Resolution for Council to Ask the Provincial Government for Relief of Landowners in the Agricultural Class and Suggest that Section 224 Sub Section (3) of the Municipal Act be Amended
Resolution re Application to the Federal and Provincial Government for Financial Assistance for a Four Day Work Test in Respect of Civic and Other Works
Resolutions re (1) Approaching Provincial Government for Improved Lighting on Kingsway
(2) Request for Ward 6 Ratepayers Sewerage Scheme for Vitrified Pipe instead of Cement Pipe
Resolution That the Municipal Boundaries be Disregarded in So Far as They Relate to High Schools or Technical Schools and that Such Schools be Provided and Maintained by the Provincial Government
Between 1905 and 1924, the Broadview neighbourhood in Burnaby was settled by almost 100 families who saw the advantage of living in an area that was served by two railway lines - the B.C. Electric Railway and the Great Northern Railway. Touted as being only a 20 minute car ride to the city centre, this neighbourhood expanded during the early 1920s with the promise of a new direct access road to the city being built by the Great Northern Railway company and new blocks being opened up on two government reserves adjoining it.
This memorial granite drinking fountain is a monument to Burnaby’s municipal employees who lost their lives in the First World War. It has been relocated from its original setting to a shaded arterial pathway within the Burnaby Village Museum.
This memorial granite drinking fountain is a monument to Burnaby’s municipal employees who lost their lives in the First World War. It has been relocated from its original setting to a shaded arterial pathway within the Burnaby Village Museum.
Heritage Value
The fountain is an early civic monument with superior massing and detail, constructed of local materials by local stonemason William Williamson. It was erected by the Burnaby Civic Employees Union (now CUPE Local 23) in 1923, on Burnaby’s original Municipal Hall grounds located at Kingsway and Edmonds Street, to honour their members who lost their lives in the First World War, commemorated by an engraved memorial at the top of the fountain. It signifies an important connection with the early strength and prominence of the civic labour union in Burnaby, as this was a memorial erected by the union members themselves, rather than by the civic government.
Many war memorials were constructed across Canada after the end of the First World War, however, most are static, inviting passive contemplation. This memorial is unusual in its combination of functions; its use as a drinking fountain invites active participation. The memorial also includes a stone drinking bowl for dogs at the bottom left of the memorial, further illustrating the daily functional use of the fountain.
The heritage value for this fountain also lies in its interpretive value within the Burnaby Village Museum. The site is an important cultural feature for the interpretation of Burnaby’s heritage to the public. The fountain was moved to the Burnaby Village Museum in 1974.
Defining Elements
The character defining features of the Burnaby Civic Employees Union Memorial Fountain include its:
- distinctive form with central water fountain
- construction of rough-dressed local B.C. granite
- engraved memorial at the top
- carved emblematic maple leaf
- drinking fountain function
- dog drinking bowl
In 1860, as the Royal Engineers constructed the road from New Westminster to Vancouver (now Kingsway), a military reserve was set aside at the trail's highest point along the ridge. This reserve provided a particularly good scenic look-out since the original forest had burned down prior to 1860, the remaining stumps offered unobstructed views. By the 1880s, the city council of both New Westminster and Vancouver eyed the reserve as potential recreation ground. As construction of the tram line was underway, the Provincial Government moved to designate the whole reserve as a park. On January 14, 1891, the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia proclaimed it as a public recreation ground.