Helen Mary Stiglish (nee Pietrasko) was born on March 30, 1920 in Coleman Alberta and grew up in Athalmer-Invermere, British Columbia. Helen met her future husband Fabian Jack Stiglish in 1938. In 1940, Helen and her family relocated from Invermere to Surrey and Jack followed suit. The couple married on December 5, 1942.

In 1943, the couple bought a mushroom farm at 1050 Keswick Ave near the Lougheed Highway. The farm had been established by W.T. Money around 1928 and is thought to be one of the first mushroom farms in B.C. The farm consisted of 4 acres of land, with one and a half acres devoted to growing mushrooms. Mushrooms were sold by the pound under the name “Money’s Mushrooms,” and mushroom manure was sold by the sack.

Jack and Helen were entrepreneurs throughout their lives. They briefly raised chincillas for their fur, owned a brick business, and owned the 4 Acre Trailer Court at 675 Lougheed Highway from the 1950s until 1979 when the trailer court was sold to Walter and Dennis Hohn.
The couple built their dream home at 703 Edgar Avenue in 1969. Jack and Helen were avid square dancers and were enthusiastic members of the Vancouver Heights Square Dance Club in Burnaby.

Helen was an accomplished homemaker. Her passions were crafting, gardening, oil painting, and experimenting with new recipes for all of the mushrooms that came from the family farm. Jack and Helen spent their summers at a summer home in Whatcom Meadows in Washington State. Helen passed away on July 3, 2009 in Burnaby.

Four Acres Trailer Court was a mobile home park located at 675 Lougheed Highway. It was owned and operated by Fabian and Helen Stiglish from the 1950s until 1979 when the trailer court was sold to Walter and Dennis Hohn. The mobile home park was rezoned and redeveloped by Mosaic Homes after 2006.

Established by an Act of the B.C. Legislature in 1992, the Coquitlam Foundation is a registered charity which provides a vehicle for compassionate citizens to build enduring legacies; gifts that keep on giving to their community in perpetuity.

In November of 1991 Norm Cook (Secretary) introduced the concept of a Community Foundation for Coquitlam to Gordon Fulton (Chair). The two concluded that it was a very valuable project and set out to find others who might be interested in starting a Community Foundation. The ‘Original 6’ consisted of Bill Brown, Brian Canfield, Norm Cook, Ted Nikiforuk (Treasurer), Larry Rose and Gordon Fulton (CHair). The first meeting took place on January 15, 1992. The Board was originally volunteer-based. But in 2008, the level of the Foundation's activity necessitated the move to a model with staffing.

Since 1992, visionary donors have built the foundation into a growing endowment that helps local individuals and non-profit organizations meet community needs. As an endowment, the capital is retained and earnings on funds are generated for the benefit of the community.

The Sun, Vancouver's largest daily newspaper, first appeared as The Vancouver Sun, 12 February 1912, "to consistently advocate the principles of Liberalism." Under publisher Robert Cromie and his sons, the Sun tended to support the Liberals but was often critical of them. The Sun expanded by buying out other newspapers.

With its 1917 purchase of the Daily News-Advertiser (est. 1886), it claimed to be the city's oldest newspaper; with its 1924 acquisition of The Evening World (est 1888), it became undisputedly the city's second most important newspaper. Not until its chief rival, The Vancouver Daily Province, suffered a prolonged labour dispute (1946-49) did the Sun emerge as the leading journal of the province. The majority of Cromie family holdings in Sun Publishing Co were sold to FP Publications Ltd in 1963, and in 1980 Southam Inc. bought the newspaper. In 1992, the Sun was taken over by Hollinger Inc. In 2010, it became part of the Postmedia Network group of newspapers, after the collapse of previous owner CanWest Global, which had purchased the newspaper as part of the sale of Hollinger, Inc assets in 2000.

Howard McAskill was born in the Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster on November 23rd, 1948. His family moved from Victory Heights in New Westminster to the west end of Rochester Road in the historic Burquitlam area in 1956. He attended Alderson, Mundy Road, and Brookmere Elementary Schools, as well as Como Lake High School before graduating from Centennial School in 1967 and U.B.C. in 1971.

A life-long enthusiasm for cars and motor sports developed as a youth, with many weekends spent with friends at the Westwood Race Track or the Arlington drag strip in Washington. McAskill had relatives who worked as British car mechanics or for firms that were sponsors of Westwood events and McAskill was inspired by his family doctor, C.C. Wilson who was an avid racer and President of the Sports Car Club of BC. Wilson was instrumental in getting Westwood Race Track built and served as its Director of Development for many years.

McAskill enjoyed multiple employment experiences dominated by a 25 year membership in the I.W.A. covering his time at Fraser Mills, followed by 20 years in operations with Catalyst Paper and predecessor firms before his retirement in 2010.

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.

The Burquitlam Community Association (BCA) was established in 1997 to advocate for the residents of Burquitlam and foster a strong sense of community in the area. It grew out of an effort by citizens to stop a proposed Sky Train route through the Miller Park area because of concerns over potential ecological damage to the forest and bird habitat. The BCA was instrumental in lobbying the City of Coquitlam and the RCMP to provide a satellite police station in the Burquitlam area, which was established in the Burquitlam Plaza. The group successfully advocated for the conversion of a city-owned lot at 515 Ebert Avenue into a community garden, which is now managed by the Burquitlam Community Organic Garden Society. The BCA was active in the consultation process with developers and contractors for the Millennium Line SkyTrain extension through Burquitlam. The BCA regularly organized all candidates meetings during elections to ensure the interests of Burquitlam residents were taken into account.

In 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other outstanding issues, the Board of Directors determined that the time had come to dissolve the Association. In accordance with the Societies Act, a Special General Meeting was held on May 27, 2021 and a motion was approved to officially dissolve the Association. All funds were returned to major donors and distributed to local non-profit organizations.

Photograph studio operated by Maurice Krass.

Donald Luxton & Associates is a cultural and heritage planning consulting firm. Their award-winning, multi-disciplinary team ensures a creative and practical response to the management of cultural and heritage resources for both the public and private sectors. Donald Luxton & Associates has carried out numerous municipal planning projects, heritage inventories and the restoration of public buildings throughout British Columbia, Alberta and the Yukon. The firm was founded by Donald Luxton around 1996.

Crehan, Meredith & Co. Chartered Accountants was founded ca. 1938. The offices were located at 402 West Pender Street in Vancouver. Lt.-Col. Maurice J. Crehan was a partner in the firm Crehan, Meredith & Co. Chartered Accountants. He was born on February 25, 1909 to Matthew Joseph Crehan and Mercy Ellen Crehan (née Wilkinson), also Chartered Accountants who operated Crehan, Mouat & Co. until ca. 1937. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Infantry Corps and was killed in action in Italy on October 20, 1944.

Glacier Media Group was founded on March 23, 1988. It provides business intelligence, marketing and advertising, and community media services. The company owns a large number (60 as of 2020) of community newspapers in British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.

Pauline Jewett, educator, politician (b at St Catharines, Ont 11 Dec 1922; d at Ottawa 5 July 1992). Educated at Queen's, Radcliffe, Harvard and London School of Economics, she was a professor of political science (1955-74) and head of the Institute of Canadian Studies (1971-74) at Carleton before being appointed president of Simon Fraser University (1974-78), the first woman to head a major coeducational university in Canada.

Jewett was a Liberal MP for Northumberland from 1963 to 1965 and in 1966 she was vice-president of the national Liberal Party. In 1979, 1980 and 1984 she was elected MP for New Westminster-Coquitlam for the New Democratic Party. In Parliament she was NDP critic on education and external affairs, the constitution, federal-provincial relations, arms control and disarmament. Jewett did not seek re-election in 1988. She was an Officer of the Order of Canada. Jewett returned to university life in 1990 to serve as Chancellor of Carleton University until her death. Carleton renamed the Institute of Womens Studies (est 1987) the Pauline Jewett Institute of Womens Studies in 1992.

Deborah Smyth was Miss Congeniality of the Miss Coquitlam Pageant in 1986.

Thomas Gilbert Brian Caunt was born in Hull, Yorkshire, England to Harry Caunt and Louisa (Cuthbert) Caunt in 1898. In 1903, he came to Canada with his family who settled in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Caunt originally wanted to be a farmer and attended the Manitoba Agricultural College (later University of Manitoba) in 1914 and 1915.

In 1915, Caunt joined the 8th Battalion of the Winnipeg Rifles and was posted overseas with the 1st Division CEF, and served as infantry during The Somme, Ypres, and Passchendaele. He returned to Canada in late 1919. Caunt was a member of the Canadian Legion Post 2 for many years.

After serving in the war, he was determined to become a doctor. He graduated in medicine from the University of Manitoba in 1934. Caunt married Lucy Agnes Sybil Slaughter on April 24, 1935.

Following an internship at the Vancouver General Hospital, Caunt joined the staff of the Provincial Mental Hospital, Essondale in 1935. For many years he was in charge of the care of Veterans at the hospital. In 1952, he became medical superintendent of the hospital and Crease Clinic, a position he held until 1963 when he retired.

In 1954, Caunt became a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association as well as a certified specialist in psychiatry by the Royal College. He was also a charter member of the Canadian Psychiatric Association.

Caunt died on January 28, 1984.

Lillian Frances Touzeau was born to Ernest and Christine (Vaudin) Touzeau on June 22, 1920. They lived in the independent municipality of South Vancouver near 41st between Victoria Drive and Knight Road. Her parents and oldest brother had arrived in Canada from Guernsey, Channel Islands in 1911. Both her brothers attended UBC and one of Lillian’s dreams was to also study on the Point Grey campus to become a pharmacist.

Touzeau graduated from John Oliver High School in South Vancouver, after which she enrolled as student nurse at the Provincial Mental Hospital, Essondale in 1941. Lillian chose this profession as she had experience with mental health concerns; a neighbour and classmate suffered from depression and when the mother of this girl was unable to deal with her child she would ask Lillian to visit and ease the situation.

To Lillian, living with the other nursing students at the Nurses’ Residence was much like having sisters. The seventeen women in the Class of 1944 remained in close contact over many years. Lillian was an excellent student and was awarded the Deputy Minister’s medal for General Proficiency in 1944. From September 1943 – May 1944 she was president of the Student Nurses’ Association. In her report for the 1944 PMH Annual she wrote: “We have taken our difficulties to the training school and by talking over our problems we hope that the desires and ambitions of the students have been more clearly understood.”

Lillian required a leave of absence to provide hospice care for her mother in 1945. In 1946 she met Andrew Manzer, who had returned from the Second World War overseas and was employed at the Provincial Mental Hospital. They married in 1947 and lived near Campbell River until 1958 where they raised a family of 3 daughters. They moved to New Westminster and Lillian returned to work at the Woodlands School. She retired from there in 1980 at age 60.

Andrew died suddenly in 1989. Lillian remained active in the community as a volunteer for the Arthritis Association and in the kitchen at Century House Association. She practiced Taoist Tai Chi, was an avid reader of all kinds of literature. She died at Queen’s Park Care Centre in New Westminster, BC on the 26th of October in 2008.

Marie Celia Hinque was born and raised in Ponteix, Saskatchewan. Her father co-founded Notre Dame d'Auvergne parish. Her family moved to Maillardville in 1930. She attended Central School and then worked in a boarding house in New Westminster. She married Simon Bart Charpentier on July 16, 1935. They had seven children and lived in a house at 200 Hart Street.

Bob McLean was a racecar driver who was killed racing the very first GT40 chassis at the 1966 Sebring 12 Hours. McLean was born in 1933 in Port Pirie, in Southern Australia. He moved all over the world but eventually settled on the West Coast of Canada. He raced his MGA in the first race at Westwood Racetrack on opening day, July 26, 1959. In 1965, he dominated the Canadian Championship, winning 19 out of 21 races. His record caught the attention of Ford and he was offered a single-race contract to drive the Mk1 GT40 at the twelve-hour race in Sebring. Four people were killed during the race, including McLean.

Hoy-Scott Watershed Society (HSWS) is a not-for-profit, volunteer run environmental stewardship group, that conducts a salmon enhancement program in partnership with the City of Coquitlam, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Canada. HSWS is actively involved in watershed restoration, public awareness, education and preservation.

Before becoming a non-profit society, the group was originally known as the Hoy Creek Streamkeepers. They restored an old, 3-room trout rearing facility on the Frederick Brewer property in 1995, with the support of the DFO, the City of Coquitlam, and the Coquitlam Optimists Club. Coho from the Port Coquitlam Hunting and Fishing Club hatchery were placed in the rearing pond in July 1995. Following the completion of the rearing pond, the Hoy Creek Streamkeepers joined with Scott Creek stream-keeping groups to form the Hoy-Scott Streamkeepers in 1996. The hatchery itself was completed in 1997.

In 2002 the Hoy-Scott Watershed Society was formed and registered with an expanded mandate to promote watershed restoration and help raise awareness of our shared responsibility for the care of the creek and its surrounding habitat. Founding members who signed the Society document were: Keith Kozak, Linda Gorsline, Chris Hamming, Andrea Tubbs, and Shawn Tubbs.

Initially the goal was to help rebuild a population of coho in Hoy Creek. Now that coho are consistently coming back in encouraging numbers, HSWS is focused on supporting and maintaining returns, as well as carrying out other activities that keep the environment of the creek healthy. In 2015 their salmon enhancement program was expanded to include chum salmon.

HSWS spends a great deal of time in the removal of invasive plants, either during weekly work hours, or via special-planned events with the City of Coquitlam's Bad Seed program. The Society also undertakes activities including Adipose Fin-Clipping, In-Stream Creek Cleans, Rearing Pond Cleans, Hoy Trail Cleanups, and an annual pair of events called “Salmon Leave Home” and “Salmon Come Home.” HSWS received a Lifetime Achievement Group Certificate of Appreciation from the City of Coquitlam in 2018.

Tim Kernighan grew up, lived, and worked in Coquitlam, BC. He attended Lord Baden-Powell Elementary School, Como Lake Middle School, and Centennial High School. He graduated from Centennial High School in 1973 and attended Douglas College. In 1980, he joined the Coquitlam Fire Department, where he worked for 25 years. He held the roles of both Fire Fighter and Fire Prevention Inspector.

Glen grew up in Coquitlam, next to Mundy Park. He graduated from Centennial High School in 1987 and started working for the City in 1992, first at the Coquitlam/Port Coquitlam RCMP Detachment and became a bylaw officer in 1998. In 2001 the City started construction on a new Animal Shelter located beside the Austin Works Yard at 500 Mariner Way and the Bylaw Enforcement and Animal Services Div. moved in when it opened in 2002.

Lorraine was born in 1938. She lived in an apartment at the then Essondale Hospital, Coquitlam. Her father, Jim Murphy, was the electrical Superintendent at Essondale from 1929-1945. Lorraine become a psychiatric nurse at Essondale.