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The Official Traffic Commission was established by Council resolution in 1930 to investigate, consider and make recommendations to Council on traffic matters, both legislative and administrative, referred to it by Council, any Committee of the Council, the Police Commission, civic officials, any public body or persons, or on its own initiative.

Traffic matters the Commission dealt with included those pertaining to the regulation and control of traffic on the streets of the City, including automatic devices, signs and markings for controlling and regulating all traffic, as well as the best methods of obtaining and for enforcing such regulation and control.

The Official Traffic Commission was disbanded on May 18, 1976. All traffic issues formerly handled by the Commission were subsequently referred for decision directly to the Engineering Department, on the understanding that there be a right of appeal to Council.

In the early years the management of City-owned properties was the responsibility of the Office of the Assessment Commissioner. By 1912 the Land Purchasing and Claims Department was established to take over the function. The names for this unit fluctuated, e.g. by 1932 it was the Land Sales Department and by 1936 the Lands and Rentals Department. By the late 1940s the functions included land sales, rentals, building repairs, land subdivisions, and insurance; by the 1948 expansion additional responsibilities were land purchasing, industrial development, lot clearing (transferred from City Engineer), and wartime housing (159-E-6 reel 1 file 1). On July 27, 1957 City Council passed the recommendation of the newly formed Board of Administration (1956) that the following units would become part of a new Finance Department headed by the City Comptroller: City Comptroller's Office, Accounting, Addressograph and Multilith, Assessment, Internal Audit, License and Business Tax, Motor Vehicle Inspection, Personnel and Payroll, Property and Insurance [referred to as the Properties Division], Purchasing and Supply, Revenue Collection, Tabulating, and Treasurer. In 1978 the Properties Division became part of the Civic Buildings Department, which was reconfigured as the Housing and Properties Department in 1989. With the major City reorganization of 1995, the Housing and Properties Department became Real Estate Services, under the broad financial unit called Corporate Services.

The Property Endowment Fund and the Property Endowment Fund Board were created by Council resolution in 1975. The 5-member Board, which consists of the Mayor, two members of Council, the City Manager, and the Director of Finance, has the following purposes: to maintain or increase the City's ownership of strategic land in the City of Vancouver; to support the City's planning and development objectives; and to produce a reasonable return on the City's investment in properties consistent with the City's planning and development objectives. All decisions of the Board must be ratified by Council.

Since 1966, the Revenue and Treasury Division has been responsible for the functions of treasury and tax collection. The treasury function has been part of the Department of Finance since 1886. Prior to 1966, the duties associated with this function were carried out by the City Treasurer and included receiving monies, the paying of authorized accounts, custody of negotiable securities (with the Director of Finance) and the recording of debenture ownership as requested. The tax collection function has also been part of the Department of Finance since 1886. Prior to 1966, the duties associated with this function were carried out by various offices, e.g., the Collector of Taxes, Poll Tax Collector, Revenue Tax Collector, and Special Collections Branch, and included the collection of property taxes, local improvement charges and flat water rates, parking meter monies, and other sundry accounts, auctions involving the tax sale of property, the issuing of tax certificates and the custody of the tax rolls. In 1966, these two functions were brought together through the amalgamation of the Property Tax Branch and Collections Branch to form the Revenue and Treasury Division.

The Risk and Emergency Management Division was created in 1992 by the amalgamation of the Vancouver Emergency Program (formerly the Vancouver Civil Defence Board), and the Risk Management Program.

In 1951 the Province of British Columbia passed the Civil Defence Act, assigning responsibility to the Provincial Secretary and providing grants to local governments to set up defence programs. Consequently, in 1951 the City established the Vancouver Civil Defence Board and the position of Civil Defence Coordinator. The primary function of the Board was civil disaster preparedness; accomplished through the conduct of emergency operations exercises and training programs, and liaising with provincial and federal bodies to prepare for emergency operations during and after potential civil disasters such as earthquakes, fires, acts of terrorism and hazardous material spills. These activities have expanded to include staff training, public education, administration of the City's Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) and implementation of the Council approved emergency management initiatives.

In 1974 the Provincial Secretary changed the name of the function from Civil Defence Branch to the Provincial Emergency Program and requested local governments to change their terminology accordingly. In response, the Vancouver Civil Defence Board was renamed the Vancouver Emergency Program.

In 1985, in response to rising liability insurance premiums, City Council made the decision to establish a self-insurance program to handle liability claims against the City. A Risk Management Program was formally established as a division of the Department of Finance in February of 1987. The Program was designed to administer the self-insurance program and to handle liability claims against the City, as well as to advise other departments and civic bodies on minimizing risk of loss or damage to third parties. It also manages the City's insurance portfolio and administers the deductible reserve, initiates third party collection proceedings to recover damages and administers the self-insurance liability reserve.

In 1992 the Risk Maangement Program was joined with the Office of Emergency Management to form the Risk and Emergency Management Division, still within the Department of Finance. In 1995 Risk and Emergency Management became a division of the City Corporate Services Group.

Name changes evolved as follows:
Vancouver Civil Defence Board, 1951-1974;
Vancouver Emergency Program, 1974-1992;
Risk Management Program, 1987-1992;
Risk and Emergency Management Division, 1992-.

In the early years the management of City-owned properties was the responsibility of the Office of the Assessment Commissioner. By 1912 the Land Purchasing and Claims Department was established to take over the function. The names for this unit fluctuated, e.g. by 1932 it was the Land Sales Department and by 1936 the Lands and Rentals Department. By the late 1940s the functions included land sales, rentals, building repairs, land subdivisions, and insurance; by the 1948 expansion additional responsibilities were land purchasing, industrial development, lot clearing (transferred from City Engineer), and wartime housing (159-E-6 reel 1 file 1). On July 27, 1957 City Council passed the recommendation of the newly formed Board of Administration (1956) that the following units would become part of a new Finance Department headed by the City Comptroller: City Comptroller's Office, Accounting, Addressograph and Multilith, Assessment, Internal Audit, License and Business Tax, Motor Vehicle Inspection, Personnel and Payroll, Property and Insurance [referred to as the Properties Division], Purchasing and Supply, Revenue Collection, Tabulating, and Treasurer. In 1978 the Properties Division became part of the Civic Buildings Department, which was reconfigured as the Housing and Properties Department in 1989. With the major City reorganization of 1995, the Housing and Properties Department became Real Estate Services, under the broad financial unit called Corporate Services.

The Rental Accommodation Grievance Board was established by Council in September 1969 under By-law no. 4448. Three Board members were appointed by Council for about 3 years each, with one of those appointed chair, according to the by-law and amendments. The Board office was located on the ground floor of City Hall.

Created to solve some of the problems caused by Vancouver's low vacancy rate in rental housing, which left some tenants particularly vulnerable in rental disputes, the Board was authorized to settle grievances between landlords and tenants (e.g. excessive damage deposits, proper notice of rent increases, unauthorized entry, mitigation of damages, standards for accommodation, etc.).

As early as 1970, the Board's powers were called into question. Changes to the provincial Landlord and Tenant Act specifically noted the types of duties performed by the Board were under provincial jurisdiction. This legislation was confirmed in a Small Claims Court decision in February 1972. In 1973, the judgement was upheld by the B.C. Supreme Court and the Board was relegated to a more advisory role. Although the by-law remained in place, the powers of the Board had been effectively disallowed by the courts. In 1974, the provincial government assumed greater control over rental housing in the province with the establishment of the Office of the Rentalsman. With their responsibilities supplanted by provincial legislation, the Board advised the City Council that the Board should be disbanded and all services discontinued. Such a motion was passed by Council on February 18, 1975.

In 1990 City Council approved the South Shaughnessy Single Family Zoning Review Program. The purpose of the program was to respond to concerns about the design and landscaping of new houses in the area and the resulting change in character. The photodocumentation of "Second Shaughnessy" and "Third Shaughnessy" began in the summer of 1990 and was initially carried out by students working for consultant Robert G. Lemon Architecture and Preservation on behalf of the Shaughnessy Heights Property Owners Association. After the summer, Planning staff continued with the documentation and added the area from West 41st Avenue south to West 57th Avenue, west to East Boulevard, and east to Oak Street. The Planning Department's South Shaughnessy / South Granville Zoning Review Study was completed in 1996, after the creation of four new zones to respond to the varying concerns of different areas of Shaughnessy.

The Vehicles for Hire Board was established in 1967 with the passage of by-law no. 4299. The Board was comprised of one alderman, a member of the Board of Administration, the City Solicitor, the Chief Constable or his/her delegate and the License Inspector.

The by-law granted the Board the following powers:

• to regulate the owners and drivers of cabs, automobiles and other vehicles used for hire and every person carrying on any business or occupation in connection with vehicles for hire;
• to prescribe the conditions upon which licenses would be granted or refused to the owners of vehicles used for hire and the transfer of such licenses;
• to appoint the Senior Officer of the Traffic Division of the City Police, the Superintendent of the Motor Vehicle Inspection Station and the Manager of the Vancouver Traffic and Safety Council as a committee to recommend the qualifications which driving instructors should possess, the terms upon which their licenses should be granted and the reasons for which they should be suspended or cancelled and to report back such recommendation to the Board for appropriate action;
• to consider and to grant applications to fix a flat fee to convey passengers to and from the scene of special functions and events.

In January 1977, the Board was discontinued. The matters previously dealt with by the Board were subsequently referred to the Standing Committee on Transportation.

The Comptroller (also knowns as the controller) directed and coordinated Park Board office procedures and financial transactions. The responsibilities included:

• office management,
• accounting,
• personnel,
• purchasing, and
• cash control.

In the mid-sixties, the Chief Cashier and the Supervisor of Purchasing reported to the Comptroller. The Comptroller in turn reported to the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation. By 1965, the Park Board commissioners appointed an accountant to assist the controller due to an increasing workload. In 1970, the Comptroller was responsible for accounting, purchasing, personnel and office management. The next year, records duties, secretarial supervision and budgeting for the Board were added. By 1972, accounting and financial work in directing and coordinating all systems and procedures throughout the Park Board's jurisdiction pertaining to financial, accounting, inventory, and clerical or office matters were performed. All other supervisory personnel and staff were subject to the instructions of the Comptroller in matters affecting his area of responsibility. His performance is reviewed by the Superintendent and the Park Board. He was able to deal directly with the Park Board commissioners on financial matters.

This division was established in 1982 due to a split in the Financial Services division. It was responsible for the revenues and expenditures of all divisions, monitored the cash handing procedures for all outlets, dealt with lessees of Park Board proper

The full name of this committee was the Park Board Employees Safety Committee. The committee was made up of the heads of major departments within the Park Board including Beaches, Boulevards, Buildings/Structures, Landscape, Construction, Ice Rinks, Indoor Pools, Maintenance, Nurseries,Office, Supervised Recreation, Refreshment Services, Zoo and Forestry. It dealt with public and employee safety at all Park Board facilities. The committee dealt with the Workman's Compensation Board, distributed accident report forms to employees, and arranged safety courses for staff and supervisory personnel. It also distributed information pamphlets regarding safety to the public.

In 1912, the Board of Park Commissioners established Vancouver's first supervised children's playground at MacLean Park. By 1924, the position of Supervisor of Children's Playgrounds had been established with responsibility for six playgrounds and a staff of thirteen. This division was responsible for administrative and supervisory work that involved planning, designing and coordinating all municipal recreation facilities, projects and programs that provide cultural, social and physical activities throughout the Vancouver Park Board. These were planned with the residents and users and carried out at neighbourhood, local area, and city-wide levels. In 1974, due to a staff reorganization, the responsibilities expanded to include ice rinks. The Director was assigned an Assistant Director to help with the administration of these duties. The director of this division reported to the Superintendent. The division was headed by a supervisor and called the Division of Children's Playgrounds and Community Centres in 1950. In 1963 the division's name changed to Supervised Recreation and its head was called a Director. The name of the division was again changed in 1972 to the Recreation Program, and finally, it was changed to Recreation Services during the reorganization which occurred in 1974.