A draft list of significant heritage sites in Port Coquitlam has been compiled by a consultant and now it is up to the city and the public to narrow down the entries.
But the heritage inventory is more than just a collection of addresses and landmarks. The comprehensive list takes a thematic approach to heritage and includes everything from buildings to people.
"It is really creating a good understanding of what makes Port Coquitlam what it is," said Laura Lee Richard, the city's director of development services. "With a thematic approach, there is a whole variety of different things that can be added."
A framework consisting of six categories was established in the draft inventory.
Under the Hometown Heroes heading, the consultant looked at the tales of notable local citizens such as Terry Fox while the Three Rivers theme incorporates the area's natural environment and geography.
PoCo's connection to transportation is covered under the Railway Hub, Highway Routes category and the connection of the Kwikwetlem First Nations to the area is discussed under the Sustaining Lands heading.
Small Town to Growing City covers PoCo's evolution from a small rail junction to its prominence in Metro Vancouver area while Tenacity and Prosperity analyzes the city's early pioneers.
Each heading is accompanied by a list of historically significant features, ranging from environmental or landscape features to people and buildings.
Even places that are no longer considered Port Coquitlam, such as the DeBoville Slough, are incorporated into the report.
"The importance of doing an inventory is to gain that understanding of what is important to the community," Richard said. "If the item is on the inventory, it also reflects what makes PoCo such a strong community."
In evaluating a potential heritage resource, the consultant looked at criteria such as whether the entry was valued by the community or if it was unique or rare. The list, which contains more than 200 entries, will be analyzed by the city's heritage working group before being presented to the public.
"As you look at the criteria there is a lot of subjectivity there," Richard said. "I imagine the working group and the committee will have some fairly significant discussions about that."
The draft report is accompanied by a chronology of the city's history and its heritage evaluation criteria. Council will consider the report at an upcoming meeting.
