Subseries consists of committee records for the Community Issues and Social Planning Committee including agendas, minutes, correspondence, committee reports, local heroes applications, and local heroes nominations.
Subseries consists of committee records for the Community Issues and Social Planning Committee including agendas, minutes, correspondence, committee reports, local heroes applications, and local heroes nominations.
History
The Community Issues and Social Planning Committee was established on November 20, 1989.
The Community Issues and Social Planning Committee was struck to manage matters dealing with crime prevention, seniors, youth, and disabled services, healthy community issues, and multiculturalism.
On January 13, 2003 Council renamed this committee Social Issues Committee.
Subseries consists of committee records for the Community Planning and Housing Committee including general committee, closed committee, agendas, minutes, correspondence, and committee reports.
Subseries consists of committee records for the Community Planning and Housing Committee including general committee, closed committee, agendas, minutes, correspondence, and committee reports.
History
The Community Planning and Housing Committee was established 1997.
The purpose of this committee was to advise Council on housing developments, zoning and rezoning, parking strategy, non-profit housing, and associated infrastructure costs, etc.
The Committee was called Housing Committee from 1992 to 1996. It became the Housing Committee again from 2003 to 2005, then it became the Community Development Committee in 2006.
Subseries consists of committee records for theEmergency Planning Committee including agendas, minutes, correspondence, committee reports, and terms of reference.
Subseries consists of committee records for theEmergency Planning Committee including agendas, minutes, correspondence, committee reports, and terms of reference.
History
The Emergency Planning Committee was established April 17, 2000.
This committee was created in order to produce comprehensive guides for senior officials to use for the mobilization and deployment of resources in response to major emergencies.
On January 13, 2003 the Emergency Planning Committee disbanded and its duties and responsibilities became part of the mandate of the Executive Committee of Council.
Fonds consists of those records created during the regular conduct of business by the Planning Department and its predecessor agencies according to their mandate of providing professional and technical advice to Council on the current and future uses of City land and resources.
Fonds consists of those records created during the regular conduct of business by the Planning Department and its predecessor agencies according to their mandate of providing professional and technical advice to Council on the current and future uses of City land and resources.
History
The City of Burnaby Planning Department was established on October 9, 1956, when the City Council unanimously carried the motion to create a distinct department to deal with planning issues within the City and appointed Mr. William John Blakely as its head. This decision followed a report and recommendation made by the City’s Chief Administrative Officer which indicated that the role of the Planning Engineer and his staff had quickly expanded to become a separate division within the Engineering Department and that they were functioning as an independent unit in all but name.
The proposed separation of the Engineering and Planning departments had been in the works since the early part of 1956 when staff changes and restructuring within the Engineering Department’s Planning Division illustrated the undermanned condition of the Planning Engineer’s office. As a result, Council asked the Chief Administrative Officer to undertake a study examining the feasibility of creating a distinct Planning Department. This report was delivered to Council on July 3, 1956, but was laid over until a Committee of the Council had the opportunity to study the functions of the Planning department to determine the necessity of the proposal. The Committee’s findings were in line with the initial report and the Planning Department was established with a staff of nine (the head Planning Engineer, an Administrative Planner, three Research Planning Assistants, a Draughtsman, a Subdivision Control Clerk, a department Clerk and a Clerk Stenographer). This new department was to offer advice and carry out the work intensive in matters such as zoning and rezoning applications, subdivision control, traffic and transportation planning, and general City planning schemes.
Prior to the creation of the Planning Department, a number of bodies within the City had been responsible for fulfilling the functions carried out by this new unit. In the earliest years of the City, the members of Council were responsible for matters of planning and were assisted in their job by the City’s Engineer or any number of hired consultants (e.g. surveyors, cartographers). By 1906, however, the provincial laws surrounding the subdivision process had changed, and local governments were charged with the task of approving all private subdivision plans in their respective Municipalities. In Burnaby, the City Council passed a bylaw decreeing that all subdivision plans were to be submitted to Council for review and the City Engineer was responsible for ensuring compliance with the law. After the first Town Planning Bylaw in 1924 which restricted the type and size of construction that could occur in certain City areas, the Engineering and Building departments were to work together to oversee the enforcement of the Bylaw and the development of City plans.
The scope and competence required to carry out this work grew as Burnaby’s population expanded, and in 1930 Council passed the Town Planning Commission Bylaw (No. 1028) that saw the creation of a permanent body – the Town Planning Commission – which was to serve as an advisory body to help direct the planning activities in the City while the actual work continued to be carried out by the Engineering Department. This body was comprised of the Reeve, the Chairman of the School Board, the Chairman of the Park Committee (later, the Board of Parks Commissioners), and six appointed citizens who served three-year terms. Council referred all matters of subdivisions, transportation planning, and rezoning to this Commission, which was later supported in its work by several other special or standing committees such as the Subdivision Committee, the Apartment Committee, the Transportation Committee or the Town Planning Board of Appeal.
By 1953, it had become apparent that the advisory committees that were dedicated to these planning issues needed a permanent staff to carry out the work intensive, so a restructuring of the Engineering department resulted in a permanent Planning Engineer’s office being created. The Town Planning Commission continued in its advisory capacity even after the determination came in 1956 to create a separate Planning Department.
When Bylaw No. 4473 was passed in 1963, the Town Planning Commission was disbanded in favour of a new Advisory Planning Commission that would turn over all routine matters such as subdivision and rezoning applications to the Planning Department but would offer advice and community input into the more complex planning schemes within the City and act as an intermediary in cases where Council and Planning staff were in disagreement. A new Advisory Planning Commission Bylaw (No. 7600) was adopted in 1980 which allowed for even greater community participation in the planning process.
The Planning Department was initially responsible to report directly to Council, but in 1957, the administrative structure of Municipal staff changed with the introduction of the Burnaby Municipal Manager Bylaw (No. 3859) and from that point on, the head of the Planning Department held a direct reporting relationship to the Municipal Manager, who in turn was responsible for reporting the activities of the Department to the City Council.
Over the years, the internal structure and the scope of responsibilities of the Department have changed during periods of staff reorganizations. Under the larger umbrella of the Planning and Building Department, Planning has come to be comprised of two divisions: the Current Planning Division and the Long Range Planning Division. The functions of the Current Planning Division include rezoning, subdivision, development plan areas, preliminary plan approvals, urban design, heritage planning, and urban trails and bicycle routes. The Long Range Planning Division is responsible for environmental planning concerns, transportation planning, housing, neighbourhood area planning, social planning and planning information services.
In 2022, the Planning and Building Department was reorganized to better align functions with delivery of services. The Climate Action and Engery Division moved from Corporate Services to the Planning and Building Department, while Indigenous Relations and Facilities Management moved to Corporate Services and Lands and Facilities, respectively. The position of Director of Planning and Building was changed to General Manager, Planning and Development.
The following individuals have served as Planning Engineer and/or Director of the Planning Department and/or General Manager, Planning and Development for the City of Burnaby:
William John Blakely 1954-1956 (as Planning Engineer)
1956-1963 (as Head of the Department)
Anthony P. Parr 1964-1993
Don G. Stenson 1993-2001
Jack S. Belhouse 2001-2006
Basil Luksun 2006-2012
Lou Pelletier 2012-2019
Edward Kozak 2019-present
Formats
Microforms exist for some records. See series descriptions.
Series includes documents that were collected by the Planning Department for use as research and reference tools within the Department. These include newspaper clippings, external publications, maps, plans, brochures, pamphlets, statistical information, and educational aids.
Series includes documents that were collected by the Planning Department for use as research and reference tools within the Department. These include newspaper clippings, external publications, maps, plans, brochures, pamphlets, statistical information, and educational aids.
Series consists of photographs created, and/or used by the Planning Department in the course of preparing reports, studies, publications, or displays. Subjects of the photographs vary, but include street scenes, prominent buildings, aerial views of Burnaby and Simon Fraser University, and photogra…
Series consists of photographs created, and/or used by the Planning Department in the course of preparing reports, studies, publications, or displays. Subjects of the photographs vary, but include street scenes, prominent buildings, aerial views of Burnaby and Simon Fraser University, and photographs taken at certain Burnaby events.