably abutted the DoM boundary at Hatzic (which is not the same as Hatzic Prairie though "Hatzic" to locals would include Hatzic Island and other areas just outside the DoM boundary. I'll surmise BC Names about this per their listings, not sure where else to look for more e.g. maps of their boundaries but at least I've got them cited now.

Kinda wondering if the former municipalities section couldn't be table-ized as there are so many we know of now.Skookum1 (talk) 09:48, 22 November 2014 (UTC)


 * Good work finding those cites Skookum1. I'm since added Dewdney and Nicomen Island and their cites to the "Former municipalities" section. It would be nice to find an official date of Nicomen Island's disorganization, as well as confirmation of its municipal status and the reason for disorganization. Same with Dewdney regarding municipal status. Hwy43 (talk) 07:25, 23 November 2014 (UTC)


 * Noting your addition of Dewdney and Nicomen Island (sic) I haven't yet asked BC Names, or the MCA, for that matter, as to what the name of the municipality that included Nicomen Island, Deroche and Lake Errock actually was...I suspect it may simply have been "Nicomen" but will confirm that once I can.Skookum1 (talk) 08:04, 23 November 2014 (UTC)
 * I wrote to BC Names about these today, but am going to look at BC Archives to see if they have the historical legislation/incorporation/disincorporation (yes, that's the term to use) papers or anything else that might apply; t he Ministry of Municipal Affairs would be the "next stop" maybe.Skookum1 (talk) 10:02, 23 November 2014 (UTC)


 * What do you think about having it's own article List of former municipalities of British Columbia? I'm a little concerned that if we add more and then table-ize them, we're adding a bit too much to this one article and straying from the focus. Mattximus (talk) 17:31, 22 November 2014 (UTC)


 * that's probably the best idea; the current little parag is already link-heavy and will be moreso once all are found/included.Skookum1 (talk) 03:18, 23 November 2014 (UTC)


 * I continue to disagree with splitting former municipalities off into another article at this time. The article is less than 30,000 bytes. First rather, I'd prefer it to be table-ized here as suggested above and see where we go from there. Hwy43 (talk) 07:25, 23 November 2014 (UTC)

Resort municipality: official municipal status vs. municipal funding program
The primary, definitive source of the official incorporated municipal statuses granted to municipalities in BC is the Government of British Columbia (GoBC). A resort municipality is defined as "a populated place incorporated as a resort municipality." There is one municipality in BC that has been granted resort municipality status – Whistler. Due to similarly named municipal funding program named the Resort Municipality Initiative, some editors have made the assumption that if a municipality is eligible for the Resort Municipality Initiative (RMI) funding program, then it must also have the official incorporated municipal status of resort municipality. This is not the case. It is understandable how the assumption can be made as the GoBC's Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training selected, arguably carelessly, a misleading name for the funding program. To be clear:
 * Fernie, Kimberley, Revelstoke and Rossland are officially incorporated as cities under the Municipal Act;
 * Golden and Osoyoos are officially incorporated as towns under the Municipal Act;
 * Invermere, Tofino and Ucluelet are officially incorporated as district municipalities under the Municipal Act;
 * Harrison Hot Springs and Radium Hot Springs are officially incorporated as villages under the Municipal Act; and
 * Sun Peaks is officially incorporated as a mountain resort municipality - a similar yet different official incorporated municipal status type.

As RMI webpage states, the RMI "program is intended to assist small, tourism-based municipalities." Furthermore, the RMI eligibility webpage outlines the eligibility requirements for the funding program. To be eligible, the municipality must be either:
 * incorporated as a resort municipality (i.e. Whistler);
 * incorporated as a mountain resort municipality (i.e. Sun Peaks); or
 * designated as a resort region under the authority of the Local Government Act (Section 58]).

The municipality must also meet a second requirement that is not dependent on incorporated municipal status or resort region designation.

So, the 12 other municipalities receiving funding are located within designated resort regions (confirmed by the Resort Regions Regulation) while retaining the original and official incorporated city, town, district municipality and village statuses.

It is unfortunate the ministry responsible for the program then contradicts the eligibility requirements in the following paragraph by stating there "are 14 resort municipalities that are eligible to participate in RMI." It exacerbates the confusion.

It should say there "are 14  resort municipalities that are eligible to participate in RMI." Had the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development (the ministry responsible for municipalities) been involved in the naming of the RMI funding program, perhaps this unnecessary confusion could have been avoided. Unfortunately we must live with this confusion, but hopefully this explanation clears this up. Cheers, Hwy43 (talk) 02:49, 26 October 2016 (UTC)


 * Thanks a lot for taking the time to make this clear. It was that one line, "there are 14 resort municipalities that are eligible to participate in RMI," that had me misunderstand and had me use that source. Have a good one. Air.light (talk) 03:01, 26 October 2016 (UTC)


 * No problem. I thought this good faith error occurred once or twice on this article before but can't find record of it. Perhaps it was a different but similar article. If you see others falling victim to the confusion on other articles, please point them to this discussion. Cheers, Hwy43 (talk) 03:06, 26 October 2016 (UTC)


 * Will do. Perhaps you saw it on the List of communities in British Columbia‎ article instead. Air.light (talk) 03:09, 26 October 2016 (UTC)


 * Thanks to your recent edits elsewhere on my watchlist, it was two IP editors  at List of communities in British Columbia. I'll post a note there. Hwy43 (talk) 03:12, 26 October 2016 (UTC)