Uncovering Burnaby: When the province took over Burnaby

In early January 1943, Burnaby Municipal Hall inaugurated its first elected council in a decade.

“Burnaby faces a new life, and I have every reason to believe that it will make sound, substantial progress,” said W.T. Willson as he was sworn in as reeve at the municipal hall in Edmonds on Jan. 4, according to a Vancouver Sun article from the time.

Willson was the first elected reeve since 1932, when the District of Burnaby went into receivership and was placed under the administration of Richard Bolton, under the authority of the BC government.

Indeed, Burnaby didn’t always have its famously deep reserves—in the early 1930s, the municipality defaulted on its debts.

Deputy minister of municipal affairs at the time, E.H. Bridgman, called the inauguration a “red letter day” for the municipality.

“I see no reason why Burnaby should not continue to progress, and I congratulate council and the ratepayers on the return of their franchise,” he said.

By 1943, Burnaby’s financial position had “vastly improved,” the Sun wrote of a report from Bolton.

The municipality’s debt in December 1932 had reached $3.9 million ($81 million in today’s money), a figure that had been reduced to $2.5 million ($52 million today) by December 1942.

The municipal treasurer pinned some of the blame on the nearly $4.2 million in expenses on relief during the depression.

But in the years since 1932, Burnaby had also attracted new employers to the community—12 new industries employed at least 1,000 residents, according to Bolton.

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