Canada Coquitlam BC

Coquitlam is a city in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Coquitlam is mainly a suburban city, and is one of the 21 municipalities comprising Metro Vancouver. The current mayor of Coquitlam is Maxine Wilson.
As of 2005, Coquitlam's population was 121,973.
Coquitlam is situated some 10 to 15 km (7 to 10 miles) east of Vancouver (located at ), where the Coquitlam River connects with the Fraser River and extends northeast along the Pitt River towards the Coquitlam and Pitt lakes. Like Vancouver, Coquitlam is in the Pacific Time Zone (winter UTC−8, summer UTC−7), and the Pacific Maritime Ecozone.
Coquitlam borders Burnaby and Port Moody to the west, New Westminster to the southwest, Port Coquitlam to the southeast, and the Coast Mountains to the north.
The Coast Salish were the first people to live in this area. The word Kwikwetlem means "smell like fish" in the Halkomelem language. Simon Fraser came through the region in 1808, and in the 1860s Europeans gradually started settling the area.
Coquitlam began as a "place-in-between" since the area was opened up with the construction of North Road in the mid-1800s. While the purpose of the road was to provide Royal Engineers in New Westminster access to the year-round port facilities in Port Moody, the effect was to provide access to the vast area between and to the east. This led to a period of settlement and agriculture, providing slow and steady growth leading up to incorporation of the municipality of the District of Coquitlam in 1891.
The young municipality got its first boost in the dying years of the 19th century when Frank Ross and James McLaren opened Fraser Mills, a $350,000, then state-of-the-art lumber mill on the north bank of the Fraser River. By 1908, a mill town of 20 houses, a store, post office, hospital, office block, barber shop, and pool hall had grown around the mill.
A year later one of the most significant events in Coquitlam's history took place. Mill owners, in search of workers, turned their attention to the experienced logging culture of Québec, and in 1909 a contingent of 110 French Canadians arrived, recruited for work at Fraser Mills. With the arrival of a second contingent in June 1910, Maillardville was born. Named for Father Maillard, a young Oblate from France, Maillardville was more than just a French-Canadian enclave in Western Canada: it was a vibrant community, the largest Francophone centre west of Manitoba, and the seed for the future growth of Coquitlam.
While the passing of time has diluted the use of the French language in British Columbia, it is still heard on the streets and in the homes on the south slope of Coquitlam. Maillardville's past is recognized in street names that honour early pioneers and in local redevelopments which reflect its French-Canadian heritage.
The steady growth continued throughout the first half of the 20th century, helped in part by the region's strategic position on Canada's west coast. The opening of Lougheed Highway in 1953 made the city more accessible and set the stage for residential growth in the early 1960s. Coquitlam experienced a period of boom in the mid-1970s that continues today.
There are two federal ridings which cut through Coquitlam. James Moore, of the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC), represents the riding of Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam. Dawn Black, of the New Democratic Party (NDP), represents the New Westminster—Coquitlam riding.
Coquitlam is represented by three provincial MLA's the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. In 2005, Iain Black was elected the MLA in the riding of Port Moody-Westwood, which includes northern Coquitlam and Coquitlam Town Centre. Black is a member of the BC Liberal Party. Diane Thorne is the provincial representative of Coquitlam-Maillardville, also elected in 2005. She is a member of the NDP. Harry Bloy is the MLA for Burquitlam, which includes western Coquitlam. He is a member of the BC Liberals.