Fonds/Collection Description
| Title |
New Westminster Chamber of Commerce fonds |
| Description Level |
Fonds |
| Fonds No. |
IH 2005.27 |
| Creator |
New Westminster Chamber of Commerce |
| Material Type |
cartographic material
graphic material
moving images
textual record |
| Date Range |
1883 - 1990 |
| Title Source |
Title based on content of fonds. |
| Physical Description |
121 cm textual records
35 photographs : b&w and col.
6 maps
3 film reels
1 optical disc |
| Physical Condition |
Ranging from aged materials to new printed paper |
| History/Biographical |
The New Westminster Chamber of Commerce was incorporated in January 1883, under the name of the New Westminster Board of Trade. The New Westminster Board of Trade organized under the ambition of aiding and promoting New Westminster trade in order to further the development of the city. Many of the early members were business owners of New Westminster, forming together in order to pool resources and knowledge. Early concerns dealt with by the Board included navigational aids to the Fraser River, local industry, improvements to transportation, shipping, and agriculture. The name was changed from New Westminster Board of Trade to New Westminster Chamber of Commerce in 1960, in order to reflect the changing nature of the organization, as it was becoming less of an appendage of city businesses and more its own separate body. The mission statement of the Chamber of Commerce is that "the Chamber actively promotes a positive business climate that facilitates and nurtures a prosperous community." The Chamber was formed by the businesses of New Westminster in order to represent and advocate the commercial sector. They are a non-profit organization that benefits from the prosperity of commerce rather than earning money. The members of the New Westminster Chamber of Commerce elect a board of directors along with a president. The first president was Ebenezer Brown and the first secretary was H. V. Edmonds. Since then, a new president and board has been elected every few years. The New Westminster Chamber of Commerce was originally organized into individual bureaus that were responsible for a specific sector, such as the Government Affairs Bureau, the Harbour Bureau, the Civic Bureau, etc. These bureaus were later turned into committees, such as the Civic Affairs Committee, the Educational Committee, and the Tourist Committee. |
| Custodial History |
Material received under IH 2005.27 was in the custody of the New Westminster Public Library before being transferred to the Archives. It was officially donated to the Archives by the Chamber of Commerce June 2010. |
| Scope & Content |
The fonds consists of records of the activities of the New Westminster Chamber of Commerce, including minutes, reports, cash books, newspaper clippings, and other related material. There are also reports published by other organizations that were received by the New Westminster Chamber of Commerce. Finally, there are photographs among which are portraits of some of the presidents that held office in the New Westminster Chamber of Commerce, as well as films created by the Chamber of Commerce for promotional purposes. Series included are Board of Trade Minutes, Chamber of Commerce Correspondence, Chamber of Commerce Minutes, Chamber of Commerce Reports, Chamber of Commerce Finance, Chamber of Commerce Promotion Material, Royal Centennial Records, Newsletters, Newspaper Clippings, and Photographs. |
| Arrangement |
Arranged chronologically or alphabetically where possible. Original order has been retained where apparent. |
| Access Restriction |
Contact New Westminster Chamber of Commerce for access to these records |
| Finding Aids |
Finding aid available |
| Accession No. |
IH 2005.27
IH 2008.121
IH 2007.376 |
| Name Access |
New Westminster Chamber of Commerce |
| Subject Access |
Organizations |
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