Richmond's Harold Steves honoured with Medal of Good Citizenship for seven decades protecting farmland

Harold Steves, Richmond's longest-serving city councillor and a lifelong environmental champion, received the Medal of Good Citizenship on B.C. Day August 4, in recognition of seven decades shaping the province's agricultural and environmental landscape.

Steves, now in his late 80s, spent 51 years on Richmond's city council after serving as an MLA in the Barrett government in the early 1970s, where he was instrumental in creating the Agricultural Land Reserve — a move that protected 4.6 million hectares of farmland throughout B.C. In Richmond alone, his work led to the creation of Richmond Nature Park, Garry Point Park, Terra Nova Rural Park, London Heritage Farm, Britannia Shipyard Park, and Garden City Lands. He helped establish Kwantlen Polytechnic University's Richmond Farm School, the first farm school in North America, and served as the first president of the Steveston Historical Society.

Steves co-authored a book on the Steveston waterfront to raise funds for the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site and has collected thousands of artifacts, including contents of the historic Hong Wo store, which he works with the Museum of Anthropology to identify and preserve as First Nations historic sites. Even now, he continues to grow heirloom seeds, raise Belted Galloway cattle, and collaborate with international scientists to advance composting technology. "His life's work reflects, not ambition, but devotion to land, to community, to justice and the belief one person's persistence can protect what is irreplaceable," reads the official citation. The Medal of Good Citizenship recognizes individuals who have acted in a particularly generous, kind or selfless manner for the common good without expectation of reward.