tl;dr:

1) Thank you for using and sharing our Oak Bay Archives digital copies of historic photos, WITH correct citations and captions and a link back to our website, AND with watermark intact. The images and their contextual information are made freely available to you - why wouldn't you do the same?

2) If you would like your historic family photos of Oak Bay to be available to a wider posterity, we would LOVE to consider them for the Archives - and yes, you will need to formally transfer ownership of the original prints/negatives to the District of Oak Bay (Archives). We can usually provide full digital copies back to you, for any use you want to make of them, including printing/sharing with your family members.

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Every archive, especially those with personal and family papers, ends up with material that doesn't pertain exactly to its collecting mandate or geographical location. Records created during the ordinary transactions of businesses, organizations and governments tend to fall into clearly defined categories and pertain to specific places and subjects, but the archival fonds created organically by the ordinary lives and activities of individuals and families in particular often include material on a wide range of subjects and places.

Is the 1910s photo album of an Oak Bay family less interesting because some of the photos are from their former home in the City of Victoria, or their holidays at Shawnigan Lake, travels in BC's Interior, or visits to family in Ontario? No! Would we break up the collection and redistribute everything to the places they are directly relevant to? Definitely not - this goes against a fundamental archival principle of "respect des fonds".

Context is key. An archive is a network of interrelated documents that tell the story of their creator/collector/user(s). For an archivist, that's the primary identity of any archive. Any of our later research interests are secondary - but are often the main reason for preserving and cataloguing an archive at all. Archival catalogues aim to do both of 1) reflecting the original order and relationships between/among the records and 2) describing and indexing the records in a way that helps future researchers to discover, understand and interpret them for their own purposes.

As archivists, we do our very best not to make decisions for researchers about which parts of a collection or archive they might find interesting or relevant - rather than selecting or "cherry-picking", to the best of our abilities and resources, we try to make all parts of the collection equally available, so that researchers can bring their own questions to the archival material and make those decisions for themselves, based on as complete and accurate an understanding of the archival material as possible. We can't possibly guess what amazing range of research uses might be made of the material from different viewpoints, time periods and subject areas - and we had better not try!

All this to say: it's not surprising - or wrong - that Oak Bay Archives holds photos of Kelowna in the 1930s, or that the City and Provincial archives hold historic photos of Oak Bay. We certainly collect and share information about related collections in other repositories, but we don't normally collect or provide access to copies. (This line does sometimes become blurred in Canada, often because of the enormous distances required for researchers to travel between repositories holding related material on any given subject - the Hudson's Bay Company archive was a good example.) Now that we are able to digitize some of our records, especially photos, access across space and distance - to digital surrogates at least - is becoming increasingly practical.

It is always important to know where the originals are, and to cite the source whenever and wherever an image is used (and let's be clear that the HBC archive was indeed clear about that). I do not normally accept copy loans for the archives, except in unusual circumstances and then only for the archives reference files. This means that - often with real regret - I will not agree to someone bringing in their family album and leaving it in the archives for a short time, to be digitized and returned, with the archives having permission from the private owner to make only the digital images available in the archives and online. I can only accept the real thing. (And in some cases, born-digital records are the real thing! But that's another story...) Sometimes potential donors are not ready or able to give away their treasured family records, and I regret having to say no to copies only - but I will. I'm conscious that those images may never get to the archives, may never be shared with others. But such offers are an opportunity to explain the archival principles of provenance and authenticity, and people who value their own family records tend to understand this well. This is a change in practice at Oak Bay Archives, so I hope this article helps to clarify that the change is carefully considered, and why it's important.

If the potential donor does decide to deposit their records, I can usually offer a full set of digital copies back to them (eventually!) for their own use. There is often only one member of an extended family who has real interest in or concern about preserving the originals, but many who would enjoy having digital copies or reprints of a selection. And of course once they are deposited, anyone in the family can always consult the originals at the Archives. Nobody has to worry about them rotting in a damp basement or baking in a hot attic, prey to pests, floods, house moves, and careless handling.

But why not? How can I refuse to free these wonderful images of Oak Bay life in the past to use on the internet and in publications without requiring the owner to surrender a cherished heirloom? How can I possibly turn down these generous offers of irreplaceable, fascinating and highly relevant images?

• If I only have the digital image, I will never be able to prove its authenticity by comparing it to the original.
• How can I check whether a mark on the photo is a feature of the original composition, a developing stain, a later annotation, or a digital artifact from the scanning process? I can't.
• Scanning is great, but it doesn't capture all the information - sometimes layers of information - in the original print (or negative).
• Sometimes things go wrong with a scan, an image is lost or becomes corrupted.
• If the scan is incomplete and cuts off a margin, contextual information such as names, dates, places and other captions may be cut off. If the original is not in the archives to check and/or re-scan, that's it, the image or information is lost
• What if there's better scanning technology in the future? In 50 years, with good storage and handling, most 100-year old photo albums will still be around, but if the original isn't in the archive, we're stuck with this old jpeg from 2022. Think of old black and white microfilms or photocopies. We can do so much better now - what might be possible not long from now? The same applies to software and format obsolescence - if one day we can no longer read/use our current digital photo formats, but we still have the physical originals, our successors can use newer technology to scan the originals again.
• Many vicissitudes can get in the way of promised eventual donation "one day"; they don't always come to fruition. Permitting copy loans may create a false impression in the potential donor that the issue of historical continuity has been dealt with.
• Photographic manipulation has been around since the beginning of photography itself, but with the advent of AI generated/manipulated images, preservation of and access to originals is increasingly important. For instance, I digitally removed images of people on a recent series of Oak Bay house photos when putting them on the internet, for privacy reasons. But the originals are still available for comparison in the archives - for instance, so you can see that I only removed the person, no changes have been made to the image of the house. More on this to come, e.g.:

- Marina Amaral, AI is creating fake historical photos, and that's a problem. March 2024. https://marinaamaral.substack.com/p/ai-is-creating-fake-historical-photos (Thanks to Andrew Chernevych on LinkedIn)

- Rômulo da Silva Ehalt, The Specter of AI-Generated Historical Documents. May 2024. https://legalhistoryinsights.com/the-specter-of-ai-generated-historical-documents/

All digital images of hard-copy originals are facsimiles - access and preservation tools. In some ways they can help us get more information and different uses from the original than is possible when using the original - but they cannot replace the original.

What about watermarks? Why bother?

Using correct citations and preserving digital watermarks acknowledges the work of the institution in preserving, describing and digitizing the image, and making the image and its description available, and in some cases there are also rights and permissions issues attached even to old photos and other records. More importantly, good citation provides a trail for other researchers to follow in order to find other relevant related material, or to ask related questions, for their own research interests. This is the only reason I put watermarks on Oak Bay Archives photos, and I'm disappointed when I find they are being used with the watermarks removed. They don't look lovely, but that's not why they are there. It's so easy for an image to become orphaned from all of its contextual information. If a researcher needs a copy of an image without a watermark, we can provide them of course. But for use "in the wild" on the internet, that watermark should stay, to provide a way for others to find us.

- Anna Sander, summer 2024.

sources of original photos

If you visit Oak Bay Archives in person, pass the Archives entrance on the side of Municipal Hall, or stop by our table at the Oak Bay Avenue Night Markets, you'll see at least one of the beautiful standing banners created in 2014 by Sandy Reber of Reber Creative. All the photos on the banners depict Oak Bay Life of yesteryear, but not all the originals are from Oak Bay Archives. Click the credits below for links to source images.

Why is a list of image sources important? [click here]

	1. BC Archives E-00029 2. Oak Bay Archives PHOT 1994-001-017. 3. Oak Bay Archives, photo number not identified. 4. BC Archives I-02257, Photographer Duncan Macphail. 5. BC Archives I-02288, Photographer Duncan MacPhail. 6. Source not identified, not held at Oak Bay Archives. Probably copy loan from private collection. 7. Oak Bay Archives PHOT 2019-010-006 8. Oak Bay Archives PHOT 2012-001-055 9. Oak Bay Archives PHOT 2012-001-086 10. Online at Oak Bay News without credit. Probably copy loan from private collection. 11. Uplands Garage and Gas Station on Cadboro Bay Road near Estevan, ca. 1925. Oak Bay Archives 2016-027-001
	1. Royal Victoria Yacht Club. Painting by TS Gore. 2. BC Archives A-08840. 3. Copy loan from private collection, original not held at Oak Bay Archives. 4. Oak Bay Archives PHOT 2010-010-076. Photographer Frank Burrell. 5. Oak Bay Archives PHOT 1994-001-77 6. Oak Bay Archives PHOT 2010-010-132. Photographer Frank Burrell. 7. Source not identified, probably copy loan from private collection.
	1. Oak Bay Archives 2012-001-023 2. Oak Bay Archives 1994-001-014 3. Saanich Archives 2010-060-002 4. Oak Bay Archives 2012-010-008, postcard. 5. Victoria Golf Club. 6. BC Archives A-03039 7. Oak Bay Archives 2012-001-017 8. Oak Bay Archives 1994-006-001 9. Oak Bay Archives 2013-017-004. Photographer: Fleming Bros. 10. Oak Bay Archives 2013-017-009. Photographer: Fleming Bros.

Sorted by name then year:

1906: Reeve, William Edgar Oliver (1867-1920). Councillors: AE Haynes, William Noble, William E Henderson (1837-1931) , FB Pemberton, Francis Mawson Rattenbury (1867-1935), John Sutherland.

1907: Reeve, W.E. Oliver. Councillors: William Fernie, William Henderson, S.R. Newton, William Noble, FM Rattenbury, John Sutherland.

1908: Reeve, W.E. Oliver. Councillors: William Fernie, Willieam Henderson, S.R. Newton, William Noble, FM Rattenbury, John Sutherland.

1909: Reeve, William Henderson. Councillors: JL Colbert, JH McGregor, SR Newton, William Noble, WE Oliver, FB Pemberton.

1910: Reeve, William Henderson. Councillors: JH Hargreaves, HS Lott, JH McGregor, SR Newton, FB Pemberton, JC Sproule.

1911: Reeve, William Henderson. Councillors: JH Hargreaves, PD Hillis, JA Lindsay, JH McGregor, WIlliam Noble, WE Oliver (part of the year only), FB Pemberton.

1912: Reeve, W.E. Oliver. Councillors: James Brown, HS Lott, JH McGregor, William Noble, FB Pemberton, JE Smart.

1913: Reeve, FM Rattenbury. Councillors: James Brown, NT Burdick, AW Elliott, JH McGregor, FB Pemberton.

1914: Reeve, W.E. Oliver. Councillors: James Brown, NT Burdick, AW Elliott, MP Gordon, JH McGregor, LW Toms.

1915: Reeve, W.E. Oliver. Councillors: James Brown, NT Burdick, AD Crease, AW Elliott, MP Gordon, LW Toms.

1916: Reeve, Marshall P Gordon (1862-1929) .Councillors: James Brown, NT Burdick, WA Jameson, WE Oliver, LW Toms, Charles E Wilson.

1917: Reeve, M.P Gordon. Councillors: James Brown, NT Burdick, WA Jameson, FC Niven, LW Toms, Charles E Wilson.

1918: Reeve,Newton Townley Burdick (to April 9) (1882-1953) .Councillors: WA Jameson, JC McNeill, FC Niven, JJ Shallcross, LW Toms, CE Wilson.

Burdick resigned on 2 April, and following a by-election, Council members for the remainder of the year were:

1918: Reeve, Charles E Wilson (April 17 1918 – December 1919) .Councillors: WA Jameson, P McKechnie, JC McNeill, FC Niven, JJ Shallcross, FW Toms.

1919: Reeve, C.E. Wilson. Councillors: SJ Drake, AD MacFarlane, JC McNeill, AE Mallett, FC Niven, JJ Shallcross.

1920: Reeve, Samuel James Drake (1874-1940) . Councillors: HJ Davis, AD MacFarlane, P McKechnie, JC McNeill, AE Mallett, JJ Shallcross.

1921: Reeve, Samuel J. Drake. Councillors: HJ Davis, HF Hewlett, AD MacFarlane, P McKechnie, AE Mallett, JJ Shallcross.

1922: Reeve, Samuel J. Drake. Councillors: AD Crease, HJ Davis, EC Hayward, HF Hewlett, H Patterson, D Reid.

1923: Reeve, Harold Frederick Hewlett (1887-1961) . Councillors: AD Crease, TJ Goodlake, AE Haynes, EC Hayward, HWR Moore, D Reid.

1924 (Jan-April): Reeve, HF Hewlett. Councillors: WW Elliott, AE Mallett, WH Mearns, AE Haynes, KR Streatfield, WFC Taylor.

In March 1924, Councillors Haynes, Mallett and Elliott resigned in a dispute over taxation. Following the by-election, Council members for the remainder of the year were:

1924 (April - Dec): Reeve, HF Hewlett. Councillors: H Anscomb, HLN Edwards, CH Johnson, WH Mearns, KR Streatfield, WFC Taylor.

1925: Reeve, Herbert Anscomb (1892-1972). Councillors: Thomas Ashe, HLN Edwards, CH Johnson, WH Mearns, CFL Money, HL Wilson.

1926: Reeve, Herbert Anscomb (1892-1972) . Councillors: T Ashe, AD Crease, EC Hayward, WH Mearns, CFL Money, HL WIlson.

1927: Reeve, Herbert Anscomb (1892-1972). Councillors: T Ashe, AD Crease, EC Hayward, WH Mearns, CFL Money, HL WIlson.

1928: Reeve, Ernest C Hayward (d.1933). Councillors: T Ashe, TJ Goodlake, WH Mearns, CFL Money, AD Crease, H Patterson.

1929: Reeve, Ernest C Hayward (d.1933). Councillors: R Angus, FWG Barber-Starkey, AD Crease, WH Mearns, TJ Goodlake, H Patterson.

1930: Reeve, Ernest C Hayward (d.1933). Councillors: R Angus, FWG Barber-Starkey, AD Crease, WH Mearns, TJ Goodlake, H Patterson.

1931: Reeve, Ernest C Hayward (d.1933). Councillors: R Angus, AD Crease, TJ Goodlake, RW Mayhew, WH Mearns, H Patterson.

1932: Reeve, Ernest C Hayward (d.1933). Councillors: R Angus, AD Crease, TJ Goodlake, RW Mayhew, WH Mearns, H Patterson.

1933: Reeve, Robert W Mayhew, later MP (1880-1971). Councillors: R Angus, AD Crease, William Ellis, TJ Goodlake, WH Mearns, RR Taylor.

1934: Reeve, Robert W Mayhew, later MP (1880-1971). Councillors: R Angus, William Ellis, TJ Goodlake, JV Johnson, WH Mearns, RR Taylor.

1935: Reeve, Robert W Mayhew, later MP (1880-1971). Councillors: R Angus, William Ellis, TJ Goodlake, JV Johnson, WH Mearns, RR Taylor.

1936: Reeve, Richard Ratcliffe Taylor (1884-1942). Councillors: R Angus, William Ellis, PA Gibbs, JV Johnson, P Vernon-Jackson, WL Woodhouse.

1937 Reeve, Richard Ratcliffe Taylor (1884-1942). Councillors: Councillors: R Angus, William Ellis, PA Gibbs, JV Johnson, P Vernon-Jackson, WL Woodhouse.

1938: Reeve, Richard Ratcliffe Taylor (1884-1942). Councillors: Councillors: R Angus, William Ellis, PA Gibbs, JV Johnson, P Vernon-Jackson, WL Woodhouse.

1939: Reeve, Richard Ratcliffe Taylor (1884-1942). Councillors: Councillors: R Angus, William Ellis, PA Gibbs, JV Johnson, P Vernon-Jackson, WL Woodhouse.

1940: Reeve, Richard Ratcliffe Taylor (1884-1942). Councillors: R Angus, William Ellis, PA Gibbs, Leo Grogan, P Vernon-Jackson, JV Johnson.

1941: Reeve, Walter Leonard (Len) Woodhouse (1895-1967). Councillors: R Angus, PA Gibbs, Leo Grogan, JV Johnson, Frank Turley, WM Walker.

1942: Reeve, Walter Leonard (Len) Woodhouse (1895-1967). Councillors: R Angus, PA Gibbs, JV Johnson, Alex Peden, Frank Turley, WM Walker.

1943: Reeve, Walter Leonard (Len) Woodhouse (1895-1967). Councillors: R Angus, JV Johnson, PA Moir, Alex Peden, Frank Turley, WM Walker.

1944: Reeve, Walter Leonard (Len) Woodhouse (1895-1967). Councillors: R Angus, JV Johnson, PA Moir, Alex Peden, Frank Turley, WM Walker.

1945: Reeve, Walter Leonard (Len) Woodhouse (1895-1967). Councillors: R Angus, JV Johnson, PA Moir, Alex Peden, WM Walker, RAB Wootton.

1946: Reeve, Walter Mitchell Walker (1887-1983). Councillors: R Angus, JV Johnson, Tom Kay, PA Moir, George Murdoch, RAB Wootton.

1947: Reeve, Walter Mitchell Walker (1887-1983). Councillors: CC Annett, WG Ellis, JV Johnson, PA Moir, George Murdoch, RAB Wootton.

1948: Reeve, Robert Alexander Burnie Wootton (1901-1982). Councillors: CC Annett, WG Ellis, PA Gibbs, JV Johnson, PA Moir, George Murdoch.

1949: Reeve, Robert Alexander Burnie Wootton (1901-1982). Councillors: PA Gibbs, JV Johnson, PA Moir, George Murdoch, FA Robinson, RB WIlson.

1950: Reeve, Philip Archibald Gibbs, later MLA (1893-1960). Councillors: JV Johnson, George Murdoch, Frederick E Norris, FA Robinson, JG Ruttan, RB WIlson.

1951: Reeve, Philip Archibald Gibbs, later MLA (1893-1960). Councillors: JV Johnson, George Murdoch, Frederick E Norris, FA Robinson, JG Ruttan, RB WIlson.

1952: Reeve, Philip Archibald Gibbs, later MLA (1893-1960). Councillors: JV Johnson, George Murdoch, Frederick E Norris, FA Robinson, JG Ruttan, RB WIlson.

1953: Reeve, Philip Archibald Gibbs, later MLA (1893-1960). Councillors: SP Birley, WG Ellis, GFT Gregory, JV Johnson, George Murdoch, Frederick E Norris.

1954: Reeve, Frederick Elford Norris (1910-2003). Councillors: SP Birley, GFT Gregory, FW Hawes, JV Johnson, JW Maltby, George Murdoch.

1955: Reeve, Frederick Elford Norris (1910-2003). Councillors: SP Birley, FW Hawes, JV Johnson, JW Maltby, CGH Mann, George Murdoch.

1956: Reeve, Frederick Elford Norris (1910-2003). Councillors: SP Birley, FW Hawes, JV Johnson, JW Maltby, CHG Mann, George Murdoch.

1957: Reeve, Frederick Elford Norris (1910-2003). Councillors: WG Ellis, FW Hawes, JV Johnson, CHG Mann, George Murdoch, FA Robinson.

1958: Reeve, Frederick Elford Norris (1910-2003). Councillors: SP Birley, WG Ellis, FW Hawes, CHG Mann, George Murdoch, FA Robinson.

1959: Reeve, George Murdoch (1893-1979). Councillors: AL Cox, WG Ellis, GB Elworthy, FW Hawes, FA Robinson, RB Matthews (part of the year), J Douglas Watts(part of the year).

1960: Reeve, George Murdoch (1893-1979). Councillors: AL Cox, GB Elworthy, FW Hawes, PR Noel, J Douglas Watts, FA Robinson.

1961: Reeve, George Murdoch (1893-1979). Councillors: AL Cox, GB Elworthy, FW Hawes, PR Noel, J Douglas Watts, FA Robinson.

1962: Reeve, George Murdoch (1893-1979). Councillors: AL Cox, WC Dodsworth, FW Hawes, FA Robinson, WJJ Wade, J Douglas Watts.

1963: Reeve, George Murdoch (1893-1979). Councillors: AL Cox, WC Dodsworth, Alexander Hendry, FA Robinson, WJJ Wade, J Douglas Watts.

1964: Reeve, Allan Leslie Cox (1927-1996). Councillors: WC Dodsworth, Frances H Elford, Alexander Hendry, PP Lovric, FA Robinson, WJJ Wade.

1965: Reeve, Allan Leslie Cox (1927-1996). Councillors: Dr HR Carter, WC Dodsworth, FW Hawes, Fances H Elford, WJJ Wade, J Douglas Watts.

1966: Reeve, Allan Leslie Cox (1927-1996). Councillors: Dr HR Carter, WC Dodsworth, FW Hawes, Fances H Elford, WJJ Wade, J Douglas Watts.

1967: Reeve, Allan Leslie Cox (1927-1996). Councillors: WD Dodsworth, Frances H Elford, FW Hawes, WJJ Wade, J Douglas Watts, LH Whittaker.

1968: Reeve (Jan-Apr), Mayor (Apr-Dec), Frederick William Hawes. Councillors: WC Dodsworth, Frances H Elford, Alexander Hendry, Ian M Horne, Dr G Scott Wallace, J Douglas Watts (10 months)

1969: Mayor, Frederick William Hawes. Councillors: WC Dodsworth, Frances H Elford, Alexander Henry, IM Horne, Dr G Scott Wallace, J Douglas Watts.

1970: Mayor, Frances Henrietta Elford (1914-2002). Councillors: Alexander Hendry, Dr AJ Hoey, IM Horne, NA Pimlott, Brian RD Smith, J Douglas Watts.

1971: Mayor, Frances Henrietta Elford (1914-2002). Councillors: Shirley R Dowell, John BG Eamer-Goult, Dr AJ Hoey, NA Pimlott, Brian RD Smith, J Douglas Watts.

1972: Mayor, Frances Henrietta Elford (1914-2002). Councillors: Shirley R Dowell, John BG Eamer-Goult, DS McLelland, NA Pimlott, Brian RD Smith, J Douglas Watts.

1973: Mayor, Frances Henrietta Elford (1914-2002). Councillors: Shirley R Dowell, John BG Eamer-Goult, DS McLelland, NA Pimlott, Brian RD Smith, J Douglas Watts.

1974: Mayor, Brian Smith (b.1934). Councillors: Shirley R Dowell, John BG Eamer-Goult, H Graham, DS McLelland, NA Pimlott, J Douglas Watts.

1975: Mayor, Brian Smith (b.1934). Councillors: M Isabel Craig, Shirley R Dowell, John BG Eamer-Goult, DS McLelland, NA Pimlott, J Douglas Watts.

1976: Mayor, Brian Smith (b.1934). Councillors: M Isabel Craig, Shirley R Dowell, John BG Eamer-Goult, DS McLelland, NA Pimlott, J Douglas Watts.

1977: Mayor, Brian Smith (b.1934). Councillors: M Isabel Craig, Shirley R Dowell, John BG Eamer-Goult, NA Pimlott, Dr Neil A Swainson, J Douglas Watts.

1978: Mayor, Brian Smith (b.1934). Councillors: Peter G Bunn, M Isabel Craig, Shirley R Dowell, John BG Eamer-Goult, Dr Neil A Swainson, J Douglas Watts.

1979: Mayor, Brian Smith (b.1934). Councillors: Peter G Bunn, M Isabel Craig, Shirley R Dowell, NA Pimlott, Dr Neil A Swainson, J Douglas Watts.

1980: Mayor, J Douglas Watts. Councillors: Susan M Brice, Peter G Bunn, M Isabel Craig, Shirley R Dowell, W Gordon Holms, Dr Neil A Swainson

1981: Mayor, J Douglas Watts. Councillors: Susan M Brice, Peter G Bunn, Dr Charles J Clayton, M Isabel Craig, W Gordon Holms, Dr Neil A Swainson

1982: Mayor, J Douglas Watts. Councillors: Susan M Brice, Peter G Bunn, Dr Charles J Clayton, M Isabel Craig, W Gordon Holms, Dr Neil A Swainson.

1983: Mayor, J Douglas Watts. Councillors: Susan M Brice, Peter G Bunn, M Isabel Craig, J Edward N Flanagan, W Gordon Holms, Dr Neil A Swainson.

1984: Mayor, J Douglas Watts. Councillors: Susan M Brice, Peter G Bunn, M Isabel Craig, J Edward N Flanagan, W Gordon Holms, Dr Neil A Swainson.

1985: Mayor, J Douglas Watts. Councillors: Susan M Brice, Peter G Bunn, M Isabel Craig, J Edward N Flanagan, W Gordon Holms, Dr Neil A Swainson.

1986: Mayor, Susan Brice. Councillors: Peter G Bunn, Diana M Butler, Dr Charles J Clayton, J Edward N Flanagan, W Gordon Holms, Dr Neil A Swainson.

1987: Mayor, Susan Brice. Councillors: Peter G Bunn, Diana M Butler, Bert D Caine, Christopher M Causton, J Edward N Flanagan, David SH Nicholson.

1988: Mayor, Susan Brice. Councillors: Peter G Bunn, Diana M Butler, Bert D Caine, Christopher M Causton, J Edward N Flanagan, David SH Nicholson.

1989: Mayor, Susan Brice. Councillors: Peter G Bunn, Diana M Butler, Bert D Caine, Christopher M Causton, J Edward N Flanagan, David SH Nicholson.

1990: Mayor, Susan Brice. Councillors: Peter G Bunn, Diana M Butler, Bert D Caine, Christopher M Causton, J Edward N Flanagan, David SH Nicholson.

1991: Mayor, Diana Butler. Councillors: Peter G Bunn, Bert D Caine, Christopher M Causton, Faith B Collins, Charlotte (Sherry) P Irvine, Dr Neil A Swainson.

1992: Mayor, Diana Butler. Councillors: Peter G Bunn, Bert D Caine, Christopher M Causton, Faith B Collins, Charlotte (Sherry) P Irvine, Dr Neil A Swainson.

1993: Mayor, Diana Butler. Councillors: Peter G Bunn, Bert D Caine, Christopher M Causton, Faith B Collins, Charlotte (Sherry) P Irvine, Dr Neil A Swainson.

1994: Mayor, Diana Butler. Councillors: Peter G Bunn, Frank B Carson, Christopher M Causton, Charlotte (Sherry) P Irvine, John LR Pallett, Cheryle A Scott.

1995: Mayor, Diana Butler. Councillors: Peter G Bunn, Frank B Carson, Christopher M Causton, Charlotte (Sherry) P Irvine, John LR Pallett, Cheryle A Scott.

1996: Mayor, Diana Butler. Councillors: Peter G Bunn, Frank B Carson, Christopher M Causton, Charlotte (Sherry) P Irvine, John LR Pallett, Cheryle A Scott.

1997: Mayor, Christopher M Causton. Councillors: S Frank B Carson, Allan R Cassidy, Nils B Jensen, John LR Pallett, Cheryle A Scott, Fiona I Warrington.

1998: Mayor, Christopher M Causton. Councillors: S Frank B Carson, Allan R Cassidy, Fiona I Warrington, Nils B Jensen, John LR Pallett, Cheryle A Scott.

1999: Mayor, Christopher M Causton. Councillors: S. F. B. Carson, A. R. Cassidy, N. B. Jensen, J. L. R. Pallett, C. A. Scott, F. I. Warrington

2000: Mayor, Christopher M Causton. Councillors: AR Cassidy, JD Herbert, RJ Irvine, C Macey-Brown, NB Jensen, CA Scott.

2001: Mayor, Christopher M Causton. Councillors: A. R. Cassidy, J. D. Herbert, R. J. Irvine, N. B. Jensen, C. Macey-Brown, C. A. Scott

2002: Mayor, Christopher M Causton. Councillors: A. R. Cassidy, J. D. Herbert, R. J. Irvine, N. B. Jensen, C. Macey-Brown, C. A. Scott

2003: Mayor, Christopher M Causton. Councillors: S. F. B. Carson, A. R. Cassidy, J. D. Herbert, R. J. Irvine, N. B. Jensen, C. Macey-Brown

2004: Mayor, Christopher M Causton. Councillors: S. F. B. Carson, A. R. Cassidy, J. D. Herbert, R. J. Irvine, N. B. Jensen, C. Macey-Brown

2005: Mayor, Christopher M Causton. Councillors: S. F. B. Carson, A. R. Cassidy, J. D. Herbert, R. J. Irvine (left end of January), N. B. Jensen, C. Macey-Brown

2006: Mayor, Christopher M Causton. Councillors: H. Braithwaite, S. F. B. Carson, A. R. Cassidy, P. Copley, J. D. Herbert, N.B. Jensen

2007: Mayor, Christopher M Causton. Councillors: H. Braithwaite, S. F. B. Carson, A. R. Cassidy, P. Copley, J. D. Herbert, N.B. Jensen

2008: Mayor, Christopher M Causton. Councillors: H. Braithwaite, S. F. B. Carson, A. R. Cassidy, P. Copley, J. D. Herbert, N.B. Jensen

2009: Mayor, Christopher M Causton. Councillors: H. Braithwaite, A. R. Cassidy, P. Copley, J. D. Herbert, N. B. Jensen, T. Ney

2010: Mayor, Christopher M Causton. Councillors: H. Braithwaite, A. R. Cassidy, P. Copley, J. D. Herbert, N. B. Jensen, T. Ney

2011: Mayor, Nils Jensen (d.2019). Councillors: H. Braithwaite, A. R. Cassidy, P. Copley, J. D. Herbert, N. B. Jensen, T. Ney

2012: Mayor, Nils Jensen (d.2019). Councillors: P. Copley, C. Green, J. Herbert, M. Kirby, K. Murdoch, T. Ney

2013: Mayor, Nils Jensen (d.2019). Councillors: P. Copley, C. Green, J. Herbert, M. Kirby, K. Murdoch, T. Ney

2014: Mayor, Nils Jensen (d.2019). Councillors: P. Copley, C. Green, J. Herbert, M. Kirby, K. Murdoch, T. Ney

2015: Mayor, Nils Jensen (d.2019). Councillors: Hazel Braithwaite, Tom Croft, Michelle Kirby, Kevin Murdoch, Tara Ney, Eric Zhelka.

2016: Mayor, Nils Jensen (d.2019). Councillors: H. Braithwaite, T. Croft, M. Kirby, K. Murdoch, T. Ney, E. Zhelka

2017: Mayor, Nils Jensen (d.2019). Councillors: H. Braithwaite, T. Croft, M. Kirby, K. Murdoch, T. Ney, E. Zhelka

2018: Mayor, Kevin Murdoch. Councillors: H. Braithwaite, T. Croft, M. Kirby, K. Murdoch, T. Ney, E. Zhelka

2019: Mayor, Kevin Murdoch. Councillors: Andrew Appleton, Hazel Braithwaite, Cairine Green, Tara Ney, Esther Paterson, Eric Wood Zhelka.

2020: Mayor, Kevin Murdoch. Councillors: Andrew Appleton, Hazel Braithwaite, Cairine Green, Tara Ney, Esther Paterson, Eric Wood Zhelka.

2021: Mayor, Kevin Murdoch. Councillors: Andrew Appleton, Hazel Braithwaite, Cairine Green, Tara Ney, Esther Paterson, Eric Wood Zhelka.

2022: Mayor, Kevin Murdoch. Councillors: Andrew Appleton, Hazel Braithwaite, Cairine Green, Tara Ney, Esther Paterson, Eric Wood Zhelka.

2023: Mayor, Kevin Murdoch. Councillors: Andrew Appleton, Hazel Braithwaite, Cairine Green, Carrie Smart, Esther Paterson, Lesley Watson.

2024: Mayor, Kevin Murdoch. Councillors: Andrew Appleton, Hazel Braithwaite, Cairine Green, Carrie Smart, Esther Paterson, Lesley Watson.

Sources: for 1906-1997, an unattributed list found in Oak Bay Archives; for all, Council minutes, Corporation of the District of Oak Bay. Inaugural meetings of a council are usually held in December and list the newly elected mayor and council for the coming year, so e.g. minutes of the first meeting of the Council listed for 2015 will be found in the 2014 file, etc.

Oak Bay Archives' archivist and volunteers will be at the Night Markets on Oak Bay Avenue in 2024! See you in the District tent - we’re at booth 198, very close to the Hall, opposite Oak Bay Flower Shop (same place each time).

4-8pm on 2nd Wednesdays in the summer:

• June 12
• July 10
• August 14
• September 11

Bring your questions about Oak Bay house history, family history research, how to look after old records, and more! Or ask any time:

Email: archives@oakbay.ca
Phone: 250-598-3290
Website: https://www.oakbay.ca/archives
Photo Search: https://www.oakbay.ca/archives/photographs
Blog posts: https://connect.oakbay.ca/archives
Location: Oak Bay Municipal Hall, 2167 Oak Bay Avenue. Archives entrance is on the ground floor on the east side of the building (beside Fairway Market).
Visits/research appointments can be arranged in advance for most Tuesdays & Fridays; public drop-in hours Tuesdays 10-1.

Public open hours: The Archives were open for enquiries and on-site research appointments 17.5 hours/week as usual, with drop-in hours on Tuesday mornings.

Enquiries: 11, of which 1 in person. People have been getting into their gardens this month!

Running total for 2024: 74

On-site volunteer hours logged: 49.5 (5 volunteers)

Volunteer projects (ongoing):

• municipal demolished-property files indexing
• historic building permits indexing, now complete to end of 1955 - view here
• scanning photographs
• physical numbering of hundreds of items in several collections of personal papers, preparatory to cataloguing

Digital images:

• Larry McCann & UVic students' photographic sample of Oak Bay houses by building era, photos taken ca. 2000-2002: last section done, project complete with 1700 photos - view here

Views on Flickr in May: 9K (total 288.2K by 31 May, since 3 Mar 2022).

How accurate are these view counts? Not very - they are likely to include more than individual views of specific photos by individual viewers. But at least they demonstrate continuing interest, and there's always a big spike in the days after an upload. View numbers on individual photo pages are more accurate. The OB Houses photo survey and the house photos from appraisal cards, unsurprisingly, are the most popular; an unexpected star is Mrs Burgess' diary from North Saanich in 1907!

Archivist's work:

• scanning and processing of McCann digital images as above
• preparing reference and outreach materials for summer Night Markets
• reviewing and updating catalogue descriptions of PR 106 Pattinson family papers
• reviewing and updating catalogue descriptions of PR 127 Barber family papers
• new online: complete list of Oak Bay's Councillors (formerly Aldermen) as well as the Reeves/Mayors.
• internal and external enquiries research and responses, facilitating researcher visits, volunteer management & monthly bulletin - #51

A good start to my 5th year at Oak Bay Archives!

Questions or appointment requests? Please get in touch!

Website: https://www.oakbay.ca/archives
Photo Search: https://www.oakbay.ca/archives/photographs
More photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/oakbayarchives/
Blog posts: https://connect.oakbay.ca/archives
Email: archives@oakbay.ca
Phone: 250-598-3290

- Post by Anna Sander, June 2024.

To cite: Sander, Anna. (2024, June). 'May 2024 in the Archives.' [Blog post]. District of Oak Bay, Archives. Retrieved from https://connect.oakbay.ca/archives/news_feed/may-2024-in-the-archives [date accessed].

Public open hours: The Archives were open for enquiries and on-site research appointments 17.5 hours/week as usual, with drop-in hours on Tuesday mornings.

Enquiries: 21, of which 10 in person.

Running total for 2024: 61

On-site volunteer hours logged: 52 (5 volunteers)

Volunteer projects (ongoing):

• municipal demolished-property files indexing
• historic building permits indexing - view here
• scanning photographs
• physical numbering of hundreds of items in several collections of personal papers, preparatory to cataloguing

Digital images:

• Larry McCann & UVic students' photographic sample of Oak Bay houses by building era, photos taken ca. 2000-2002: 1300 of 1700 uploaded so far, scanning and processing of final 1/4 underway - view here
• images of all 5 ledgers of historic building permit records now public online - view here

Views on Flickr in April: 13.6 K (total 278.9K by 30 April, since 3 Mar 2022).

There are now more than 6,000 publicly viewable photos on the growing Oak Bay Archives Flickr account [link] in addition to the 1300 on the District website [link]. Owing to copyright restrictions and other access conditions, some items that have been digitized cannot be made public online. In many cases, individual copies can be provided privately to researchers on request, for personal study purposes only. Non-public images are also used remotely by volunteers working on indexing and tagging projects, and in-house for reference during cataloguing, to minimize light exposure to and handling of the originals.

Archivist's work:

• scanning and processing of McCann digital images as above
• creating #Archive30 Twitter series - didn't finish all 30 posts in April, will continue in May.
• preparing reference materials for summer Night Markets
• reviewing and updating catalogue descriptions of PR 106 Pattinson family papers
• processing new/recent accessions
• internal and external enquiries research and responses, facilitating researcher visits, volunteer management & monthly bulletin - #50!

April 2024 completes my fourth year as Archivist at the District of Oak Bay! (half time, i.e. 2 years full time equivalent).

Questions or appointment requests? Please get in touch!

Website: https://www.oakbay.ca/archives
Photo Search: https://www.oakbay.ca/archives/photographs
More photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/oakbayarchives/
Blog posts: https://connect.oakbay.ca/archives
Email: archives@oakbay.ca
Phone: 250-598-3290

- Post by Anna Sander, 7 May 2024.

To cite: Sander, Anna. (2024, April). 'April in the Archives.' [Blog post]. District of Oak Bay, Archives. Retrieved from https://connect.oakbay.ca/archives/news_feed/april-2024-in-the-archives [date accessed].

OAK BAY BUILDING PERMIT RECORD :

click here to download Excel file - ordered by street address

click here to download Excel file - ordered by permit number

Updated May 2024

Explanatory notes

This Excel file contains Oak Bay building permit data up to 12 January 1955 (permit numbers 1 to 7684), and a few permits beyond that date, usually for additions or changes to existing houses.

A review of the building permits in this file is underway, checking entered data and adding street notes. Progress: to permit 966 as of May 2024.

Data entry and notes by Paul Maurenbrecher, volunteer at Oak Bay Archives.

Oak Bay Archives has five building permit ledgers:

1. Permits # 24 - 4649 (21 May 1909 - 15 Sep 1942) - browse online here

Notes:

• There are two permits numbered 85.
• On p.9 of Vol 1, during 1932, the permit sequence skips from 2900 to 2951. The missing 2901-2950 appear in April-August 1933.
• On p. 46 of vo1. 1, no. 3815 is out of sequence, following 3812 on the preceding page instead of following 3814.

2. Permits # 4650 - 7151 (29 Sep 1942 - 29 May 1953) browse online here

3. Permits 7152 - 9592 (1 Jun 1953 - 28 Aug 1959) browse online here

4. Permits 9593 - 12083 (1 Sep 1959 - 9 Dec 1965 ) browse online here

5. Permits 12084 - 15474 (13 Dec 1965 - 17 Sep 1971) browse online here

Oak Bay Archives also has a cash book (ledger) containing similar information to the permit books for a limited period: permit numbers 1 (19 Sep 1908) to 3750, and 3880 to 3904.

Data for houses before 1908 with no permits are given a permit number of 0. This will allow these houses to appear before 1908 when sorted by permit number. They are listed at the end of the sheet showing the building permit entries.

Data for permits 1 to 23 was entered from the cash book. The cash book does not include the name of the building contractor.

The entries for the number of buildings, material, number of storeys, purpose of building, number of rooms & estimated cost are taken from the cash book, up to building permit # 1757. From permit 1758 onwards, this information was also added to the permit books. The estimated cost was included in the permit books from permit 1209 onwards.

Street names and numbers listed are the current ones. The original street name and number in the permit book, if different, are also shown. Current street names and numbers, if not correct in the permit books, are usually taken from appraisal cards or subsequent permits with same map, block & lot numbers. The street name is listed in the permit book but usually not the type of street (e.g. street, avenue, place, drive...). These are added in accordance to present day usage. If the original street number is not given in the permit book, the current number is added in italics. House numbers for the earlier permits were usually not entered although many were added in later in ink or pencil (see notes column under street & number; this column being updated). House numbers were usually added from permit 1015 onwards. A separate column for house numbers was added to the permit books from permit 1758 onwards.

Other data may conflict with current records, especially map, block and lot numbers. Since this is an index of the original permit records, the original data is included. Current data is often added between brackets or in the notes columns. Other added information is also added between square brackets.

Plumbing, sewer & electrical permits contained in the permit books are not included. If there is a separate line entry for plumbing & sewer, these are included so owner and house location data can be included. If given, the name of the plumbing or sewer contractor is placed in the contractor column. Often no (exact) date is included in the permit book. In this case the date for the preceding building permit is entered. When the date entered is different from the preceding building permit, the exact location of the entry is given in the 'Notes' column.

Data for pre-1908 houses and any houses with no permit number were taken from small appraisal card unless otherwise noted.

The permit book sometimes uses 'wf' as an abbreviation for 'with' (first noted in 1937 permits). In this record 'with' is used throughout.

The permit book has several columns to define the building location. Initially there were six: Section, Map, Sub-division, Block, Lot, Sub-lot (the cash book has four columns: Lot, Block, Section, Subdivision/Map). The sub-division and sub-lot columns were mainly used as overflow columns. Sub-lot information was mainly to define a particular part of the lot (e.g. W, S, Sly [i.e. abbreviation of southerly] half, ...). The sub-lot column was discontinued after permit 1127 (it was converted to estimated cost). The sub-division column was discontinued from permit 1758 onwards. In this file any information included in the sub-lot column is incorporated in the lot column.

The buildings at the Exhibition Grounds (Carnarvon Park area, formerly bounded by Neil, Eastdowne, Fair and Henderson) existed until demolished in 1949. They were also known as the Willows Fair Grounds, but to keep all such entries together, the term "Exhibition grounds" is used for the street name.

This file contains four additional columns:

- column T: the architect's or designer's name is added if known from other sources. The names were not listed in the permit books.

- column U: d or m is added if the house has been demolished or moved to another location within Oak Bay or out of Oak Bay. Demolition information is taken from small appraisal cards or the Oak Bay Archives demolition binder. This data is not up to date.

- column V: x or s is added if the house is included in Stuart Stark's book on Oak Bay's Heritage Buildings: More than just bricks and boards. 1995 printing, Hallmark Society.

- column W: x is added if the house is included in the Archives Residental Database. The database contains more detailed information about the house.

This file also contains an additional single line shaded header. This allows the space above this header to be easily erased and then the data in the file can be sorted easily.

"UVic file" refers to Architectural plans of Samuel Maclure and other architects, an inventory prepared in 1993 and stored at UVic. "McCann file" refers to an Excel file kept in the archives. Reference is also made to the book Building the West by Luxton (contains information about early architects in British Columbia).

Publications referred to:

The Life and times of Victoria architect P Leonard James. Rosemary James Cross. Dear Brutus Publishing. Victoria. 2005. 220 p. [927.2 JAM]

Oak Bay's Heritage Buildings: More than just bricks and boards. Stuart Stark. Hallmark Society. Updated for 1994.

CRD Art Deco and Moderne. Donald Luxton.

The Artistry of Art Deco. Mary Conley. 2018. published by Mary Conley. Victoria. 114 p.

Building the West: the early architects of British Columbia. Compiled & edited by Donald Luxton. Talon Books. 2003. 560 p.

St Patrick Street Oak Bay - Oak Bay Avenue to Brighton Avenue, an architectural & social history. Robert Taylor & Janet Morningstar. 2018. Published by Perivale and Taylor Consulting Inc. Vancouver & Victoria, Canada, London, UK. www.perivaleandtaylor.com.

Built by Luney Bros. Ltd. by Nancy J Hughes. Wildflower Publishing House, Victoria. 2010.172 p.

Note about street numbering from 1910-11 Henderson's Greater Victoria City Directory

The system of numbering adopted by the City of Victoria is that known at the Philadelphia or Decimal System. By this system an even hundred numbers are allotted to each block and the principal advantage of the system is that the number indicates how many blocks distant it is from any given point on the street or avenue.

A number is allotted to every 20 feet.

All short streets take their numbers from the through streets, and correspond with them.

The odd number are on the south and east sides of streets.

Dallas Road is taken as the base for all streets running northwards starting at 1 and going northwards 100 to the block to Tolmie Avenue, the northern boundary of the city.

The number at the intersection of Fort Street being 1100.

Streets running eastwards are numbered from an imaginary base line extending from the Outer Wharf to Harrie Street, starting at 1 and going eastwards 100 to the block to the eastern boundary of the city.

The number at the intersection of Douglas Street being 700.

Victoria West - Streets running north and south are numbered from Victoria harbor at a base starting at 100 thence northwards 100 to the block to Victoria Arm. Westbound streets are numbered from Point Ellice bridge as a base westwards 100 to the block to the western boundary of the City.

[If you find the display font small for reading, try pressing Ctrl and + on your keyboard.]

This post was first published in October 2021 - now updated to spring 2024.

The Archives are open to volunteers, visitors or researchers in person, with drop-in hours on Tuesdays 10-1, and appointments available morning and afternoon on Tuesdays and Fridays. Here are contact details for all enquiries and research appointments: email, post and phone.

Planning ahead: before visiting the Archives, you will have made an appointment in advance by emailing archives@oakbay.ca or calling 250-598-3290 and receiving confirmation of your appointment time. This is also worth doing even if you're planning to drop by on a Tuesday morning.

Making appointments is mostly new for Oak Bay Archives, but usual/required in many archives. Our space for visitors is smaller than before, and we want to make sure researchers are able to make the most of their time. Here's a quick photo orientation to the new layout of Oak Bay Archives, following Municipal Hall renovations in 2021:

As before, the Archives office and reading room are at the front of the lower floor of Municipal Hall.

From the outside, the Archives windows are the two at lower right, indicated by the yellow oblong above. Step-free access to the Archives is, as before, via the entrance on the side nearest Athlone Court, indicated by the yellow arrow above.

Access via the side entrance is operated by staff key fobs only, so you will need to ring the doorbell or call 250-598-3290 when you arrive, and the Archivist or an Archives volunteer will meet you at the door and accompany you to the Archives.

You can also access the Archives from the main foyer upstairs; if you have an appointment, ask at the main reception desk. Staff will call down to the Archives and the Archivist or an Archives volunteer will come upstairs to meet you and accompany you to the Archives.

Please note, there is no elevator or other step-free access indoors between the two floors. For step-free access to the Archives, please come to the side entrance on the ground floor.

The internal entrance to the Archives is no longer via the double doors immediately inside the side door, but at the end of the hall. This was the 'staff entrance' to the Archives before and is now the main (only) entrance. There is a single washroom nearby.

At the reception/reference desk, you'll sign in and receive the paperwork and orientation you need to get started. If you've made an appointment or called ahead with your query, we will already know about your topic of interest from appointment correspondence or conversation, and will have your first box or file of archival material ready for you. This room used to be the processing area and archivist's office, and is now the searchroom.

The big table in the searchroom is large enough for maps, drawings, large reference books etc. Normally this table is for one user at a time. Does only one person need so much space? Imagine having a laptop, digital camera, a reference publication or two, and just one map or house drawing on that surface. It will fill up quickly! We need to allow enough space per researcher that all files and documents have enough room on the table without getting piled on each other, getting mixed up, or hanging over the edge.

Reference files of cuttings and other printed sources for people, places and events in Oak Bay history are in the big vertical file cabinets by the copier. You will be able to consult the Archivist or reference volunteer on duty about scanning or photocopying requests.

The reference library, with sections for published works about the history and architecture of Oak Bay, Greater Victoria, Vancouver Island, and BC, plus biographies and memoirs by and about Oak Bay people, and a general section on heritage buildings, is in the other room along with the archivist's office area. This area also houses the printed city directories for most years 1956-1998.

While the big windows to the front lawn are familiar, we also have a new window and a new wall! The window between the searchroom and the office improves sightlines between the two rooms, especially when the connecting door is closed, and the new wall separates the office and reference area from the new offices created in what was the large meeting room across the whole front of this floor. The connecting door is unchanged, as is the footprint of the office and reference area.

Above, the new wall. In the reference area you will find another table/work station and the reference library. Did you know the reference library catalogue is online? Click here to browse our holdings. Search by keyword, or sort and browse the collection by clicking on the column headings - Author, Title etc.

All researchers at the Archives are invigilated, which means that the Archivist or duty volunteer is always on hand at the reference desk to answer questions, help you to find useful reference works, return archival material you've finished using and bring your next box or file, and assist you with correct handling, especially of large or fragile items.

When your research session is finished, you'll return your archival and reference materials and complete any copying request forms etc. Once you're ready to leave, the Archivist or duty volunteer will accompany you to the exit. Please make sure you have all your belongings with you as you go, as the door will lock behind you!

On the other side of what's now the inner room is the Archivist's office. In the foreground you can see some recent accessions awaiting processing - listing, describing, arranging and packaging - before being moved to the repository for storage.

What was it like before? Let's go back in time... click here for the pre-2021 photo tour

But what about the archives? Where are all the boxes and volumes on shelves? Where's the map chest? Still here, but the renovations gave us some more storage space! This means that now all reference material is in the searchroom, and all archival material is in the repositories. The archives are still on site at Municipal Hall and are produced to the searchroom on request.

Part of one archives repository, showing different box formats and unboxed ledger volumes.

Teachers: Interested in incorporating archival records, historic photographs, maps, local history into lesson plans? Wondering how to connect school classes with archives during the pandemic? Please get in touch!

Researchers: Doing a house history, genealogy or local history research? Please get in touch! News and highlights will appear here on Connect Oak Bay and on Twitter, and new research resources on the Archives pages of the Oak Bay website.

Donors: Thinking of giving historic records to Oak Bay Archives? Thank you! Please have a look at the BC Archives' donations guidelines at https://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/assets/Donating-records_Brochure_BCA2018.pdf. Most of this is relevant to any archival donation - translate 'BC' to 'Oak Bay' of course!

Website: https://www.oakbay.ca/archives

Photo Search: https://www.oakbay.ca/our-community/archives/photographs-view

Blog posts: https://connect.oakbay.ca/archives

Email: archives@oakbay.ca

Phone: 250-598-3290

- Post by Anna Sander, updated April 2024.