The colonial despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871
Municipal Council of New Westminster
The Municipal Council of New Westminster was established by the “New Westminster Municipal
Council Act of 1860,” the act provided the city with a measure of self-government. By the act of 1860, the council was permitted to be created by the city of New Westminster and to define the scope of its powers and responsibilities. The first session of the council was held in Sapperton in the mid-1860s.1
The act outlined guidelines for the council such as the number of councillors permitted,
as well that the Mayor could only be elected by voter, not by the councillors themselves.
The act also allowed the council to elect a Clerk, Treasurer, Assessor, and Collector.2 Known members of the Municipal Council of New Westminster included Ebenezer Brown, W. R. Sommer, Henry Holbrook, and A. H. Manson.3
The council's responsibilities included roads, regulation of slaughter-houses, fire
prevention, relief of the poor, public morals, police, licensing, and cemeteries.
The council sustained its responsibilities through tax collections, establishing fees
for permits, and the selling of city land.4