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Archival description
Only top-level descriptions British Columbia. Ministry of Lands, Parks and Housing
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BC Parks In-house materials master files

  • GR-3888
  • Series
  • 1937-2008

This series consists of a variety of graphic materials from the BC Parks in-house materials master files from 1937-2008. The files include mock-ups, drafts and finished examples of activity books, pamphlets, signs, badges, stickers, logos, name tags and pins for use in parks programming or display in Provincial Parks.

Pre-2000 records include park trail guides and maps including wildlife watching pamphlets and other special interest activities popular in provincial parks. The series also includes Canada Parks Day graphic design samples, parks news releases and press clippings, promotional materials including stickers, bumper stickers, pins, colouring pages, activities for children, road maps, camping site information and things to do in the area. There are also visitor guides, brochures, interpretive trail guides, and a limited amount of correspondence. Records cover provincial parks around the whole province, though some may be missing.
While some records do not appear to be organized in a specific way, maps, trail guides and related pamphlets are organized to some extent by region and year of publication.

British Columbia. Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks

BC Parks plans, programs and publications

  • GR-3803
  • Series
  • 1950-2014

The series contains records related to the management of provincial parks and protected recreational areas in British Columbia.

The records provide extensive background information on Provincial Parks areas, notably Junction Sheep Range Provincial Park, Marble Range Provincial Park, Edge Hills Provincial Park, Churn Creek protected area, Big Creek Provincial Park, Hakai Recreation Area, Ten Mile Lake and other areas in the Cariboo district. There are many photographic prints mixed in with the records, as well as other media (copies of maps, floppy disks, ephemera). The records provide important evidence of the BC Parks Division’s functions and activities in relation to park identification, establishment, management, operation and control of parks and other protected areas.
The series also contains copies of recreation related management plans and conservation related management plans, as well as original maps and published histories of BC Parks. Management plans include feasibility studies, cost analyses, contract details and plan information.

The records are arranged according to the BC Parks Operation Records Classification System (ORCS schedule 113827) and its successor the Parks and Protectes Areas Records Classification System (schedule 186896). Some common primary and secondary numbers from this series are:

82800-10: Graphic Materials Collection.
The records in this series classified under this number relate to park-related graphic materials, including original copies of brochures and reports used for publication. This includes copies of the BC Parks Guide and related records concerning their development and publication.

83500-00: Interpretive, Information, and Education programs
The records classified under this number related to various visitor programs for adults, families, children and schools organized by BC Parks. The records include information concerning the program objectives, activities, learning outcomes, schedules and attendance data. There is also information about instructors, budget, requests from schools, and thank you letters.

84360-40: Land-Management Plans - Parks and Recreation areas
The records classified under this number relate to approved park and recreation area management plan files and document the history of individual British Columbia parks and recreation areas, as well as the land-use activities permitted in those areas.

The records comprise mainly of large folders of background information relating to specific parks. They contain various analytical reports, inventories and studies on soil, wildlife, landscape and flora. Other types of records found in these folders are land value appraisals, land referrals, leases and Resource Use Permits, meeting agendas, briefing notes and correspondence referrals, management plans and progress reports, workshops, correspondence and reports on land-use recommendations.

A limited number of files also contain extensive correspondence and related files dealing with park issues, notably possible violations of the Park Act. These include legal services requisitions.

British Columbia. Ministry of Environment (2005-2017)

BC Parks policies

  • GR-3870
  • Series
  • 1984-2005

The series contains printed copies of various policies and procedures that have been place at BC Parks. The policies helped inform employees about the proper procedures for dealing with a variety of issues that could take place at their offices and outdoors in the parks.

Presently, the series contains the policies and procedures on the following topics:

Discover Camping policies (Campground Reservation Service): contains policies and procedures for employees responsible for reservations of campgrounds. This include a manual indicating all the steps and required information for booking a reservation, as well as policies for limits to requests, discounts, receipts, payments, cut-off times, no-shows, reservation changes and cancellations etc. The manual includes a telephone script for customer service representatives.

Mineral Exploration and Development in Parks: contains a policy on mineral exploration and development in parks and recreational areas.

Permit Management Policy and Procedures: contains recommendations and changes for a new effective and decentralized processed for permits such as research permits, BC Hydro permits, and minor film productions. The records solicit opinions from various BC Parks offices about what to include in the new manual, as well as memos and Terms of Reference from the Permit Program Team.

Public Safety and Park Security: contains the Introduction to Enforcement Handbook and amendment packages for Park Rangers, as well as various policies on safety of both employees and park visitors.

British Columbia. Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection

BC Parks survey reports

  • GR-3869
  • Series
  • 1980-2011

This series contains survey reports created by BC Parks. The majority of these reports were done to assess customer satisfaction during park day visits and overnight campground stays. They document visitor satisfaction trends, importance rankings of services and facilities and offer comparisons to other years as well as recommendations for improving visitor experience. This series also includes employee satisfaction survey reports in which BC Parks assesses the overall working culture at the agency and Visitor Programs annual reports which detail program and visitor centre visits, as well as recommendations for special programs, budgets etc. Finally the series also includes survey reports from Provincial Parks and Wilderness for the 90s which was an initiative that sought better management of protected areas for the purpose of conservation and recreation. These surveys allowed visitors to express their views on the program, ask questions and offer suggestions for future protected areas. The first 1,600 or so are written on a standard survey form typically submitted by individuals from the public. Later responses were sent letter-style on regular paper and are typically from organizations, businesses and non-profits. Some surveys include attached articles or pictures to support the views of the writer. The responses have been coded by a Parks employee to easily compile relevant information and are arranged by date received.

Some other survey reports that were conducted either by BC Parks or for BC Parks by external agencies are included in this series. This includes a BC Consumer Omnibus survey on outdoor recreation and other household surveys in which members of the public were asked to respond to a survey detailing their experience and opinion regarding outdoor recreation in BC. The results of these surveys were meant to inform BC Parks on future developments and business strategies.
Typically, files include a blank copy of the original survey as well as a written report summarizing the results and findings.
Other forms of documents related to or created from information found in the survey reports may also be found in this series such as briefing summaries for the Minister.

British Columbia. Ministry of Environment (2005-2017)

Correspondence and other material

  • GR-1411
  • Series
  • 1917-1922

This series contains departmental general correspondence files, 1917-1922, pertaining to Songhees land in Victoria. Files, which had been alienated from the Railway Dept. filing system (also see GR-0817) and transferred to the Dept. of Lands, include Railway file 53.3 "Songhees industrial leases", 53.4 "Foundation Company--Imperial Munitions Board" and parts of 53.5 "Johnson Street Bridge". The series also contains two agreements (1917, 1919) involving the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway.

British Columbia. Railway Dept.

Correspondence index to lands files

  • GR-0993
  • Series
  • 1980

The series consists of indexes to correspondence files relating to the administration of Crown lands and natural resources. The records were created in 1980 from a computer print-out of various departmental indexes and includes references to files created by various branches of the Dept. of Lands and Works (1872-1908), the Dept. of Lands (1908-1945), the Dept. of Lands and Forests (1945-1962), the Dept. of Lands, Forest and Water Resources (1962-1975) and the Ministry of Lands, Parks and Housing. It provides access to active, microfilmed and obsolete O series files and pre-1918 files.

The records consist of one subject index and two lists which can be used to identify and locate Lands Correspondence files. They are not comprehensive, as they do not cover all the correspondence files created between 1871 and 1986.

The index and lists may be used to locate a file number for a subject area of interest, or to determine the subject of a file when only the number of the file is known.

Note that a listing in these documents does not necessarily mean that the file is held at the BC Archives. Many active files remain with the Crown Land Registry.

British Columbia. Surveys and Land Records Branch

Ministry of Lands, Parks and Housing films

  • GR-3367
  • Series
  • 1940-1948

The series consists of 9 reels of film from approximately 1940-1948. The films were created by the BC Forest Service and Parks Section. They document the scenery in various parks in BC and recreational activities such as skiing and hiking.

British Columbia. Ministry of Lands, Parks and Housing

Parks and Outdoor Recreation operational records

  • GR-3706
  • Series
  • 1928-2003; predominant 1960-1994

The series consists consists of a wide variety of operational records created by the Parks and Outdoor Recreation Division, and its predecessor the Parks Branch, predominantly from 1960-1994. The records relate to setting long term management direction for the creation, use, development and protection of provincial parks and protected areas. Management directions are established through master plans, management plans, management direction statements and purpose statements. Systemic planning involves consultation with the Premier’s office, land use planning offices, and regional and federal government agencies. The records also concern participation in inter-agency resource management planning, such as land, marine and coastal land use plans.

Records include: integrated resource planning project files; inter-ministry co-operation files (Parks with other ministries such as Health, Mines, Forests, etc.); trail corridor planning files; end of season assessment reports on interpretative, information and education programs in parks; recreational activities files; files concerning facilities and safety and security in parks; background documents used in establishing management directions; consultation with communities, user groups and First Nations; and files regarding various other operational policies and procedures. See for example, files concerning policies on boating, camping, caving, skiing, etc.

Note that all records concerning the Alexander Mackenzie Trail fall under various titles including: Nuxalk-Carrier Grease Trail, the Alexander Mackenzie Trail, Alexander Mackenzie Grease Trail, and Alexander Mackenzie Heritage Trail.

Record types include correspondence, memoranda, news clippings, maps, committee minutes, reports, studies, proposals, seminar papers, environmental surveys, newsletters, signage, photos, promotional materials and departmental branch meetings.

The series include records concerning the numerous private organizations and associations which coordinated with the Parks and Outdoor Recreation Division. It includes the AGM records, annual reports, financial statements, and meeting minutes of those organizations and associations. The series also includes records regarding financial support to these organizations.

Note that the new Parks and Protected Areas ORCs includes a concordance table which cross references new ORCS classification numbers with the old ORCS numbers by which these files were classified. Many of these records would be classified under the primary 98800 in the new Parks and Protected areas schedule (186896).

The ministries responsible for these records, and the years that they were responsible, are:
Ministry of Lands, parks and Housing (1978-1986)
Ministry of Environment and Parks (1986-1988)
Ministry of Parks (1988-1991)
Ministry of Lands and Parks (1991)
Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks (1991-2001)

British Columbia. Parks and Outdoor Recreation Division

Parks and protected areas case files

  • GR-3872
  • Series
  • 1948-2003

This series contains case files of parks and protected areas which document the legal creation and definitions of the various established parks and protected areas in British Columbia. These files provide a brief history of the area and how it came to be under the provincial government’s management. Some files that are included in the records are land title descriptions, survey plans, boundary maps, pre-existing tenures, park use permits, assessment notices, property acquisition recording sheets and copies of legal establishment (such as order in councils, ministerial orders, copies of acquisition agreements, land title reports, certificates of indefeasible title etc.). The files also cover historical and anecdotal background information, approved map reserves, licenses of occupation and leased tax exemptions, tax payments, construction permissions and notations of interest.

These records may have been previously known as “green files” or “land administration files” with copies of Park Status Sheets (which include basic information such as name of the park, region, classification, size, date of creation etc.) as well as archaeological site surveys, OICs, indentures, market value estimates, records of private donations of land, purchases of land and transfers of federal lands to the Parks Division.

The records are arranged according to the Parks and Protected Areas (PPA) Operational Records Classification System (schedule 186896). Files codes contain the PPA primary and secondary numbers followed by the Parks identification number and the old primary number taken from the BC Parks ORCS (Schedule 113827).

Two records classified under Conservation Research Products were included in this series as the files contain mainly archaeological site surveys and historic background information about the parks, records which appear to also be included in the parks and protected areas case files. One such file contains ample information about the history of D'Arcy Island (also known as Leper's Island, the Lazarette, Leper Colony and the leprosorium).

British Columbia. Parks and Recreation Division

Parks attendance statistical reports

  • GR-3831
  • Series
  • 1958-2012

This series contains statistical reports from BC Parks detailing parks attendance and use. The series contains four main types of forms: campground attendance sheets, marine park attendance sheets, automatic traffic counter sheet and day visit count sheets. These reports count the number of visitors renting campgrounds, docking their boats, or driving through the parks gate. The reports are also used to count revenues. Typically, reports include a section for explanations where Parks staff can add notes commenting on high/low attendance numbers due to factors such as weather and holidays.
One report discusses call center and website statistics, notably documenting how many interactions convert to sales.
Occasionally, there are reports submitted from companies operating businesses on BC Parks land (e.g. water rafting adventures) which includes attendance data.

Also within the series are files describing how the reporting system works. These records explain the use of different sheets, proper procedures for recording data (both by hand or using electronic systems), lists of parks per area and layouts of park services areas including locations of gates and counters. The records also contain instructions for using the Public Safety and Park Security Online System, though no actual security reports are included within the records.

The records are organized in different ways depending on the year. Most early records seem to divide reports into years, with reports covering all parks. Around 1970, the system changed to region-based reporting with files organized by region. Within these files, the records are further classified by park name. Finally, individual attendance sheet records are arranged by month and year. Some files include a summary of stats from all districts.

British Columbia. Ministry of Environment (2005-2017)

Property appraisal reports

  • GR-1680
  • Series
  • 1973-1984

The series consists of appraisals, in the form of individual reports, which establish the value of parcels of real property in British Columbia.

In this time period the function of appraisal fell under the Ministry of Lands, Parks and Housing, and was carried out by different offices over time, including “Land Assembly,” “Acquisition and Development,” “Appraisal and Acquisition,” and "Acquisition and Project Services." The Ministry acted to determine the value of parcels of land that the government intended to sell, acquire, assemble, exchange or transfer from one ministry to another. The government’s goals also included promoting the building of new housing in the province.

The real estate appraisals were usually carried out by independent real estate appraisers; occasionally the appraisal was done “in-house.” Typically the appraisal includes: a description of the property; a description of the community and region where the subject property was located; a declaration of the highest and best use of the land; an estimate dollar value at a specific date; and, a statement of the methodology used to estimate the value. Each appraisal report typically includes photographs (black and white and colour) and cartographic materials. The latter are local subdivision maps, village plans, sketches, diagrams and drawings. The front matter in the report typically includes correspondence indicating acceptance or rejection of the appraisal, and the discussion of other issues surrounding the parcel.
Property appraisal reports frequently contain considerable background and historical information about the property and the surrounding region where it is located.

Typically the appraisal reports have a cover letter from a local contracted appraiser, addressed to the local office of the ministry (for example, to the “Ministry of Lands, Parks & Housing, Lands and Housing Regional Operations Division, Housing & Development, Cranbrook BC”). The report was then forwarded to the manager in Victoria in charge of “Appraisal and Acquisition” or “Land Assembly.”

Examples of Crown properties being appraised are: vacant lots, surplus highways properties, unused government-owned sites and buildings used by such entities as the BC Forest Service facilities, ICBC or the Liquor Distribution Branch. Other Crown land parcels were at the time of appraisal leased to an adjacent land owner, and the government was entertaining an application by the adjacent land owner to purchase the subject parcel.

The 1976-1977 annual report of the Department of Housing stated the function of its Technical Services Branch as follows: "This branch is involved in the acquisition, planning, servicing, designing, and development of land."

The Acquisition and Development Branch, within the Ministry of Lands, Parks and Housing "provides professional and technical services to promote development and marketing of Crown land including appraising, engineering, planning, architecture, marketing and conveyancing of land." (Source: Organization of the BC Public Service 1977/78, p. 204).

The 1979-1980 annual report of the Ministry of Lands, Parks and Housing stated, regarding its Lands and Housing Regional Operations Division, that the purposes of that branch included "acquiring private land and developing and marketing Crown land for residential, recreational, agricultural and commercial uses ..."

The 1985-1986 annual report of the Ministry of Lands, Parks and Housing, p. 25, states: “Acquisition and Project Services Branch acquires and exchanges land for public purposes, develops and administers land appraisal and marketing policy and maintains an inventory system for marketing Crown land parcels.”

Long term archival value is relatively high since the records are evidence of land use in the province, a representation of property values of the time, and showing the methods of assessment and land appraisal used at the time.

The series consists of the following sub-series:
Sub-series 1, Property appraisal reports 1973-1977, in containers 914292-0001 - 914292-0010
Sub-series 2, Property appraisal reports 1976-1980, in containers 914292-0011 - 914292-0024
Sub-series 3, Property appraisal reports 1979-1982, in containers 914292-0025 - 914292-0040
Sub-series 4, Property appraisal reports 1978-1984, in containers 880583-0001 - 880583-0014

British Columbia. Ministry of Lands, Parks and Housing