One of the first things the Mayor and Aldermen did when forming a government was to divide Vancouver into five Wards. This was done through Vancouver By-Law No. 3 Here are the ward boundaries established in 1886, superimposed onto an old map of Vancouver. If you want a closer look, click here for a downloadable PDF of this map. Speaking of boundaries, you might be interested to see that Nanaimo Street* was the eastern boundary of Vancouver, and Alma Street* was the western boundary. The southern boundary went west along Sixteenth Avenue to Fraser Street, then jogged through the Kingsway and Fraser intersection, and continued along Fifteenth Avenue to Nanaimo Street. That was Vancouver in those days. The ward boundaries were changed in 1891 through Vancouver By-law No 118 and again in 1895 through Vancouver By-Law No 233. Later By-laws continued to change the ward boundaries, and increase the number of wards to six (in 1904) , then to eight (in 1911, when Cedar Cottage, Kensington and Riley Park became part of Vancouver). Then when Point Grey and South Vancouver amalgamated with Vancouver in 1929, the number of wards increased to twelve. Six years later, Vancouverites voted 62% in favour of abolishing the ward system. * though neither of them were called that then. Nanaimo was called Boundary Road, and Alma was sometimes called Campbell Road and sometimes also Boundary Road. Confused yet?
This transcript was made in March of 2018 by Transcribimus volunteer Mary Ann Capistrano original handwritten by-law here By Law dividing the City of Vancouver into Wards Whereas the Act of Incorporation the Council of the City of Vancouver is empowered to divide the City into Wards Therefore the Mayor and Council of the City of Vancouver in Council Assembled enact as follows That the City be and is hereby divided into five wards the name to be known and styled as Wards numbers One, Two, Three, Four and Five composed as follows:- Ward No. 1 Shall be comprised of the Government Military Reserve forming part of the Coal Harbor Peninsula Lot Number 185 Group One, New Westminster District, that part of Lot 541 and False Creek lying West of a line drawn along the centre of Richards Street from the shore of Burrard Inlet to False Creek and North of a line drawn midway between the Banks of False Creek from the Centre of Richards Street produced southwesterly to a point midway between the Banks of False Creek to the mouth of False Creek Ward No. 2 That part of Lot 541 lying east of the Eastern Boundary of Ward No. 1 and that part of False Creek lying North Page 2: of a line drawn midway between the Banks of False Creek from the Centre of Richards Street produced southwesterly to the Centre of the present Traffic Bridge over said False Creek, Ward No. 3. That part of Lots 196 and 181 Group One New Westminster District lying North of the Centre of Hastings Street Ward No 4. Lots 182, 183, 184, 264a, those parts of Lots 196 and 181 lying South of the Centre of Hastings Street, that part of False Creek lying East of the present Traffic Bridge and that part of Lot _(torn -196?)___ lying within the City Limits, Ward No 5. That part of the City of Vancouver bounded on the East by the Western Boundary of Lot 264a, the shore of False Creek to the present Traffic Bridge and along said Traffic Bridge to a point midway between the Banks of False Creek, on the North by a line drawn midway between the Banks of False Creek from the Centre of said Traffic Bridge to the mouth of said Creek, thence by a line drawn Southwest across the mouth of False Creek to the point __(torn – off)__ English Bay west of the Indian Reserve, thence along the shore of English Bay to the Western Boundary of the City, on the West by the Western boundary of the City and on the South by the Southern Boundary of the City. M. A. MacLean Mayor Thos F McGuigan City Clerk
This by-law was passed in the Vancouver City Council meeting of May 8, 1891. It changed Vancouver's ward boundaries first set up under By-Law No. 3 in 1886. Transcribed by volunteer Anita Dos Santos in July of 2018. original by-law here 642 Repealed by No 431 BY-LAW NO: 118 A BY-LAW ALTERING THE SUBDIVISION OF THE CITY INTO WARDS : WHEREAS it is deemed expedient in the interests if the City that the Subdivisions of the City into Wards should be altered : BE IT THEREFORE ENACTED by the Mayor and Aldermen of the City of Vancouver, in open Council assembled, as follows :- I. THAT the City be, and the same is hereby divided into Five Wards, the same to be known and styled as Wards 1,2,3,4, and 5, comprised as follows :- WARD NO.I. shall be comprised of all portion of the City lying and being within the following boundaries, that is to say :- COMMENCING at a point in Burrard Inlet being the intersection of the Northern Boundary of the City in the line from the centre of Howe Street produced, thence Westerly along the Northern Boundary to the First Narrows, thence following the shore line at low water mark of the Government Military Reserve to the South Westerly extremity of Lot 185 Group I, New Westminster District, thence to the centre of the mouth of False Creek to a point in False Creek being the centre of Howe Street produced, thence Northerly to and along the centre of Howe Street produced to the point of commencement. WARD NO.2., shall be comprised of all that portion of the City lying and being within the following boundaries, that is to say :- COMMENCING at a point in Burrard Inlet, being the point of intersection of the centre lines of Abbot Street produced Northerly and Howe Street produced Northerly, thence Southernly along said production of Howe Street and along the centre of Howe Street to a point in the to a point in the centre of False Creek, thence by a line running along the said centre of False Creek to a point being the intersection of said line with the centre of Abbot Street aforesaid produced Southernly thence Northerly along said Southerly production of Abbot Street, and along the centre of Abbot Street produced, to the point of commencement. WARD NO.3., shall be comprised of all that portion of the City lying and being within the following boundaries, that is to say :- COMMENCING at the point of Commencement of Ward No.2., thence Easterly along the Northern Boundary of the City to the Northern extremity of Lot 194, Group 1 aforesaid, at low water mark, thence Southerly along the Eastern Boundary of the City to its intersection with the centre of Hastings Street, thence Westerly along the centre of Hastings Street aforesaid, thence Northerly along the centre of Abbott Street produced, to the point of commencement. WARD NO.4., shall be comprised of all that portion of the City
This document was transcribed in June of 2018 by Transcribimus volunteer Susan Willows. original handwritten by-law here 1292 BY-LAW NO. 233 A By-law to amend By-law No. 118, known as a By-Law altering the subdivisions of the City into Wards. WHEREAS it is deemed advisable in the interests of the City that the subdivisions of the City into Wards be altered : Be it therefore enacted by the Mayor and Aldermen of the City of Vancouver, in open Council assembled, as follows : - 1. By-law No. 118 is hereby amended as follows :- All the words from “Ward No. I.” in the fourth line thereof to the word “commencement” in the 15th line thereof, inclusive, and all the words after the words “Ward NO. 5.” to the word “commencement” in the last line thereof, inclusive, are hereby repealed and the following substituted in lieu thereof :- “Ward No. I. shall be comprised of all that portion of the City lying and being within the following boundaries, that is to say, :- Commencing at a point in Burrard Inlet being the intersection of the northern boundary of the City in the line from the centre of Howe Street produced ; thence westerly along the northern boundary to the First Narrows ; thence following the shore line, at low watermark, of the Government Military Reserve to the south-westerly extremity of Lot 185, Group I, New Westminster District ; thence to a point at low water mark on English Bay where the west boundary of Campbell Street meets the said low water mark : thence south along the west side of Campbell Street to the south boundary of the City ; thence east along the south boundary to the centre of Hemlock Street ; thence north along the centre of Hemlock Street, and Hemlock Street produced, to the point where it meets the centre of Howe Street produced southerly; thence north along the centre of Howe Street to the point of commencement. Ward No. 5. Shall be comprised of all that portion 1293 (2) of the City lying and being within the following boundaries, that is to say :- Commencing at a point being the centre of Glen Street at its intersection with the southern boundary of the City ; thence northerly along the centre of Glen Street produced, to the centre of False Creek ; thence westerly along a line running along the centre of False Creek to the easterly boundary of Ward I (as above described); thence south along the centre of Hemlock Street to the south boundary of the City thence easterly along the said southern boundary to the point of commencement. Done and passed in open Council this 19th day of August, 1895. “Henry Collins” Mayor. (L. S.) “Thos. McGuigan” City Clerk. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -