Frequently Asked Questions

• Visit the City Archives page 
• Call the Archives staff at 604-927-3900 or contact them by email.

• The City of Coquitlam Archives is actively collecting photographs, documents, and other records related to the hospital. Visit the City of Coquitlam Archives page or call the Archives staff at 604-927-3900 for information on collecting policies and how to make a donation.
• The City of Coquitlam is also currently accepting new donations of material for the Riverview Hospital Artifact Collection. If you have information or a story to share about an item that is part of the Riverview Hospital Artifact Collection, please email Riverview Collection. 
• Alternatively, Coquitlam Heritage collects artifacts associated with the Riverview Hospital and other aspects of Coquitlam’s heritage.  For information on their collecting policies and how to make a donation, visit the Coquitlam Heritage site or call the Society at 604-516-6151.

• The City of Coquitlam is currently considering requests for loans of the artifacts in the Riverview Hospital Artifact Collection. If you are interested in organizing a future loan, please complete the online form.

• Yes, there are records at the City of Coquitlam Archives. You can visit their webpage to find out more about how to search their collection, or contact staff by email or by phone at 604-927-3900. The Archives has also created several online exhibits about the history of Essondale and Riverview.
• There are artifacts and records at Coquitlam Heritage. Visit their website for contact information to inquire with staff.
• The Port Coquitlam Heritage Society has books and research resources about Riverview. You can visit their website to search their collection database or to find out how to contact staff for more information.
• Documents determined to be the property of the Provincial government were transferred to the Royal BC Museum Archives. You can visit their website to search for photographs, documents and other items.

Note: All of these resources include content that could be disturbing to some readers. These resources are not recommended for children.

• The Riverview Hospital Artifacts Collection is now accessible online through a searchable database. This digital platform features photographs, detailed descriptions of artifacts, and related documents from the City Archives. The new database follows best practices in collection management and enhances public access to this valuable set of historical artifacts. To view the searchable online database, visit RiverviewHospitalArtifacts.ca.
• Read the City of Coquitlam publications Collecting Riverview: A visual history of photographs and objects (PDF) and the Riverview Hospital Artifact Collection: Catalogue of Artifacts (PDF).
• The City of Coquitlam has organized micro-exhibitions in different locations around the City, details for which are archived on the webpage.
• Access books and articles through the Coquitlam Public Library. Search the catalogue online or ask the library for help with your search. 
• Access the Statement of Significance commissioned by the City of Coquitlam in 2008 to support the inclusion of Riverview Hospital in the City’s Heritage Register.  
• Visit Coquitlam Heritage to learn about the history of Coquitlam including səmiq̓wəʔelə (formerly the Riveview lands) and ƛ̓éxətəm (formerly Colony Farm). 
• Download the Government of British Columbia’s 2012 report A Heritage Conservation Plan for the Riverview Lands (PDF).
• Attend Treefest or other events hosted by the Riverview Horticultural Centre Society.
• Academic libraries including Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia (UBC) also have material related to the hospital and the history of mental health treatment in British Columbia. UBC Rare Books and Special Collections holds a number of published and unpublished works related to the history of the hospital.

• When someone donates records to the City of Coquitlam Archives, the archivists collect information about those items and the history of the donors. If you have historical documents or photographs you would like to donate, or have information about items the Archives already has in its collection, you can contact the Archives. Information about contacting Archives staff and making a donation can be found on the City of Coquitlam Archives page.  
• Coquitlam Heritage collects oral histories about Coquitlam (audio and/or visual recordings of story donors telling their stories), including information about Riverview Hospital and səmiq̓wəʔelə. It also collects stories about artifacts and documents it collects, and items in its collection. You can contact them if you have a story you'd like recorded, items to donate, or information about an item in their collection. Visit Coquitlam Heritage for contact information.
• The City of Coquitlam is currently accepting new donations of material for the Riverview Hospital Artifact Collection. If you have information or a story to share about an item that is part of the Riverview Hospital Artifact Collection, please email Riverview Collection.

• If you have information or a story to share about an item that is part of the Riverview Hospital Artifact Collection, please email Riverview Collection.

• There is very little information about individual people who were patients or employees at the hospital in the documentation of the Riverview Hospital Artifact Collection, beyond what is included in Collecting Riverview: A visual history of photographs and objects (PDF) and the Riverview Hospital Artifact Collection: Catalogue of Artifacts (PDF).  You can complete a keyword search of these PDF documents to see if there is any information about the person you are looking for.
• The Riverview Hospital Artifacts Collection is now accessible online through a searchable database. This digital platform features photographs, detailed descriptions of artifacts, and related documents from the City Archives. To view the searchable online database, visit RiverviewHospitalArtifacts.ca.
• You could use genealogical research tools to learn more about family members. For information on conducting genealogical research, visit the Vancouver Public Library’s information page for Genealogy and Family History research.
• The BC Archives database has several series of records that might be of interest to you:
  • Patient case files (GR-2880)
  • Patient registers (GR-3019)
  • General records (GR-1754)

• BC Housing and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation are working in partnership on a new plan for səmiq̓wəʔelə (formerly the Riverview lands). Information about the history, current use and the ongoing səmiq̓wəʔelə master planning process can be found at the səmiq̓wəʔelə website.
• The lands are part of the ancestral territory of the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm people. Visit their website for more information about kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation’s historical and ongoing connections to the lands and their management.

• Information about visiting səmiq̓wəʔelə (formerly known as the Riverview lands) can be found on the səmiq̓wəʔelə website.
• The Riverview Horticultural Centre Society organizes events at səmiq̓wəʔelə including tree tours. Visit their website for more information.

• The Riverview Hospital Artifacts Collection is now accessible online through a searchable database. This digital platform features photographs, detailed descriptions of artifacts, and related documents from the City Archives. To view the searchable online database, visit RiverviewHospitalArtifacts.ca.
• The City of Coquitlam has organized micro-exhibitions in different locations around the City, details for which are archived on the webpage.
• While not all of the artifacts can be on display, the City has made them accessible through publication of Collecting Riverview: a visual history of photographs and objects (PDF)  and the Riverview Hospital Artifact Collection: Catalogue of Artifacts (PDF).
• The City is also offering a loan program for select artifacts to institutions for educational and research purposes. Organizations, individual researchers or members of the public interested in seeing artifacts in person or organizing a loan can submit a request at coquitlam.ca/RiverviewArtifactLoan.