1931 Census

 So I have removed the previous posting for the 1931 Census, since the Federal government continues to totally alter  their websites.

Here is the 1931 Census pages for Essondale, Colony Farm.  

Enjoy ! a useful tool, but I wish that they would stop playing around with it, since now I have thousands, Yes Thousands of dead links because of their extreme changes.

Another building to be removed

EXCLUSIVE: 100-year-old building at səmiq̓ʷəʔelə/Riverview to be razed

 Will be sad to see this building go, it played an important part in the early history of the,  Boys Industrial School of Coquitlam, aka ( BISCO ) There were a few errors in the article...

Most of the BISCO buildings were taken over in 1936,not the 1950's as stated in the article, and converted into the Homes for the Aged.
 At that time the children were relocated on the site to the area where their school was, ( today an empty field ) and the nearby area where the Hillside unit is today, into a ramshackle collection of rapidly built buildings, that were primarily converted farm buildings. This situation created at least decent housing for the seniors; but caused huge problems for the children, who were supposidly under the governments care.  The children and the Riverview patients had actually built large portions of the buildings, and the extensive landscaping of the site; in 2022, very little remains to remind us of what occurred on these lands in the past.

From 1936 onwards the children many would escape into the neighbouring areas and create even more problems, primarily because of their loss of community, that had been created by them. the escape problems became progressively worse until a new institution was built at Brannan Lake, near Nanaimo, and  the children and many of the staff moved there in 1954. Brannan Lake in turn was closed in 1983, and converted into the Nanaimo Correctional Centre.

 What it looked like when new.

This photograph circa 1929, note the extensive landscaping, and also the Kitchen Block in the upper left hand corner, This building was removed in the 1950's and made into a parking lot; which is probably what is going to happen the Administration building, front and centre, in 2022.

A collection of Boys industrial School of Coquitlam images at Flickr

It has been obvious for many years that there would be no attempt to save these buildings; since no attempts were made to waterproof the rooves, and the buildings were totally sealed up, without allowing any air to freely circulate. Destruction by neglect, typical  government and developer policy.

By totally sealing up the buildings, the moulds in water infiltration become a huge problem and a HUGE HEALTH HAZARD to those who will be tasked to finally remove these buiildings, not to mention the greatly increased costs associated with this instilled behaviour.

Treewalk

After a long wait, we finally did a treewalk; I missed the first one. At least 74 souls participated, a good turnout. 

a few photos from the September 12th event : the walk was led by arborist, Paul Buikema

Mary Steinhauser book

 So a book will be available...

Port Coquitlam author reveals sister's hostage-taking, death at B.C. jail

Previous posts about Mary Steinhauser  

May her memory live on....

New name for the lands

 Riverview Hospital is renamed 'səmiq̓wəʔelə' as master planning starts on the Coquitlam site.

It will always be Riverview/ Essondale to me...

 

The discussion continues...

 Daphne Bramham: Little has been learned from past 'solutions' for those with complex mental illnesses

 The need for a sanctuary for people with mental health issues, is greater than ever.

 

Missing Forensic patient

Coquitlam psych patient escapes hospital for second time in less than a year.

 Adam Yvan Gorges

Coquitlam RCMP:   File # 2020-314

UPDATE:    Found ! safe and sound...

No more, Riverview lands advisory committee

Sadly the Riverview lands advisory committee, of the City of Coquitlam, will be no more.

From the Tri-City News:  The city will no longer have a Riverview lands advisory committee

One can only hope that the City can continue to keep a close eye on Riverview, the council appears to have very short memories, many changes to Riverview lands were made throughout the years, nearly all being done on the quiet, behind closed doors, and presented to the bewildered public at the last minute, when the concerned public could do little to steer the outcomes in the general publics favor.

Missing patient found

Missing for a short period of time  .
From the Colony Farm Forensic Psychiatric Hospital.
Sukhdev Singh Badyal was reported missing Saturday evening around 8:40p.m. and is wanted on a warrant of committal.
He is described as a 47-year-old South Asian man, with short dark brown hair and brown eyes. Badyal is about 5-foot-11 and weighs about 215 pounds. It’s not known what Badyal was wearing at the time he left the hospital.
 He was found the next day. No mention of how?

Another go at becoming a National Historic site

Round 2 for Riverview on national heritage designation bid
The city of Coquitlam's Riverview Lands Advisory Committee will discuss the application on July 9.
 The usually meet from  3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. in the Council Committee Room, Coquitlam City Hall.
The public is welcome to attend, but are not allowed to contribute, unless asked. 

               BUT there is power in numbers; I encourage anybody interested to attend.
Cheers
 

Children return to Riverview

The hospital in the past looked after children, as in the Boys Industrial School of Coquitlam (BISCO) and also in later years as Woodlands far exceeded its capacity, children were taken care of.
So nothing new here, but good to see the grounds being used for care.

Kids with mental health issues now at Riverview
The Healing Spirit House is now populated with young, short-term patients at the historic site in Coquitlam

Artifacts and movies

Riverview artifacts now preserved: Coquitlam
Artifacts from Riverview Hospital — some dating back to the early 1900s, when it was known as Essondale Hospital — are now catalogued and preserved by the city of Coquitlam.

We are fully booked, BC Housing says of Riverview filming action
Riverview Hospital may have a history steeped in mental health and recovery but it’s future as a filming site isn’t dimming anytime soon.



Ed. note: These two articles somewhat belong together, since many of the hospital artifacts can also be rented out to the movie industry.

Very noticeable the HUGE movie industry presence at Riverview. It appears that they forget that it is still home to many people who live there. Very large mess being created by all the construction going on also.

February 2018

February 6
Letter: Blame BC Liberals for Riverview’s issues
The Editor, Re. “Restore Riverview for hospital, research” (Letters, The Tri-City News, Jan. 26
(sic. SEE: January 24 below  ).

January 25
Parking problem at Riverview in Coquitlam
BC Housing looking at ways to deal with parking, advisory group wants assurances solutions won't be a barrier to public access  [ed.note: have to laugh at this situation; I believe there is over 800 parking spaces on the site; but the movie industry tends to disregard the marked lines, and park erratically, with large spaces between the various pieces of equipment, the problem is their own making...]

January 24
Letter: Restore Riverview for hospital, research
The Editor, Which political and social tyranny deserves our attention? The plight of the mentally ill or the plight of our First Nations? How do we reconcile competing injustices?


Schizophrenia, Bipolar, Autism, Depression disorders share genes
 [ed. note: a connection has been established; long thought that there was something like this at work; time will tell if it triggered by some external effects; like bacteria, viruses, foods... we are our worst enemies...   Hopefully in the distant future the genes of the effected individuals, can be altered to stay on their proper replication path. ]

long delay in posting

Sorry for the loooooong delays, in posting anything here, busy,busy,busy..     busy looking into the Boys Industrial School of Coquitlam, that was on the site from 1921-1954

Advocate worries Langley seniors complex becoming a 'Riverview satellite'

History before Riverview focus of Kwikwetlem First Nation
Heritage certificate program required for construction workers at the former mental hospital site in Coquitlam
[ ed note: the site has been so heavily altered through the years, that it would be very surprising to find anything to do with the First Nations on the site. Although a potatoe patch was noted in the Royal Engineers land surveying activities. And some interesting rock mounds nearby in Ranch Park, that were totally destroyed by the development.  ]

November 30, 2017:   Review of Riverview vision to start next year
Minister mum on next steps but said plan is to take another look at the Renewing Riverview document

November 21, 2017:    Editorial: Missed opportunity at Riverview
What concrete action is being taken to make Riverview a place for healing and wellness when the need is so great?

November 17, 2017: Updated: Premier commits to campus of care at Riverview
Coquitlam's Riverview grounds will be the site of a new centre for people with severe addiction and mental health challenges - Premier John Horgan said Friday it's the first step to better utilizing Riverview as a facility for health and wellness.

 B.C. government announces new mental-health and addiction centre at Riverview lands



December 1, 2017    Not enough services for mentally ill kids, says family of struggling boy

We speak to a Mission family with a mentally ill nine-year-old son, whose future they worry about without more support.
[ ed. note: Riverview did  look after children through the years; primarily overflow from the Woodlands school, when it was bursting at the seams. ]

July-August news

August 21, 2017:   Photos, poetry shines a light on Riverview Hospital
The exhibit is at Port Coquitlam city hall.  

 Tri-City artists Sherry Carroll, Bill Atfield, Fari Lotfali and Manfred Kraus  use their craft to show Riverview Hospital as a place of "hope, healing and inspiration" in an exhibit at Port Coquitlam city hall this month.

The display is on until Sept. 5.

Meanwhile, they are inviting poets to submit their words about the historic Coquitlam grounds as part of a contest that closes Sept. 30. Email entries to:    scartsandculture@live.com.

August 9, 2017  Could rail overpasses improve safety for cars?
Gateway Transportation forum mulls options for enhancing rail to ports, including four projects in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam

July 27, 2017   Saving what's left of Riverview Hospital
The city of Coquitlam has commissioned a Port Coquitlam curator and her photographer partner to inventory the Riverview Hospital artifacts that have been in storage for years.

Tree Fest 2017

Well the location has been moved this year, BC Housing has been exerting its new powers over the site, and this years Treefest has been located on the far edge of the property in a very wet, noisy site.


Treefest 2017 will be held on Sunday, September 10th from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm at the Riverview Hospital Grounds located at 2601 Lougheed Highway. Bring the entire family to this free annual celebration of trees.

Activities include: hourly guided tree tours, history bus tours, antique radio museum tours, a heritage building walking tour, community displays, live music, food truck, and a Blackberry Tea.

The festival site is located on the Riverview Hospital Grounds at 2601 Lougheed Highway at the baseball diamond at Pine Terrace and Holly Drive.  Access the site via the Colony Farm Road entrance off of Lougheed Highway.  There is free on-site parking.

For more information, visit the
     Riverview Horticultural Centre Society Treefest page.

Treefest is presented by the Riverview Horticultural Centre Society ( RHCS ) and supported by the BC Housing, Burke Mountain Naturalists ( BMN ), City of Coquitlam, Kwikwetlem First Nations( KFN ), and Maple Creek Streamkeepers( MCS ).

Media Contact:  Carole Edwards
Tel: 604-461-3864
Email: cedwards6@gmail.com

A poster for this event  is available for download here

So where is it you say?, click on this Google Earth file, to find out ( must have Google Earth installed )

 Location of Treefest is shown in red

Silly season is upon us

Keep Riverview public, NDP's Horgan says
Coquitlam press conference lays out party's plans for mental health and addiction services.

Port Coquitlam MLA Farnworth runs on record
Profile on NDP MLA Mike Farnworth

Letters: ‘Shocked’ at Riverview Hospital walk fees
The Editor, Re. “Riverview red tape for society volunteers” (The Tri-City News, April 14).

[  Editor note:   Still in shock over this "fee" being charged, an obvious exertion of authority by some faceless bureaucrat.
    The RHCS services have been immense to the property, and the mental health of the residents, and any fees, should have been waived, by some grandfathering clause.

 Where do WE get these damn faceless government talking heads from ? ]

Typical bureaucracy at play

Red tape worries Riverview Hospital activists
Group hit with $50 per hour fees for hosting Riverview tree tours in Coquitlam
[ Typical bureaucratic B.S. ]

Letter: Riverview could be an asset to health of the community
The Editor, Re. “Maples replacement is announced again” (Tri-City News, March 31

Letter: A lesson from the 1990s

Found this You Tube user page RVH101

Riverview in local news

Some good news about the historical artifacts, no news about the actual hospital site.

Expert to take stock of Riverview artifacts in Coquitlam
One of the best collections of historical medical gear in western Canada will be catalogued this year for future display in Coquitlam.  [ed. note: hopefully the entire collection will be photographed digitally and shared online.  Makes one wonder what happened to all the materials that the B.C. Archives removed from the collection, never to be seen again......]

Letter: Mentally ill need Riverview in Coquitlam
The Editor, I recently listened to audio of the Minister of Health Terry Lake describing the change in focus of mental health treatment in B.C.

UPDATE:   [ ed. note: more recent dialogue from the local paper, and a reply to the above letter. ]
 Editorial: Opening Riverview for rehab
Acting quickly is important to reduce drug overdoses, but programs also have to be well staffed and properly resourced

Letter: Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam provided valuable help to patients, families
The Editor, Re. “Mentally ill need R’view” (Letters, The Tri-City News, Jan. 20).

Bring opioid treatment to Riverview Hospital: Coquitlam mayor
The urgency of the opioid addiction crisis requires an immediate solution, and Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart says there's one available at Riverview Hospital.

Sad loss of key volunteer

Donna and Ken Crosby were key volunteers at Treefest, the annual celebration of the heritage tree collection on the Riverview Hospital site.      photo: V. Otton 


Photo and article from the Burke Mountain Naturalists newsletter:  January 2017 Issue 281BMN Loses Stalwart Volunteer Donna Crosby

 by Elaine Golds 


     Many BMN members will be saddened to learn of the passing of Donna Crosby on December 24. Donna was a long-time and stalwart BMN member whose passion was for Riverview and its very uncertain future. I had the pleasure of serving with Donna on Coquitlam’s Riverview Stewardship Committee for many years. 

      As a member of that group, representing the RV Horticultural Centre Society (RHCS), Donna made a contribution that truly deserves to be remembered. She always did her homework and attended every meeting well prepared with very strategic questions about the management and future of Riverview’s tree collection. The answers we typically received were vague and often not especially helpful. Donna politely kept the government and consultant staff on their toes with her incisive questions and by constantly referring to written comments taken from minutes of previous meetings. I think that over the years, it was Donna’s well thought-through and careful questions that gradually built up the confidence of the City staff members, and that ultimately helped to build a solid and trusting relationship between BMN, RHCS and the provincial consultants handling the Riverview file. Donna was consistently gracious, diligent, persistent and always polite; the strategy she chose was very effective. 


      For several months prior to the each annual Treefest, there were seemingly endless calls and emails between Donna and Riverview and City staff. She had the good sense to be able to anticipate problems and this was generally what made the organization of Treefest proceed without problems. In years past, Donna’s husband Ken was another of the volunteers upon whom Treefest depended. 

      A few months ago, Donna lost Ken after nursing him at home over a slow decline. This year, she had the unenviable task of organizing Treefest without Ken by her side. 

       Donna had superb organizational skills. I recall one meeting at Donna’s home where we were discussing a relatively minor aspect of Riverview’s history. To clarify the point under discussion, Donna went to her records and, in minute or two, returned with copies of the documents we had been discussing!
 
       Donna also spent countless hours preparing for the monthly public tree walks at Riverview. Over the years, the numbers of knowledgeable volunteers to lead these walks has gradually diminished. Thankfully, Norma Gillespie has kindly risen to the challenge of promoting Riverview’s tree collection. During the past few years, Norma has led many successful public monthly tree walks and awakened many people in our community to the impressive tree collection found at Riverview. Donna attended almost all of these monthly tree walks. She always was quietly present just in case she was needed - she well knew what a challenge it could be if forty people showed up anticipating a professional tree tour. 

Donna was a sincere and wonderfully dedicated volunteer. She will be much missed


ed. note:

  Kenneth Bruce Crosby ( 4 June 1941 -  24 April 2016 ) 

was a retired Coquitlam firefighter, always helping out when needed.

  Donna and Ken put in many years of passionately pushing the cause of preserving Riverview for whom it was intended; the health care of the people of Canada.

 Donna May Crosby,  nee, Donna May Elliot  9 May 1941 - 24 December 2016 ( obituary )