LOCAL GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT HISTORY
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Biographies and Stories |
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Wesley Black (1952-1964)
 Wesley
Black was the fifth Minister of
Municipal Affairs (1952-1964), and
the first without local government
experience. During his long tenure
the Municipal Act (1957) was
redrafted, which consolidated a
number of previously disparate
sections of legislation and
modernized the relationship between
the Province and local governments.
Black was the minister who
introduced a private member’s bill
to incorporate the UBCM, and set the
precedent of ministerial
consultation at their annual
convention.
Black was the longest serving
minister. He was a close friend and
colleague of Premier W.A.C. Bennett.
He was first elected as part of the
“Class of ‘52”, the year that began
Social Credit’s long electoral
success and governance. From the
outset, Black served as provincial
secretary and would eventually lead
several ministries, including
Highways, Health Services, Social
Welfare, and Municipal Affairs. He
was the MLA for Nelson-Creston for
twenty years.
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Sources |
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Bancroft, Wendy, et al.
Union of
British Columbia Municipalities: The
First Century. Vancouver, B.C.:
Granville Island Publishing, 2006. |
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British Columbia Archives. "The
Honourable W.D. Black." Call
number: B-09217. |
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Globe and Mail, The. “Friend of
W.A.C. Bennett was key cabinet
minister in B.C.”. The Globe and
Mail 13 Jan. 2000: R10. |
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Union of British Columbia
Municipalities. “Rocky Relations:
1950-1959”. UBCM Centennial
Homepage (2003) 13 May 2008
<http://www.civicnet.bc.ca/siteengine/ActivePage.asp?PageID=237&bhcp=1>. |
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