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The series consists of files relating to the Colony Farm Land Use Steering Committee, created by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food between 1961 and 1997. The files contain records collected by the Ministry and the Committee including newsclippings, correspondence, surveys and reports all to do with the divestment of Colony Farm from the Government of British Columbia to the City of Vancouver.

This series consists of records of the Commission on the Provincial Lunatic Asylum, 1894, Commissioners, Dr. Edward S. Hasell (Chairman) and Dr. Charles F. Newcombe. Records consist of the Commissioners' handwritten, signed report (and a typescript copy), exhibits and transcripts of evidence presented at the proceedings.

There are two series of files: MS-3092 consists of 510 case files for patients treated with hallucinogenic drugs at Hollywood Hospital, with opening file dates from 1957 to 1968. As some patients returned for later treatments some of the material may date from the early 1970's. These files were kept in a separate series from Hollywood's other patient case files.

Most of the files contain correspondence and an autobiography recording answers to questions about early childhood, family relations, sexual history, mental health issues and problems with addictions. A standard file would also include a Minnesota Personality Profile, an analysis by a psychiatrist, a medical report on overall health, and a detailed log of the drugs that were administered and the patient's behavior while undergoing the hallucinogenic experience. Patients were also encouraged to prepare a report on their experience after the session, and to evaluate its benefit.

The case files are arranged in ascending order by patient case file number. Box 1 of MS-3092 contains index cards, filed alphabetically by patient name. Based on this index, more than 800 patients were treated with hallucinogenic drugs at the Hollywood Hospital, but only two thirds of the files have been located and transferred.

MS-3093 contains alphabetically-arranged index cards (Boxes 121 and 122) and selected patient case files for Hollywood Hospital patients who were NOT treated with hallucinogens (10 boxes). The majority of the patients were treated for alcoholism. MS-3093 patient files were created between 1944 and 1975.

The files consist mainly of Patient Identification Sheets, Physician's Orders and Progress Notes, Clothing and Article Lists, Laboratory Reports, History and Physical Examinations, Admission-Separation Records, and Consent for Treatment forms. Approximately 8% of the original 15,000 files were selectively retained, based on their year of file closure.

The series consists of records created by the Mental Health Services between 1938 and 1966.

Box 1 (880340-1654): Minutes of meetings of the Council of Psychiatric Nurses (1951-1958), including lists of licensed nurses and nurses whose licenses were cancelled.

Box 2 (002235-0001): correspondence, report, and brief regarding an investigation of certain conditions at Essondale (Bloomfield 1947); report by a special committee on operations of the Provincial Mental Hospital (1948); report by the Inspector of Hospitals on some phases of the operations of the Provincial Mental Hospital of B.C. (Percy Ward Report, 1943); a survey of the Mental Hospitals of British Columbia (Hamilton Report, 1938); report on the Provincial Mental Hospital of British Columbia made by the central inspection board of the American Psychiatric Association (1951); Mental Hospital Survey Report (1966).

Photographs (accession 197909-040) include ca. 350 b&w and colour images of provincial mental hospitals including Essondale, Jericho, Kamloops; Marpole, Allco Infirmary, Homes for Aged, Tranquille, Willow Chest Clinic, Burnaby-residential treatment unit, Woodlands and Colquitz mental home closing, January 1964

This series consists of Mental Health Services operational records. Records include agendas and minutes, correspondence, personnel files, and reports for a variety of mental health facilities across the province. The records were created between 1946 and 2010 and document the changing nature of mental health service delivery in the province. The series includes the admissions and discharge register for Hollywood Hospital for the years 1968 to 1973, and also consists of plans and policy documents for the transition from a institutional model of care to one centered on community-based boarding and group homes.

The series was originally arranged into 16 subseries in the 1990s. Further accruals were arranged to fit the existing model with one additional subseries added to accommodate financial records. Several of the existing subseries were merged in 2016 to simplify and streamline the arrangement. Subseries that were merged include “Mental Health Centres : monthly reports” and “Victoria Mental Health Centre,” which became “Mental Health Centres.” The “Glendale Lodge/Hospital” and “Skeenaview Hospital” subseries were merged to become the “Other facilities and services” subseries. The scope of the original “Meetings” subseries was expanded to include the records of a variety of committees, and the “Reports” subseries was expanded to include policy and planning documents, including those relating directly to patient care. The series is now arranged into 13 subseries : Boarding home and group home programmes; comptroller records; correspondence; facilities : Riverview Hospital; facilities : other mental health facilities and services; finance, grants, and budget; meetings and committees; mental health centres; Mental Health Services branch; miscellaneous; personnel; reports, programs, and planning; and youth mental health.

The Boarding Homes subseries (accessions 88-0056 and 93-4010) documents the shift towards de-institutionalization and the provision of mental health services within the community. The subseries consists of monthly reports and planning and policy documents.

The Comptroller subseries (88-0056) consists of monthly reports written between 1970 and 1972.

The Correspondence subseries (88-0056, 93-4010 and 95-4372) includes correspondence outward, with attachments, from the Mental Health Branch. It also includes material addressed to, or coming from the Health Minister and circulated through the Branch for action or information. Most correspondence on the Branch side is from the Deputy Minister of Mental Health, the Assistant Deputy Minister of Mental Health, and a Branch Administrative officer.

The Riverview Hospital subseries (88-0056, 93-4010, 95-4372, and 96-7394) consists of correspondence, monthly reports, planning documents and statistical files. The records date from the early 1970s until just prior to the hospital’s 2012 closure. Records include the statistical schedule of the 1971 census (no nominal or personal information is included), monthly reports, correspondence, and a set of redevelopment planning files from the 1990s and 2000s.

The Other Facilities and Services subseries (88-0056, 93-4010, 95-4372, and 95-9744) consists of minutes, correspondence, and monthly reports pertaining to Glendale Lodge, Skeenaview Hospital, Valleyview Hospital, Dellview Hospital and Skeleem Lodge, in addition to records documenting home support, outreach and mental health care in smaller communities. The series also consists of the 1968-1973 admissions and discharges register of Hollywood Hospital.

The Finance, Grants and Budget subseries (93-4010) consists of correspondence and other records regarding community grants, lottery fund grants, and general finances for mental health facilities.

The Meetings and Committees subseries (88-0056, 94-4010, 95-4372, and 95-9744) consists of meeting agendas and minutes for a variety of committees. The subseries also consists of records pertaining to various related organizations, such as the Alcoholic Foundation of BC and the BC Medical Association.

The Mental Health Centres subseries (88-0056 and 93-4010) consists of records pertaining to a variety of small facilities and sub-offices located across the province. The records are arranged in alphabetical order by location. The Skeena Mental Health Centre files contain additional reports such as those describing meetings, physical plant proposals, etc.

The Mental Health Services branch subseries (88-0056 and 93-4010) consists of records relating directly to the branch’s operation. The series includes records relating to staff meetings and the branch’s establishment.

The Miscellaneous subseries (88-0056 and 93-4010) consists of copies of legislation and research conducted by staff at the Mental Health Services branch. Records also include proposed amendments and improvements to the mental health diagnostic code.

The Personnel subseries (88-0056 and 93-4010) consists of staff personnel files, files for post-graduate training, and files documenting the appointment and resignation of physicians. Personnel files from accession 93-4010 are arranged in alphabetical files organized by the first letter of the surname.

The Reports, Programs and Planning subseries (88-0056, 93-4010, 95-4372, 95-9744, and 96-8412) consists of monthly reports from other government departments in addition to research reports used by the branch for policy development. Records dating to the 2000s include policy development, government responses to crises such as crystal meth and other drug addictions, and best practices for treatment.

The Youth Mental Health subseries (88-0056, 93-4010, 95-4372 and 95-9744) consists of monthly reports, statistics, and correspondence regarding programs for youth and the BC Youth Development Centre “The Maples.”

The series is covered by ORCS 36100-20. However, a small number of records are also covered by ORCS 36200-20, 36300-40, and 36400-30, as well as ARCS 280-30 and 350-25. Due to the interrelated nature of the records and the existing arrangement structure, it was decided to keep all records within the same series.

The series, called the pathological master file, consists of ca. 1483 photographs and their card index file created by the Mental Health Services between 1946 and 1967. The photographs consist mostly of black and white prints and 4 x 5 acetate negatives. There are also a few colour negatives and transparencies and 2 glass negatives.

The photographs are of the patients at Crease Clinic, Essondale and Woodlands School and document adults and children with various conditions, both physical and mental. There are whole body shots as well as close up's of specific conditions and injuries. In addition there are numerous photographs of brain samples to illustrate the pathology. The photographs have been numbered and the prints are filed within the card index, which is arranged alphabetically by condition. There is a card for each file which identifies the patient, date the photograph(s) were taken and the condition. The negatives are arranged separately by file number. There are also some unnumbered and unidentified photographs. The negatives are in containers 890935-0008 and 0009 and the prints and card file are in containers 890935-0011 and 0012.

The series consists of a photograph album created by the Dept. of the Provincial Secretary sometime between 1920 and 1940. The album contains 215 black and white prints of varying sizes showing the buildings, grounds and patients at the Public Hospital for the Insane at New Westminster, Essondale and Colony Farm. The photographs are captioned but not dated.

Several of the exterior shots of the buildings and grounds were taken by professional photographers and have been connected together to show panoramas. There are also exterior photos of farm activities and labour performed by patients. The majority of the photographs are of the patients themselves. These photographs illustrate various pathological types that were treated at the hospitals. They include men, women and children; shown as individuals and in groups.

The series consists of approximately 5250 black and white photographic negatives taken by Mental Health Services between 1948 and 1967. The negatives are acetate and are mostly in a 4 x 5 format with some 35 mm. There are 62 black and white prints interfiled with the negatives.

The photographs are of various British Columbia mental health institutions including the Boys Industrial School, Colony Farm, Colquitz Mental Home (Saanich), the Home for the Aged in Vernon and in Terrace, Woodlands School, Essondale (Coquitlam) and the Crease Clinic.

The photographs depict the grounds and buildings (both internal and external views) of the mental health institutions as well as photographs of construction and equipment. There are photographs of staff and patients involved in a variety of activities including medical treatments, events, ceremonies, leisure activities and other programs.

The negative files are arranged numerically in seven boxes: 1-657, 658-1004, 1005-1135, 1136-1242, 1245-1325, 1326-1409 and 1410-1499.

This series consists of a report of institutions showing number of male and female patients at the end of each month.

This series consists of a variety of records created by various provincial mental health institutions from 1872 to 2008. Records relate to the administration and operation of Riverview Hospital and related mental health facilities at the Essondale site in Coquitlam, as well as other facilities across the province. These mental health institutions include: Victoria Asylum, New Westminster Provincial Asylum (later Public Hospital for the Insane or Provincial Hospital for the Insane), Home for the Aged Coquitlam (later Valleyview), Home for the Aged Terrace (later Skeenaview), Home for the Aged Vernon (later Dellview), Crease Clinic, Colony Farm, Colquitz, Woodlands School, Tranquille and other medical facilities.

The names and administrative structure of these institutions changed over time. Mental health functions were originally part of the Provincial Secretary’s mandate; they were transferred to Mental Health Services when it was created in 1950.

These government records were collected by the Riverview Historical Society and include a wide variety of subject matter and media. This includes subjects such as: early development of the Essondale lands and Colony Farm; the construction and expansion of the facility; admissions, transfers, and discharges of patients; administration of patient care; administration of therapy programs; patient and staff recreation; staff and nurse training; operation of the audiovisual department; library services; research into new medical and therapeutic practices; research by staff regarding mental health practices at Riverview and further afield; community involvement; volunteer activity; policy development; the redevelopment of the Riverview lands; general administration; and, administration of other services at the site such as postal, food, laundry, banking, transportation and safety services.

The collection has been arranged into the following series based on record types:

GR-3924 - record books
GR-3925 - operational records
GR-3926 - newsletters
GR-3927 - photographs and other graphic material
GR-3928 - films and videos

Classified as 20000-20 in Operational Records Classification System (ORCS) schedule 144007.

The series consists of approximately 1005 black and white photographs taken by Mental Health Services between 1950 and 1967. The photographs consist of black and white prints and 4 x 5 acetate negatives.

The photographs are of Mental Health Services staff based at Essondale, Crease Clinic and Woodlands School. Some patient photographs are included. Some of the photographs show staff at work and were used for annual reports and other publications and some are "passport" style portraits. Most of the people in the photographs are identified and many include photograph classification numbers.

The photographs are arranged alphabetically by last name. The prints are in container 890935-0012 and the negatives are in container 890935-0010.

The series consists of a variety of record books created at Woodlands School (later known simply as Woodlands) between 1908 and 1974, with the majority of the records dating from the late 1930s to the 1950s. The records relate to both staff and residents, although the majority of the records pertain to residents. Staff records include “position vacant” cards, lists of staff and the dates they joined and left Woodlands, and ledgers detailing absences and sick time for both male and female staff members. The staff lists are not comprehensive and frequently appear to provide a snapshot in time.

Records relating to patients provide evidence of the day-to-day functioning of the institution, including one- or two-sentence long hourly reports by nursing staff. Researchers should note that while specific individuals are named in the records, the records do not include case files. Some “propensity” ledgers provide alphabetical listings of patients, their admission dates and patient number, a brief one- or two-word description of why they were admitted, information about clothing, religion, and whether they left Woodlands. However, these registers do not cover the entire period of time that Woodlands operated and should not be seen as admissions registers.

The series includes a set of record books with daily shift reports that list disturbances, illnesses, numbers of residents employed in certain tasks, outings to movies and concerts, and any other noteworthy occurrences. The series contains ledgers relating to residents’ health, and other books related to their day-to-day lives. Records related to health care include those detailing medicine dosages, notes on blood pressure, and ‘doctors’ orders’ books. Records relating to daily life include notes on clothing and shoes sent to be cleaned, repaired, or discarded, numbers of residents sent to the ‘airing court’ for recreation, and records relating to the sewing and knitting done by residents. In some cases, ledgers provide assessments of the knitting skill of residents, and it appears that patients did sewing for both themselves and for staff. Records relating to shoes and clothing appear to be carbon copies of receipts issued when items were sent for repair or cleaning, and many are difficult to read. The series also includes general ward counts and statistics as well as a ward inventory listing everything from brooms to medical equipment. Some ledgers provide information on residents who were transferred to or from institutions at Essondale, Tranquille, and Colquitz.

There appear to have been three staff shifts in Woodlands, and records are often annotated with the time of the shift. Shifts ran from 7 am to 3 pm, 3 pm to 11 pm, and 11 pm to 7 am. It is common to see annotations such as 3-11 next to a report.

Many of the ledgers were not labelled and do not have original titles on them. Titles in square brackets were supplied by the Archivist on the basis of the file list that accompanied the records when they were transferred to Archives custody. Where the assigned title does not appear adequate, a further explanatory note has been included. Explanatory notes have also been included in square brackets when the title on the ledger book was vague or potentially misleading.

Within the ledgers, the bulk of the records are organized chronologically. Some books contain indexes or are arranged alphabetically by surname, although due to the nature of the records it is more common to see chronological progressions.

Records in this series were selected for retention by staff working with the Records Management Branch in the early 1990s.