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Dates of creation area
Date(s)
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1859-1983 (Creation)
- Creator
- British Columbia. Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources
Physical description area
Physical description
45.5 m of textual records;577 maps;28 microfilm reels
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Archival description area
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Biographical history
The Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources was established in 1899 under its first name, the Dept. of Mines, by the Department of Mines Act (SBC 1899, c. 48). Prior to that, the earliest regulation of mining in the province was implemented under the Gold Fields Proclamation of 1859 with the appointment of two gold commissioners by Governor James Douglas for the Colony of British Columbia. A gold commissioner was first appointed in 1864 for the Colony of Vancouver Island. The commissioners registered claims, issued licenses and adjudicated disputes with the advice and aid of elected district mining boards. The establishment of a provincial government with British Columbias entry into Confederation ultimately led to a Minister of Mines Act (SBC 1874, c. 16) in 1874. The Provincial Secretary also served as the Minister of Mines. In 1895, the Bureau of Mines Act 1895 (SBC 1895, c. 3) brought together all government offices connected with the mining industry. A provincial mineralogist was appointed who reported to the Provincial Secretary and Minister of Mines. In 1899, the Department of Mines Act created a separate department and minister. The Bureau of Mines remained in place as the technical division of the department and was also responsible for the certification for assayists. Revisions to the Department of Mines Act in 1934 and 1937 abolished the bureau and completely reorganized and centralized the department, dividing the functions into four branches: Administration Branch under the chief gold commissioner; Assay Branch under the chief analyst and assayer; Mineralogical Branch under the chief mining engineer; and Mines Inspection Branch under the chief inspector of mines. The department had responsibility for all matters affecting mining, including the collection, publication and circulation of information relating to mining, administration of all mining laws, and the operation and maintenance of the Provincial Assay Office, laboratories, sampling plants, and the maintenance of the Museum of Minerals. The functions and responsibilities of the department remained relatively stable until 1953 when responsibility for administration of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Act and the Coal Act was transferred from the Department of Lands and Forests. A Petroleum and Natural Gas Branch, headed by the Chief Petroleum Engineer, was established and the department was renamed the Department of Mines and Petroleum Resources in 1960 (SBC 1960, c. 107). In 1976, it was renamed the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum Resources (OIC 3199/76). The mandate of the ministry was enlarged again in 1978 to include responsibility for energy matters from the disestablished Ministry of Energy, Transport and Communications. Energy resources include natural gas and oil, coal, and electrical power. The ministry was renamed the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources (OIC 3018/78). The ministry was disestablished in 1996 as part of a government-wide reorganization (OIC 197/96). Its duties, powers and functions, other than those related to the Utilities Commission, were transferred to the newly established Ministry of Employment and Investment.
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Scope and content
The fonds consists of records generated by the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, its subordinate branches, divisions and agencies, while fulfilling its mandate to carry out duties, functions and powers relating to energy, mineral resources and petroleum resources in the province. The fonds also includes records created under the ministrys previous names Ministry of Mines and Petroleum Resources, Dept. of Mines and Petroleum Resources, and Dept. of Mines. The fonds includes records created by the minister and deputy minister, the chief gold commissioner, inspector of mines, chief mining engineer, provincial analyst and assayer, provincial mineralogist, district gold commissioners, resident mine engineers, district mining recorders, sub-mining recorders, and board of examiners. Subordinate branches, division and agencies which created records contained in this fonds include the Government Assay Office, Administration Branch, Geological Branch, Mineralogical Branch, Mineral Resources Division, Mineral Revenue Branch, Mineral Titles Branch, Inspection and Engineering Division, Petroleum Resources Division, and Petroleum and Natural Gas Branch. The records have been retained in the government records (GR) accession units in which they were received by the BC Archives. Types of records include letterbooks, correspondence, minutes, memos, reports, indexes, account books, receipt books, audit statement, coal production ledger, bills of lading, applications, licenses and lease forms, registers, assay, certificate record book, manuals of record, log books, conveyance records, mining leases, records of mineral claims, free miners certificates, records of water rights grants, certificates of work, personnel history sheets, statistics, statistical registers, scrapbooks and clippings books, gold commissioners court records, and investigation reports. Other records in the fonds include maps created by the ministry under its previous names Dept. of Mines and Dept. of Mines and Petroleum and by the government of Canada. Records of the gold commissioner for the province, pre-dating 1895 include: correspondence from the colonial secretary, treasurer and other government departments, and records of the district gold commissioners, mine recorders, inspector of mines, and government assayer.
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These records are subject to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and access may be restricted. Please contact the BC Archives to determine the access status of these records.
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Card catalogues and on-line FindingAids are available.
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BCAUL control number: BCA-2047