October 2012

RIVERVIEW STORIES: Farm cultivated Riverview

Letters to editor: Sell Riverview? 'Beyond belief'

Riverview stakeholders wonder what's next

Comment on the,  Draft Heritage Conservation Plan

Not much time given to gather input, October 10.
"Go git em"

October 10 is World Mental Health Day
                            The World Federation for Mental Health


Riverview trust fund proposed;  If land is sold, group wants money to benefit vulnerable


What about the spiritual legacy of Riverview?

[ The theological needs were provided from day one; most of the larger buildings had an area set aside to be used as a chapel, and an area of reflection.]

Province not doing enough to help with mental health

September 2012

The hospital was missing two patients, one was returned, now missing another; "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence"

A third patient goes missing from forensic hospital

A little history about the power plant:

Power lessons in old plant

[In 1924 the entire plant and all of the plumbing to the buildings cost $190,670 to build.

This plant replaced another that  was near West Lawn.]

>>>>  Riverview draft plan for Coquitlam lands nears  <<<<


RIVERVIEW STORIES: Farm cultivated Riverview

[A few errors in this story. The two buildings that still exist at Colony Farm, were built Before West Lawn.]

Riverview Heritage Plan, open-houses October 1st and 2nd. 

            Hospital heritage report released

                        Draft plan recommends maintenance plan for Riverview in Coquitlam.

Get comfortable and download the Riverview Values 2012 Questionnaire Results ( 1.8MB PDF )

Save our assets from the bureaucracy!

The forensic unit continues to have its issues:
   Counsellor allegedly stabbed with kitchen knife at Colony Farm psych unit

August 2012

RIVERVIEW STORIES: Mother and daughter sing for Riverview
    [ You see and hear a little of their antics, in a post on here from last June  Mention is made of John Davidson, AKA Botany John is this article, find out more about him Here.]
I missed posting on of the ongoing Riverview Stories; so here it is:
   RIVERVIEW STORIES: Exercising patients, a therapeutic philosophy
   RIVERVIEW STORIES: The place they went to visit

Letters to the Editor:  Save Riverview grounds

The ongoing sad saga of health care for many patients who many of which were former residents of Riverview Hospital. Where the profit is not enough, out on the street you go!

Former Riverview residents in limbo;  Fraser Health scrambling to house 71 seniors
A PDF of the letters sent to the family members a while ago now.

Coroner's inquest into death of woman at Riverview
Missing forensic patient returns  [Although he was captured by police, so he did not return willingly.]

July 2012

Riverview questionnaires due July 31

From the local newspapers:
   Letters to the editor;
       Don't pave paradise
         Expand Riverview
               Make Riverview a place of higher learning
                   Public input vital for Riverview's future
                        Preserve Riverview as public land
                              Tear down Riverview buildings, build a university

Ongoing articles in The Tri-City News;
RIVERVIEW STORIES: Public tree walks continue at Riverview
RIVERVIEW STORIES: An historical timeline
RIVERVIEW STORIES: A grand plan, a grand place
RIVERVIEW STORIES: A trip though mental health care history
RIVERVIEW STORIES: A daughter's questions, a mother's hopes
RIVERVIEW STORIES: Nursing through the decades
        Interviews with Anna Tremere and Fred Bennett, both long-time staff members.
RIVERVIEW STORIES: Finding a family's history
RIVERVIEW STORIES: In the garden {an article about Finnie's Garden}

Editorial opinions in The Tri-City News:
       GOLDS: Recognition for Riverview is long overdue
    NELSON: Save Riverview site and help the mentally ill
        RADIA: Build on the Riverview Hospital lands
A letter in reply to Nelson and Radia:  Face to Face jousting informs and entertains reader

From The Now: Will university move to Riverview?; Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart hopes UBC, in particular, will open campus on site.  [ed. note: At one time Mary Hill was seriously looked at as the site for UBC, but it was deemed as to far from the population.]

From The Sun: Riverview gone but the battle against mental illness continues
  No one should cheer Riverview's closure
*******  Alzheimer's facility faces closure  *******
  Public input vital for Riverview's future
                   Shutting Riverview ignores the plight of the mentally ill

Riverview lands are part of a priceless heritage,  Foundation of caring now a masterpiece of history

From The Province: 
Hospital site draws plenty of interest; Riverview psychiatric facility set to close, with no decision yet on use for 'beautiful' grounds
 Editorial: No one should cheer Riverview’s closure; with a POLL on the page too!
      Letters to the Editor: Seniors care, traffic, Riverview, cycling, smokers

A dark day in health care in B.C. Riverview officially closes on Friday the 13th

Historic Riverview Hospital closes its doors for good on Friday

Some images that some of you may not have seen before;  Archival photos of Riverview Hospital

And be sure to comment into the ongoing Heritage Conservation Process, HCP at Riverviewvalues
This process in one of the only ways that the public will get to state their views about the site.

                     They are taking comments until the 31st of July.

A media release from MLA, Mike Farnworth:
       Comprehensive plan needed as Riverview closes, Farnworth says.

And now for something completely different: Farmer creates heart-shaped meadow in memory of wife
A devoted farmer created this touching heart-shaped meadow as a tribute to his late wife - by planting thousands of oak trees.  Have a look in Google Maps

CKNW's Bill Good interviews Coquitlam Councillor Craig Hodge about Riverview Hospital.

June 2012

 Finally! some more fuel for the fire from the Heritage Canada Foundation,
 Riverview Hospital is added to their Top-Ten-Endangered list.
 Also an article about this designation in the Tri-City News: Riverview on national endangered list
And The Now:  Heritage site on risk list; National group says Riverview is endangered

The Tri-City News is printing over the next few issues a piece they call, Riverview Stories (See the Front page, and pages 16 and 17.)

News Hour - Riverview at risk; Mon, Jul 2 - It has a history some would rather forget, but right now it's considered one of the most endangered sites in the country what's next for Riverview?

I just found some short videos on YouTube about the hospital from user:  RVH101 (Ron) have a peek.!
RVH101 is with the Friends of Riverview Hospital,
check out their Facebook page, it contains  Photos too!

 The long good-bye for Riverview
Friday, June 22 was the official closing day, and the bureaucrats had a party beside the HEY building, they invited present and previous staff members to attend, but the invitation did not extend to the thousands of volunteers who have freely given their time throughout the years. Classic Fail!
The Riverview Horticultural Centre Society, and other interest groups crashed this party, and we were bluntly told to stay out of the way, a frenzied paranoid staff member then made some calls, and the private police force ( Paladin ) sent in more members to deal with this non-conflict. Yikes!! Anarchists!

 Not welcome at this event

 Relegated to the hill overlooking the event

The Raging Greenies on YouTube!

 The Raging Greenies, underneath the HEY building dedication plaque, which reads:

Dedicated to community education

 The Raging Greenies singing a song

The Raging Greenies with Coquitlam-Maillardville, MLA, Diane Thorne serenading on the right.
Article from OpenFile about the Raging Greenies

The main event tent, could not hear a word spoken though.
But from what I could hear, everything has gone very well in the transition of the residents to other institutions; that is the official word anyway; the reality is much different.

On the same day an ex-patients wife visited and earlier in the day had received in the mail, these two letters.
A PDF transcription of both letters can be found HERE

 This lady wanted her husband to stay as long as possible in Valleyview but he was transferred a few years ago to Delta View; she now has to travel a much greater distance to see him.
 This is not the only example of the system failing to provide proper care.

In the HEY building classrooms, photos from the graduating classes of nurses were displayed.
Have a look at them and a few from my collection on my Graduating Nurses, Flickr Page.

Riverview on national endangered list? 

 Metro wants a say on Riverview lands

Patients still missing from Forensic
    Hospital completes first of two reviews and may soon issue more unescorted day passes.

The HCP is still continuing they need some feedback, visit their website; Riverviewvalues
A representative from this process came to the closing ceremony hoping to gather some information but was told NO. Our tax dollars at work!

Riverview Lands Community Values Workshop, 4-8pm, on May 23, 2012 (update)
Video created for Tri-Citys Magazine, by Ebby Mohseni

Sue Haberger and Norma Gillespie interview starts at: 2_27

Elaine Golds interview starts at: 8_52

Margaret McDairmid, Minister of Citizen Services, interview starts at: 25_4

Letters to editor:
Riverview should be saved
Save Riverview Hospital lands
 Time to reopen Valleyview
(Valleyview is the large building that is very close to the Lougheed Highway, designed for geriatric patients; being dismantled for its equipment as I write this.!)

Vancouver Archives, has recently updated their database and now provides much larger photos; have a peek at some using the search term Essondale, and more using the term Boys Industrial, ( A few of these are of the boys just prior to them coming to Coquitlam )