Provincial Government Building - Duncan, British Columbia, Canada
Posted by: 
The A-Team
N 48° 46.646 W 123° 42.651
10U E 447775 N 5402958
Located at 238 Government Street in Duncan, British Columbia, Canada, this distinctive building was opened by the 25th Premier of British Columbia, W.A.C. Bennett, on October 21, 1970.
Waymark Code: WMJTT3
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 12/30/2013
Views: 3
PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT BUILDING
DUNCAN
OPENED BY
THE HONOURABLE W.A.C. BENNETT P.C., LL.D., D.POL.SC., K.St.J.
PRIME MINISTER OF THE PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
OCTOBER 21, 1970
HONOURABLE W.N. CHANT
MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS
This building was officially opened by The Honourable W.A.C. Bennett, the Premier of British Columbia, and W.N. Chant, Minister of Public Works, on October 21, 1970 and called the Provincial Government Building. It's now known better locally simply as the "Round" building. It was built on the site of what was then Duncan's Chinatown. Many of the former Chinatown buildings were relocated south to Whippletree Junction in Cobble Hill. The 5-storey office building has 15,581 square feet of usable space and is currently occupied by support services for the provincial courthouse and other ministries.
The Honourable W.A.C. Bennett P.C., LL.D., D.Pol.Sc., K.St.J.
Prime Minister of the Province of British Columbia
William Andrew Cecil Bennett (September 6, 1900 – February 23, 1979) was the 25th Premier (also known as Prime Minister) of the Province of British Columbia. He remains the longest-serving Premier in BC history, serving in the position for 20 years. He joined the Canadian Air Force during World War I, but the war ended before he saw active duty. Bennett began his political career in the late 1930s, unsuccessfully running for the BC Conservative Party's South Okanagan nomination. He won the nomination in 1941 and served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) off and on for the next decade. In 1952, after his leaderless party won the provincial election, he was voted by his peers as the new leader and became the Premier-designate on July 15, 1952. He was sworn in as the 25th Premier on August 1, 1952.
Bennett's governments created a number of Crown corporations including BC Ferries and BC Hydro, both of which are still operating today and are integral components of the province. There were also significant highway expansions and improvements, and major hydro-electric dam-building projects were undertaken on the Columbia and Peace Rivers. Bennett was reported to have played a major part in the negotiations of the Columbia River Treaty, which was signed in 1961 by Canada and the United States. His party was defeated in the 1972 election, and Bennett served as the leader of the opposition until resigning his seat in June 1973. He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1976 and died in 1979.
The W.A.C. Bennett Dam, one of the world’s highest earth fill dams, was named after the former Premier because his vision played a major role in developing the project.
W.N. Chant
William Neelands Chant (July 13, 1895 – 1976) was a political figure in Alberta and British Columbia. He sat in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1953 to 1972, where he served as the Minister of Public Works under Premier W.A.C. Bennett.