The Herald Newspaper was a weekly newspaper that covered the Tri-Cities area between January 1929 and December 30, 1980. Originally it was called the Coquitlam Herald but was renamed the Herald in 1975. During 1975–1980 it was published by W.E. Dunning Publishing Co. Ltd., publishers of The Gazette, The Herald, The Sunday Gazette, and The Sunday Herald. It amalgamated with the Enterprise Newspaper in June 1981 and became the Herald-Enterprise Newspaper. The Herald Newspaper ceased publication on October 9, 1984 after W.E. Dunning Publishing went out of business.

Ken Haywood was the General Sales Manager at Fogg Motors Limited of New Westminster and had a long history with Westwood Racetrack. He served as President of the Westwood Karting Association and organized twelve go-kart meets every summer in the 1960s. His three sons and his daughter all raced in the karting series at Westwood.
Haywood also served as a Director and Membership Chairman for the Kiwanis Club and was instrumental in developing the club’s defensive driving program.

Fiona McQuarrie was born in North Vancouver. She studied at Simon Fraser University and at the University of Alberta, graduating from the University of Alberta in 1995 with a Ph.D. in organizational analysis. She was a faculty member in the School of Business at the University of the Fraser Valley and retired as Professor Emeritus in 2022. She moved to Coquitlam in 1995 and has served on several City of Coquitlam committees, including the Gender Equity Committee.

Sharon Tokar is a founding member of Coquitlam Search and Rescue, and was one of the first women to be involved in search and rescue activities in the province. Growing up in Coquitlam, she attended Brookmere Elementary, Como Lake Middle School, Mongomery Junior Secondary, and Centennial Secondary School. As well, she worked as a nurse at Riverview Hospital and Woodwards in New Westminster. She was a trained archeologist and taught at Langara College. Sharon passed away in March 2024.

Club Bel Âge were a Francophone seniors group based in Maillardville, formed in 1964 as Maillardville Branch No. 86 - a local of the British Columbia Old Age Pensioners Organization. They were the only French Canadian group in the province. They successfully petitioned Council for a dedicated space in 1991, a hall at Place Maillardville on Laval Square. The hall became place where Coquitlam seniors could socialize, play cards, craft and celebrate community. They ceased to operate in 2019 when their hall was demolished and membership was in decline.

On March 25th, 1913, for economic reasons, the Municipality of Fraser Mills seceded from the District of Coquitlam and took 390 acres of land. The District of Fraser Mills was then incorporated on March 26th, 1913 under the Reeveship of Dr. R.B. Scott, with Mr. G. G. Stewart as Clerk. The District of Fraser Mills later re-amalgamated with the District of Coquitlam in 1971, with the first Council meeting of the newly amalgamated municipality taking place on November 1st, 1971.

The Meridian Heights Farmers Institute was formed in the early 1930s (exact date unknown, however the first available Minutes from January 4th, 1932 make mention of thanks to be given to Mr. Morris, Mr. Gillis, and Mr. Martin for their assistance in the formation of the institute). Farmers Institutes were created by district under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture and the Superintendent of Farmers’ Institutes. The Superintendent served as a Director on each local board. Meetings of the Meridian Heights Farmers Institute were held in Glen School for several meetings in 1932 until the Institute moved its regular meetings to Victoria Hall School. The Institute met to discuss issues relating to the community including road development, land development, employment, worker’s rights, price of goods, buildings etc., and they also organized and held social gatherings with the women’s auxiliary at the Meridian Heights Farmers Institute Hall (also known as Victoria Hall and Dogpatch Hall). The Farmers Institute served as the centre of the community that was very isolated in the early days of settlement. The Institute was later replaced by the Ratepayers Association in the 1950s.

Reginald George Marshall was born April 7th, 1884 in Dorset, Dorchester, England. Marshall was married to Matilda Hopkins on October 9th, 1911. Prior to moving to Canada, he served in the Dorset Yeomanry and following his arrival served in the 104th militia in British Columbia. His marriage certificate lists his occupation as "farmer" but on July 16th, 1913 he was appointed as a special police constable at a Coquitlam Council meeting on a retaining fee of $10 per month. He was later appointed to be the special constable in charge of the East End at a rate of $10 per month. He enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force on March 11th, 1915 in New Westminster at the rank of Private but was soon promoted to Lance Corporal, Corporal, and then Sergeant (Regiment No. 628467) in the 47th Battalion. He died of wounds received in action on August 22nd, 1917, at the age of 33. He received the Victory and British War medals and is buried in Lapugnoy Military Cemetery in France in plot V.D. 12. He was survived by his wife, who moved to England during the war, and his parents Francis and Annie Marshall of Port Coquitlam.

The position of the City Clerk was established at the first meeting of the District of Coquitlam Council on August 22, 1891 and R.D. Irvine was engaged at the salary of “not more than $50.00 for the balance of year”. Originally the treasurer, assessor and records manager for the District, the City Clerk eventually became Municipal Council liaison with a separately appointed Treasurer. The Clerk’s chief function is to be secretary to Council, Council Select and Special Committees, to the court of property tax revision and secretary to the Board of Variance and Family Court Committee. The Clerk is responsible for Council correspondence and for civic public relations. The Clerk is also the Returning Officer for elections to Council and the School Board and is the custodian of the municipality’s bylaws. Since the Clerk’s Office has responsibility for record keeping, its records serve as one of the more diverse sources documenting Coquitlam’s development as a municipality.

The area between New Westminster and Pitt River along the Fraser River in British Columbia became settled in the pursuit of trapping, fishing and logging beginning in the
1820’s. Industry and significant settlement began with the opening of Fraser Mills sawmill on the north bank of the Fraser in the last years of the 19th century. Coquitlam comprised an area of approximately sixty-five square miles that had been surveyed by Royal Engineer A.L. Breakenridge in 1863. By the late 1880s, it became evident that the area should be incorporated into a Municipal District, and to this end, a petition was made by a majority of the landowners and pre-emptors living in the area. By letters patent dated 25 July 1891,
the area was incorporated as the Corporation of the District of Coquitlam. The letters patent called for the nomination of five councillors and a reeve and the first meeting of a municipal council were assembled in Kelly’s Hall in 1891 at Westminster Junction, now within the City of Port Coquitlam. The first reeve was R.B. Kelly and the first councillors were E.A. Aitkins, James Fox, S.W. Selman, James Morrison and J. Shennan. The first City Clerk was R.D. Irvine.

In 1893, that portion of the Maple Ridge Municipality between the newly formed District of Coquitlam and the Pitt River was added to Coquitlam municipality. The City of Port Coquitlam and the District of Fraser Mills both ceded from the District of Coquitlam in 1913 in order to limit their tax liability for the development of the rapidly growing Coquitlam District and to establish their own tax base, taking just over a almost 7000 acres of land away from the Coquitlam District. Fraser Mills rejoined the District on 1 November 1971, when both districts revoked their letters patent and a new letters patent was proclaimed incorporating the area as the District of Coquitlam. Supplementary letters patent were issued in 1973 and 1986 to reflect changes in municipal boundaries. Effective 1 December 1992, the District of Coquitlam’s status was changed by new letters patent to that of a city municipality and it became known as the City of Coquitlam. Today, it is bordered by the municipalities of Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, Burnaby and New Westminster as well as the Fraser River to the south, Pitt River to the east and the Coastal Mountains to the north. It includes the community of Maillardville, a region near Fraser Mills settled by French Canadians in the early years.

History of the municipality’s bylaws indicates both the remoteness of the region and its rapid urbanization. Road taxation began in 1897, the sale of liquor was first regulated in 1909 and municipal health regulations were first passed in 1912. Coquitlam had electricity by 1911, and plans for running water began in 1916. The building of a separate fire hall in 1946 and expansion of water service in the mid-1950s indicate a particularly vigorous period of population growth. The municipality assumed responsibility for paved roads and sidewalks by 1961. Zoning changes in the 1970s and 1980s reflect a change in land use from agricultural to single-family suburban residential and low-density apartment housing. An average of two development permits was issued every month by the early eighties.

The town centre, developed in the mid 1970s, provides cultural and recreational facilities and includes a public safety building, a new City Hall, community centre, a high school and college. The population of Coquitlam has doubled from the 1970s to the present day. A dyking project began in the 1990s has eliminated the Coquitlam River flooding and bridge washouts that sometimes occurred in the last century.

City Clerks, District and City of Coquitlam
R.D. Irvine 1891-1892
W. Alexander Philip 1892-
John Smith 1899-1913
A. Haliburton 1913-1917
Robert Newman 1918-1927
Alan M. Shaw 1928
William Russell 1928-1947
F.L. Pobst 1947-1972
R.A. Leclair, acting clerk, 1965, 1966 1967
H.F. Hockey, acting clerk, 1967
Ted Klassen, acting clerk, 1967
Ted Klassen, 1972-1991
Sandra Aikenhead, 1991-1994
Warren Jones, 1994-2000
Trevor Wingrove, 2000-2002
Sonia Santarossa, 2002-2008
Jay Gilbert, 2008-present

Reeves and Mayors, District and City of Coquitlam
R.B. Kelly 1891-1896
E.A. Atkins 1897-1903
Ralph Booth 1904-1908
D.E. Welcher 1909-1910
James Mars 1911-1913
L.E. Marmont 1918-1922
George H. Proulx 1923
R.C. MacDonald 1924-1941
J.W. Oliver 1942-1944
L.J. Christmas 1945-1969
J.L. Ballard 1970-1971
James L. Tonn 1972-1983
Louis Sekora 1984-1998
Jon Kingsbury 1998-2005
Maxine Wilson 2005-2007
Richard Stewart 2008-present

Moody Junior-Senior High School is a junior high school located at 130 Buller St, Port Moody, British Columbia.

By the 1950s Port Moody needed a new school to replace the now aging Central School. Moody Junior-Senior High School was built to house grades 7-12 at 3115 St. John's St. in 1951. The school was originally supposed to be called 'Port Moody Junior-Senior High School' but a mistake had been made on the sign. The school opened with 19 teachers and 404 students from Ioco, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody.

In 1962, Moody High School began expansion, including a band room, cafeteria, four classrooms, a student council room and book storage area. Changes were being made to accommodate a larger student population, and extracurricular activities. On March 24th, 1969, the school was completely destroyed in a fire. For the final months of the 1969 school year, students attended classes at Como Lake Secondary School.

Port Moody's replacement high school was completed and ready for students by the spring of 1970, but the school board decided to wait until September to open the school to avoid disrupting the students further. In September 1970, the first classes were held in the brand new building.

By 1973, the school was converted to a junior high school, as another school called Port Moody Senior Secondary was built to accommodate the growing number of high school students. The junior high school was then renamed Moody Middle School in the late 1990's. In 2018, the facility was demolished and rebuilt by Omicron Architects and Olivit Construction. It was also renamed École Moody Middle School of the Arts.

Craig Hodge was born May 1, 1957, at the Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, the same hospital where his father was born. His father Robert Hodge was the financial services manager for the Coquitlam School Board while his mother Margaret Hodge was a Burnaby school teacher. The family moved to Coquitlam in 1964.

After finishing grade school at Hillcrest elementary, he attended a brand new school called Dr. Charles Best junior secondary where he became interested in photography as he worked on the school’s first annual.

When he advanced to Centennial secondary in 1973, he volunteered to work on the school’s award-winning newspaper, The Catalyst, under the direction of teachers Ward Eby and Frank Shepard. While a number of Catalyst students went on to careers in journalism, Craig’s break came while he was still in Grade 11 when The Columbian newspaper sent its chief photographer Basil King to take pictures of the students for a story about a national award they had won. Craig didn’t realize that as the students waited for their classmates to gather, Basil was looking over Craig’s pictures scattered on the table. A month later, Basil offered Craig a job as a photographer for the summer.

The Columbian newspaper was British Columbia’s oldest daily newspaper. It started in New Westminster before relocating to a former car dealership at 329 North Rd. in Coquitlam. It served the Vancouver suburbs and tried to compete against the Vancouver Sun and Province.

When the summer ended, Craig returned to Centennial for his final year but Basil kept him on to work weekends until he graduated. During his 10 years of working at The Columbian, Craig covered all the major provincial and local stories before the newspaper closed doors in 1984.

By then, Craig had developed a close working relationship with local police and firefighters, and had become the top spot news photographer in the Lower Mainland. This led to him to being hired in 1985 by Gordy Robson, the owner of the Maple Ridge News. Gordy was interested in expanding his weekly publication into the Coquitlam and Burnaby markets to fill the void left by The Columbian. He also wanted to compete with the Now newspaper chain that had just been started by a group of former Columbian employees.

Originally launched as a regional Sunday magazine format — featuring a full front page colour photograph — plans were soon made to start individual Wednesday news editions in the Burnaby, New Westminster and Coquitlam markets.

It was in a management meeting to pick a name for the new Coquitlam paper that Craig argued against calling the publication The Pocomo News or the District 43 News. Rather, his idea was to call it The Tri-City News. The term had not been used in the area before and his suggestion was rejected by several mayors who were then fighting against calls for amalgamation. Despite the opposition, Craig convinced the newspaper owners and, today, the name is commonly used to reference the Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody region.

Shortly after the expansion, Gordy Robson sold the papers to Hacker Press — the owner of the Abbotsford News and Chilliwack Progress. The company built a regional production facility on Broadway Avenue in Port Coquitlam and it was there that Craig established a photography department to cover the territory from Whonnock to Vancouver.

Craig hired a team of photographers to staff the region seven days a week. Between the years 1985 and 2011, his team won more than 80 local, national and international photo journalism awards — half of them for Craig’s images.

During his 35 years working for local newspapers, Craig covered many events that shaped the community and documented the changing city. He photographed high school sports, Rick Hansen climbing the Thermal Drive Hill, opening day of Coquitlam Centre Mall, races at Westwood Track, building openings and every big news event.

While at The Tri-City News, he also began working part-time as a staff photographer for the Vancouver Sun. There, he covered major sports, concerts, and historic events such as Expo 86 and the royal tour of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

In addition to his professional responsibilities, Craig served as president of the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce in 1999, and later as president of the Coquitlam Heritage Society.

He and his wife Darla Furlani, also a photographer, had three sons and Craig volunteered as a soccer coach, ball hockey coach, and a Scout leader.
Craig was the photo co-ordinator for Coquitlam’s centennial history book, Coquitlam 100 Years, in which — over a two-year period — he sourced all the images for the publication, now preserved at the City of Coquitlam Archives.

In 2011, Craig left the newspaper industry and was elected to Coquitlam city council.

James Leonard (Jim) Tonn served as Councillor in 1971 and was elected Mayor in 1972, a position he held until he resigned in July, 1983. He was a former professional football player who played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the B.C. Lions between 1957 and 1959. He served as Alderman for one year before being elected Mayor. He served as President of the Union of B.C. Municipalities and was Deputy Chairman of the GVRD Board of Directors. He served on nearly all GVRD committees and was Chairman of several including Planning and Parks. After resigning he became the Municipal Manager.

The Tri-City News is a community newspaper that serves Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Anmore, and Belcarra. It was founded in 1984 and was owned by Trinity (a UK company) before it was sold to Black Press in 1997. The newspaper was sold again in 2015 to Glacier Media Group.

James Mars was first elected Reeve for the Corporation of the District of Coquitlam in 1911. He served in this capacity until the City of Port Coquitlam seceded from the district and he became the first Reeve of the new City of Port Coquitlam. He later served as Alderman in Port Coquitlam from 1920-1921.

Margaret (Marg) and Geoffrey (Geoff) Hortin became members of the Sports Car Club of British Columbia (SCCBC) in 1958. They assisted with the building of the Westwood Racetrack, and Geoff was an active racer. Marg raced an MGA coupe in what were known as "powder puff" races. She also helped out with lap scoring and was part of the Ladies Division, which ran a concession stand that raised enough money to pay for the taxes on the racetrack each year. Margaret Hortin passed away on July 5, 2019.

Ronald James Fielding was born in Vancouver in 1910 to Thomas and Sarah Fielding. Fielding married Barbara May MacDonald in 1936. Fielding was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Excelsior Lodge #7 in Chilliwack for 70 years and associate member of Royal City/Burnaby Lodge #3.