A Quick History of the Oak Bay Incorporation

I think it was a huge mistake for the City of Victoria not to agree to expand and take in Oak Bay in the early 1900s, but they City said no to the residents of Oak Bay.  This is something we all will have to live with.  

The residents of Oak Bay formed the Oak Bay Improvement Association and decided to go it alone.

The process from the first signature on the petition to Oak Bay being officially incorporated was very fast, only 118 days.   The petition could only be signed by property owners and as far as I can tell companies that owned property could sign as well.

• March 6 1906 - first land owner signed the petition to incorporate - CS Baxter
• April 14 1906 - last of the 103 property owners signed the petition, the Hudson's Bay Company
• May 19 1906 -  petition to incorporate was forwarded to the provincial secretary.    
• June 13 1906 - petition to incorporate was granted by the province
• July 2 1906 - Oak Bay was incorporated

At the time of incorporation there were 243 property owners in Oak Bay and 125 British male subjects.

The first council of Oak Bay was:  WE Oliver as reeve, AE Haynes, William Henderson (future reeve, Henderson Road is named for him), William Noble, Fred Pemberton, Francis Rattenbury and John Sutherland as councilors

Very interestingly, at the time of incorporation one of the biggest landowners in Oak Bay was the City of Victoria.  Clearly the City had designs on using Oak Bay in the future as part of the City.

For the first six years, Oak Bay City Hall was in offices in the Law Chambers building in Bastion Square.