Alain (Al) Joseph Boire (1957–) is an author, founding member and first president of the Maillardville Residents’ Association (MRA), and an active and passionate advocate for the Maillardville community.

Boire was born in Maillardville on October 15, 1957. He was raised in a French Canadian family and spent his formative years in the Maillardville community. He attended Notre Dame de Lourdes school, St. Thomas More Collegiate, École Montgomery Middle School, and Centennial School. Boire became a professional home inspector, and resided in Maillardville for most of his life.

Boire has been active in the Maillardville community in many ways. In 1981–1985, he was the Director of Notre Dame de Lourdes Catholic Church, and during 2000–2005, Boire served as the director of Village Credit Union. Concerned with the developments in the community, Boire and a group of neighbours joined and founded the MRA in 2005, where Boire became the first president. The MRA was very active between the years of 2005 and 2011 and Boire was instrumental in starting long-standing community initiatives, such as its “Clean Up Maillardville” days, an Adopt-a-Street program, a Forum on Crime and a community website and directory. Boire was a founding member of the Maillardville Commercial and Cultural Revitalization task force committee on the MRA. Additionally, Boire joined the board of Place Maillardville Community in 2006, where he was Executive Director from 2011 to 2013.

In 2009, on behalf of the MRA, Boire completed research into the history of Maillardville for the community’s centenary. On their website they published ten short biographies each month on a specific decade in Maillardville’s history. Over the next seven years Boire intermittently returned to the project. In honour of Coquitlam’s 125th anniversary in 2016, Boire completed his research and published his book, "With Hearts and Minds: Maillardville, 100 Years of History on the West Coast of BC."

Boire was a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Award in 2012. In 2018, Boire and his family moved to Smiths Falls, Ontario.

ArtsConnect Tri-Cities Arts Council is a non-profit society and regional arts council. It was originally formed in 1969 as the Coquitlam Fine Arts Council (CFAC), to promote arts and cultural activities in Coquitlam. During 1983–1991 it changed its name to the Coquitlam Area Fine Arts Council (CAFAC) when it expanded its services to Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Anmore, and Belcarra. From 1992–2002 the organization was known as the ARC Arts Council, to reflect the Council’s role as an Arts Resource Centre. In 2003, the board changed the organization’s name to ArtsConnect.

ArtsConnect is dedicated to “connecting people through the arts.” They act as an arts resource, providing information about arts and cultural events and opportunities to the community at large. They achieve this by providing forums, workshops, professional development, and events that reflect the community’s diversity of culture, ages, and interests. Additionally, ArtsConnect fosters opportunities for artists to showcase their work at events, exhibitions and performances. ArtsConnect’s goal is to create and expand awareness of the beneficial aspects of arts and culture on the well-being of its community and advocate for arts and cultural development in the region. Throughout its history, it received funding from the Government of British Columbia, municipal grants, fundraising, membership, and donations.

Governance of ArtsConnect is overseen by a Board of Directors, responsible for the management of a Council for the purposes of achieving its objectives. The Council consists of a President, Vice-President, and a Secretary/Treasurer. The Council itself has three types of committees: an Executive Committee, Standing Committees, and Special Committees.

ArtsConnect has undertaken and sponsored many arts and cultural initiatives, including an arts resource centre and library, arts facility and program development, their Youth Matters! initiative, and provided scholarships and grants for students, individuals, and projects contributing to the literary, visual, and performing arts in the community. It held annual events, such as Works in 3D, Vernissage, Faces of the World Arts and Culture Festival and many other exhibitions and events, workshops, and educational programs. Additionally, it maintained a partnership with Tri-Cities Community TV and aired an eponymous television program that ran on the local Shaw TV channel 4.

E.A. Atkins served on Council from the date of Coquitlam's incorporation in 1891 until he was elected Reeve of the Corporation of the District of Coquitlam in 1897. He held the position of Reeve until 1903. He was an original settler of the area, having been issued a Crown Land Grant for District Lot 382 in the New Westminster District on June 6th, 1883.

Jack Ballard was elected Mayor in the election held in December 1969, following the death of L.J. Christmas in July. Ballard served as Mayor for a two-year term between 1970 and 1971.

Peter Barth was the Accountant for the Canadian Western Lumber Company. He stood in the election for Reeve of Corporation of the District of Coquitlam following the secession of the City of Port Coquitlam in March, 1913. He defeated L. E. Marmont by a margin of 144 to 121 votes in the election held on March 29th, 1913. His victory was due to significant support in the Maillardville community. The Coquitlam Star reported that "Mr Barth is known to be a man of excellent business training and the result showed that Mr. Barth convinced the electors as to his ability." (Coquitlam Star, April 2nd, 1913) Barth served only one partial term as Reeve of the municipality.

The Lieutenant Governor in British Columbia was established July 20, 1871.

The Lieutenant Governor is appointed by the Governor General acting by and with the advice of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada. Lieutenant governors are normally appointed for a period of not less than five years. The Lieutenant Governor fulfills several roles:

Vice-Regal
Directly represents the Queen of Canada, who is the legal Head of State in British Columbia. As Vice-Regal representative, the Lieutenant Governor acts as chief public representative and has the highest ranking position in the Provincial Government.
Represents the Crown as Chief Executive Officer during state and ceremonial events;
Acts as the vice-regal host for distinguished guests to British Columbia;
Perpetuates the traditional bond between the Crown, the Canadian Forces and uniformed services across British Columbia;
Supports an ongoing relationship between the Crown and the Indigenous Peoples of British Columbia and represents Her Majesty at appropriate events and ceremonies.

Constitutional
Upholds the constitutional framework in British Columbia. In this role the Lieutenant Governor personifies the Crown, which is both the apex and the unifying link in the constitutional and political structure of the province – executive, legislative, and judicial.
Ensures the continued existence of government in the Province of British Columbia;
Selects a First Minister as Premier of the Province;
Appoints and administers the Oaths of Office, Allegiance and Confidentiality to the Premier and members of the Executive Council;
Summons, prorogues and dissolves the Legislature;
Delivers the Speech from the Throne;
Provides Royal Assent to provincial legislation;
Signs orders-in-council, proclamations and other official documents before they have the force of law;
Presents Bills by Message into the Legislature when they involve taxation or expenditure of public money.

Celebratory
Celebrates, inspires and connects British Columbians, while promoting the history, culture and achievements of the province.
Recognizes distinguished British Columbians by presenting orders, decorations and medals, including prestigious award programs that carry the name of the Lieutenant Governor
Provides personal patronage to support and encourage worthy endeavours focused on public service, philanthropy, the arts and community volunteerism
Hosts and attends celebrations and social events to connect British Columbians
Showcases the heritage, art and culture of the province while hosting members of the Royal Family, heads of state, ambassadors, consuls general and other distinguished visitors

The British Columbia School of Psychiatric Nursing was established at East Lawn, Riverview Hospital (then the Female Chronic Unit and Essondale Hospital, respectively) in 1930. It was the first training school of its kind in B.C. When the unit opened in 1930, there was an immediate need for trained psychiatric nurses. Firstly, a six-month post-graduate course was offered to train registered nurses quickly, whereupon they became supervisors for new nurses enrolled in the course. In 1931, a nursing instructor, Miss C. A. Hicks, was appointed and the School expanded from a single course to a two-year psychiatric nursing program. The first graduates from the School received their diploma in 1932. That year, the program was extended to a three-year term which continued until 1951 when it again became a two-year program.

Because of the historical gendered beliefs held by the medical profession at the time, psychiatric nurses and students were female. With roots in Victorian viewpoints on gender, women were considered to be best equipped for nursing because they were considered to possess a moral capacity and natural compassion suited to patient care. Men were initially only considered mental hospital attendants. However in 1937 the School opened its enrollment to male psychiatric nurses.

Prior to 1951, psychiatric nursing was not a regulated profession in British Columbia and students enrolled in the program were employed as civil servants. With the establishment of the Psychiatric Nurses Act (1951) graduates were bound by standards of practice and education and were not considered civil servants until the successful completion of the program.

Riverview Hospital remained the home of the School of Psychiatric Nursing until 1972. But due to a decline in patient population, the School moved to the British Columbia Institute of Technology in and was renamed the Psychiatric Nursing program. The last class from the Riverview Hospital program graduated in 1973.

Due to Provincial budget cuts in 1984, the Psychiatric Nursing program was reduced to a one-year program and moved to Douglas College, where it remains today.