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Elected in 1968 under the Non-Partisan Association (N.P.A.) slate, Brian K. Calder resigned from the N.P.A. in December of 1969. In 1970 he ran under The Elector's Action Movement (T.E.A.M.) organization and served as alderman until stepping down in 1972. He served on the Town Planning Commission, worked for programs for transient youth and opposed a second crossing of Burrard Inlet.

Term of office:
1969-1972

Terms of Office:

1968-1973 (council)
1973-1977 (mayor)

Michael Franklin Harcourt was born in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1943. On moving to Vancouver he attended Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School. He later attended the University of British Columbia, graduating with a B.A. and an L.L.B. Mr. Harcourt spent much of his time working with community service programmes. From 1970-1972 he was director of the Legal Aid Society of B.C. He was elected as an alderman in November 1972 and served on City Council as an alderman until 1979. He was elected as Mayor of Vancouver in 1980 and served in that capacity until 1986.

term of office:
1972-1979 (councillor)
1980-1986 (mayor)

Geoffrey Massey, son of Canadian actor Raymond Massey, was born in England in 1924, and became a Canadian citizen when he enlisted in the army in 1942. After four years' service, he attended the Harvard School of Design, graduating in 1948. Massey moved to Vancouver in 1952, and pursued a successful career as an architect, joining forces with Arthur Erickson in 1964. The two produced the prize-winning overall design for Simon Fraser University and won Massey Medals for their MacMillan-Bloedel Building, the "Man in his Community" pavilion at Expo '67, and for the Canadian Government pavilion at Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan. In 1972, Massey left the Erickson- Massey partnership and was successful in his bid for an aldermanic seat. He served the 1973-1974 term, but did not seek re-election. However, he accepted an appointment to the City Planning Commission for 1975-1976.

Term of office:
1973-1974

The Mechanics Institute Burrard Inlet was established on January 13, 1869 to build a building, establish a collection, and support a Reading Room Library and Museum at Moodyville. The building was formally opened on January 23rd. Some 40 individuals had contributed $5 each to erect a suitable building "at Moody's Mills for a reading room and library and for furnishing the same with Books and Papers"; donors had included S. P. Moody, Geo. Dietz, Josiah C. Hughes (the first president), P. W. Swett (the first vice president), among many others. The organization was referred to as The Library of the Mechanics Institute by 1874 (ref. Add.MSS 54 vol. 13, microfiche 06618).

The Metropolitan Board of Health of Greater Vancouver was established in 1936 under section 51 of the provincial Health Act and by formal agreement of the following: Corporation of Burnaby, Corporation of Richmond, City of Vancouver, North Shore Union Board of Health (representing North Vancouver, District of North Vancouver and West Vancouver school boards and municipal governments), the Boards of School Trustees for Burnaby, Richmond and Vancouver, and the Ministry of Health representing the University Endowment Lands. The Board was comprised of Medical Health Officers (who also formed the Board's Administrative Council) and Council and School Board representatives from each area, plus two provincial appointees. The purpose of the Metropolitan Board of Health was to provide a link between health agencies of the metropolitan area so that, where feasible, consistent policies might be adopted to deal with shared problems. The Board also acted as an advisory group dealing with broad public health issues. This responsibility included mental health issues, and from 1973 to 1985 the Board had direct operating responsibility for the Greater Vancouver Mental Health Service (which subsequently became the Greater Vancouver Mental Health Service Society, or GVMHSS). Member agencies of the Board were first requested to contribute annually to the incidental and operating expenses of the Board in March of 1982. The Board formally dissolved on January 1, 1997, upon the establishment of the regional health boards of Vancouver/Richmond, Burnaby/Simon Fraser, North Shore and South Fraser.

James Alexander Paton was born in Beamsville, Ontario and came to British Columbia in 1905. He worked at several jobs: mining, railroad construction, surveying and carpentry. In 1907 he moved to Vancouver and by 1908 he had begun to publish the Point Grey Gazette. He remained a newspaper publisher until 1925, but he also became involved in local politics. From 1911-1912 he was a school trustee for the Municipality of Point Grey. He became an Alderman in 1924 and was Reeve from 1925-1927. After amalgamation, he served as an alderman for Vancouver. He also sat on numerous other public boards. From 1930-1936, Paton was secretary of the B.C. Canteen Fund. In 1937, he was chosen by the Provincial Conservative Party to run as a member of the Legislative Assembly for Vancouver - Point Grey. He was elected and remained in office until his death in 1946.

Term of office:
1929-1930

The Accounting Division recorded transactions in books of original entry, posted data to ledgers, summarized data in trial balance, and prepared financial statements. [Formerly known as the "Office of the City Accountant" until 1966?]

Accounting kept records by fund, e.g., capital fund, general revenue fund, sinking fund, debt charges equalization fund, and cemetery perpetual care fund.

Charles Edward Sweeney was born on August 30, 1930. He is one of eight children of Leo Sweeney, owner of Sweeney Cooperage Ltd. Ed Sweeney later became Vice President of that firm, although he eventually sold his share to brothers Frank and Jack in 1972. After three unsuccessful attempts, Sweeney gained an aldermanic seat in 1966, running on the Non-Partisan Association (N.P.A.) slate. He served three terms before being defeated again in the 1972 election. He ran once more, successfully, in 1974, but did not seek re-election after serving that term. Sweeney also had some interest in provincial politics. Switching from the provincial Liberal Party to the Social Credit Party in 1968, he was nominated as a candidate for West Point Grey in the provincial election of 1972, but failed to gain a seat.

Term of office:
1967-1976

The Archives Advisory Committee was established by Council on 13 February 1975 to advise the City Clerk and City Archivist on acquisitions, donations, revenue projects, public education, public relations, equipment, facilities, and related matters.

The Vancouver Athletic Commission was established on April 30th, 1945 with the passing of by-law 2875, and is responsible for controlling and supervising professional boxing, kick boxing, and wrestling events in the city. It also prescribes the rules and regulations governing these events. The Commission consists of five members, four appointed by City Council on an annual basis, and the fifth member a councillor, who acts as a liason between the Board and City Council.

The provincial Town Planning Act of 1925 (section 16) required that a zoning by-law board of appeal be established by local governments. When the Town Planning Act was repealed the Zoning Board of Appeal was further provided for in the Vancouver Charter of 1959 (sections 572 and 573). The City passed the Zoning Board of Appeal By-law (no. 3844) on 17 May 1960. Its functions were to act as an appeal Board to zoning decisions made by an individual official or a City body (at that time the Technical Planning Board). The by-law provided for inspection of building sites by the Board. The Planning Department was to assign an employee as secretary and records custodian for the Board. Members of the Board were appointed and were to to have no connection with the City. The Board's function can be stated as:
(1) Zoning By-law exception rulings.
The Zoning Board of Appeal made final decisions and reported to no higher authority.
From the 1925 Town Planning Act the internal organization has remained fairly consistent: one Board member appointed by City Council, another by the Lieutenant-Governor in Council of the Province of British Columbia, and the third and chair by the other two. In recent years membership has been slightly enlarged.
Names varied as follows: Zoning By-law Board of Appeal, 1927-1960; Zoning Board of Appeal, 1960-1988; (and as of 1988, Board of Variance).

In 1929, the City of Vancouver purchased 478.61 acres on Sea Island as the site for an airport which was formally opened in 1931. The airport was administered by special committees composed of City Council members and the airport manager. During World War II, the City's authority regarding the airport was assumed by the federal government, although the special committee continued to function in the daily operation of the airport. Control of the airport was returned to the City in 1947. In 1949, the special committee method of airport administration was changed by by-law no. 3146, which created the Vancouver Airport Board. The Board, which consisted of five unpaid members, functioned as the administrative body for the airport until the City sold its interest in the operation to the federal government in 1962.

[1]
The 1886 Act of Incorporation of the City of Vancouver provided for ten Aldermen and a Mayor to form the Council. Aldermen were renamed Councillors in 1992. The broad function of Councillors, as direct representatives of the public, is to participate in the governance of the city through Council and its various Committees, Boards and Commissions. As members of Council, they propose by-laws and resolutions, consider and vote on all matters governed by the Council, and generally bring public and political concerns to the decision-making process. In carrying out these responsibilities, Councillors have no authority as individuals other than those powers delegated by Council as a whole. An example is the appointment by Council of one of its members as Deputy Mayor. Until 1936, Councillors were primarily elected under the ward system, in which Councillors were representatives of their respective wards. Since 1936, they have been elected in the present "at large" system. The nature of Councillors' duties have also changed over time. Before 1956, they were involved in all aspects of the governance of the City, including its daily operations. Since 1956, when the Committee structure of governance was abolished and a Board of Administration was established in their place to manage all operations, Councillors have become more involved in policy development and deciding long term goals for the city. They have also had the opportunity to specialize in their own areas of civic interest.

[2]
Under the Vancouver Charter Council has authority to delegate its executive or administrative powers to any committee comprised of members of Council or employees of the City. In many respects the "special committees" established during their particular periods indicate the issues or administrative trends of their day. For example, from 1930 to 1959 Council struck a very large number of special committees for brief periods to carry out a wide variety of activities, while more recently, since about 1975, special committees are fewer and generally remain in place for a number of years. Special committees have been assigned power to act or charged with reporting and preparing recommendations for Council. During 1930-1959 it was particularly common practice to also consider the following types of groups "special committees": ad hoc subcommittees of standing committees, working groups of senior staff who submitted reports (and sometimes recommendations), and small delegations of Council members in search of information or to communicate with higher government offices. Special committee memberships have varied widely, including many combinations of Council and/or City staff, private citizens, and members of outside organizations.

Predecessor to Vancouver (B.C.) Law Department

The Office of the City Analyst was first established in the Health Department in 1892. With few exceptions, the responsibilities and functions of the City Analyst's Lab have remained constant since the establishment of the office. Changes that have occurred include having responsibility for Food Inspectors from 1924 to 1949, and absorbing the functions of the City's Chemical Engineering Laboratory in 1951. The office of the City Analyst has continued to provide consultation, physical and chemical analytical services to the City of Vancouver departments, and to outside agencies. The civic departments which use the services provided by the City Analyst include the Health Department for the testing of food, water, beverages, and environmental contaminants; the Engineering Department for corrosion-related studies of potable water and soil; Permits and Licenses for analyses of waste water effluents; and the Police Department for assistance in homicide, sexual assault, arson, and impaired driving investigations. The Housing and Properties Department, the Fire Department and the Board of Parks and Recreation are occasional users of the City Analyst's services. The laboratory also provides assistance to outside agencies including the office of the Chief Coroner of British Columbia which retains toxicological services on a yearly contract, surrounding municipalities, and crown and defense attorneys.