Photograph of nineteen negatives, depicting Dave Mercier sitting at a desk with a coffee, contact printed together onto one page. Dave Mercier was on the council from 1968 to 1971, and from 1977 to 1981, serving as Mayor from 1979 to 1981.
Photograph of nineteen negatives, depicting Dave Mercier sitting at a desk with a coffee, contact printed together onto one page. Dave Mercier was on the council from 1968 to 1971, and from 1977 to 1981, serving as Mayor from 1979 to 1981.
Photograph of Burnaby Mayor Dave Mercier, wearing a t-shirt which reads: "THE MAYOR" helps out during McDonald's Restaurants McHappy Days. Joining the mayor at McDonald's Hastings Street outlet were Harold Snepts of the Vancouver Canucks on the far left, and Gino Bolognes of the North Burnaby Lions…
Photograph of Burnaby Mayor Dave Mercier, wearing a t-shirt which reads: "THE MAYOR" helps out during McDonald's Restaurants McHappy Days. Joining the mayor at McDonald's Hastings Street outlet were Harold Snepts of the Vancouver Canucks on the far left, and Gino Bolognes of the North Burnaby Lions beside him. A female employee is visible on the other side of the mayor, and looks to be pushing him, to get closer to the hamburger buns that they are all helping to dress.
Newspaper clipping attached to verso of photograph reads: "HAMBURGER HELPER ... Burnaby Mayor Dave Mercier, wearing identifying T-shirt, used his former experience as short-order cook to pitch in with McDonald's Restaurants McHappy Days last Wednesday. Joining the mayor at McDonald's Hastings St. outlet were Harold Snepts of the Vancouver Canucks on far left, and Gino Bolognes of the North Burnaby Lions beside him. Regular restaurant employee on far right tries to squeeze into the action as well."
Photograph of Justice G. L. Murray administrating the oath of office to Mayor Dave Mercier. Dave Mercier was a council member from 1968 to 1971, and from 1977 to 1981, serving as Mayor from 1979 to 1981.
Photograph of Justice G. L. Murray administrating the oath of office to Mayor Dave Mercier. Dave Mercier was a council member from 1968 to 1971, and from 1977 to 1981, serving as Mayor from 1979 to 1981.
Photograph of Dave Mercier speaking with a microphone in his hand. He was a council member from 1968 to 1971, and from 1977 to 1981, serving as Mayor from 1979 to 1981.
Photograph of Dave Mercier speaking with a microphone in his hand. He was a council member from 1968 to 1971, and from 1977 to 1981, serving as Mayor from 1979 to 1981.
Photograph of Burnaby mayor Dave Mercier standing at a desk, and smiling as Kushiro Mayor Toshiyuki Wanibuchi presents him with a black carved polar bear. Kushiro in Hokkaido, Japan is the sister city to Burnaby, British Columbia.
Photograph of Burnaby mayor Dave Mercier standing at a desk, and smiling as Kushiro Mayor Toshiyuki Wanibuchi presents him with a black carved polar bear. Kushiro in Hokkaido, Japan is the sister city to Burnaby, British Columbia.
Newspaper clipping attached to verso of photograph reads: "Mayor Dave Mercier admires black carved polar bear presented Tuesday by Kushiro Mayor Toshiyuki Wanibuchi."
Photograph of Burnaby mayor Dave Mercier, an unidentified man, and Burnaby New Democratic party Member of Parliment Svend Robinson standing together, talking.
Photograph of Burnaby mayor Dave Mercier, an unidentified man, and Burnaby New Democratic party Member of Parliment Svend Robinson standing together, talking.
This portion of the interview continues Kay Zimmerman’s description of the BVA and the election of councillors and then mayors from the party, Dave Mercier 1979-1981 and Bill Lewarne 1981-1987. She talks about resistance to paying for the road to SFU as a “local improvement”, Heritage Village as a …
This portion of the interview continues Kay Zimmerman’s description of the BVA and the election of councillors and then mayors from the party, Dave Mercier 1979-1981 and Bill Lewarne 1981-1987. She talks about resistance to paying for the road to SFU as a “local improvement”, Heritage Village as a Centennial Project, differing BVA support in north and south Burnaby, and Alan Emmott’s political career.
Recording is of an interview with Kay Zimmerman, conducted by Rod Fowler. Kay Zimmerman was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Kay Zimmerman’s political activities in Burnaby and her description of her Lochdale neighbourhood in the 1960s. She provides an excellent overview of the municipal political groups and important political issues in Burnaby from 1960 to 1980. She tells the story about an early and successful political action that convinced her that an individual can make a difference. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Kathleen “Kay” Zimmerman, her husband Gordon and their young son Rick moved to Burnaby from Vancouver in 1960 to a house on Curtis Avenue near Duthie Street (a second son Bruce was born in Burnaby). Kay Zimmerman worked 12 years at Royal Columbian Hospital in the admitting office, then 4 years (1974-1979) as special assistant to Senator Ray Perrault, followed by work as a judge on the Citizenship Court before retiring. Gordon Zimmerman worked at the Shell Refinery. A member of the Liberal Party and political activist before arriving in Burnaby, Kay Zimmerman continued her involvement in national and local politics. She campaigned for Ray Perrault during the Trudeau years, and was a founder and active member of the Burnaby Voters Association (BVA). Her political activities encompassed 30 years that saw major changes in Burnaby, including the building of SFU, creation of Heritage Village, an awakening environmental sensibility, and a dramatic increase in population and development in Burnaby.
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.