The Freedom of the City Award is the highest honour that a city can bestow on its citizens and is only conferred in exceptional cases of exceedingly high merit where Council wishes to honour a distinguished person or a distinguished unit of the armed forces of Canada.
In British Columbia, the Community Charter gives municipalities the legislative authority to confer Freedom of the City to its citizens and requires a unanimous vote of Council. Recipients awarded Freedom of the City are recognized with their name engraved at Recognition Square at Delta City Hall, may vote in Delta general local elections in perpetuity, and use City recreation facilities free of charge.
Freedom of the City Recipients
Review recipients of Delta's Freedom of the City award.
In recognition of having selflessly dedicated his time and leadership to Delta, Robert Bruce McDonald was awarded Freedom of the City on March 9, 2023.
Bruce was first elected to Delta Council in 1987 and continued his tenure as Councillor for nine terms, totalling 35 years. As a long standing member of Council, Bruce was a member of every municipal committee, board, and commission. Bruce’s common sense approach resonated with Deltans as did his unwavering advocacy for the community. Bruce’s continued service and contributions to bettering Delta lead him to being named “Citizen of the Year” by the Delta Chamber of Commerce in2002.
Bruce is a long time Delta resident, having raised his three children with wife, Barbara, in North Delta. In addition to serving as a member of Council, Bruce’s professional experience includes 41 years in air traffic control.
In Memoriam
In November 1969, William Andrew Cecil Bennett was presented with the first Freeman of the Corporation of Delta Award during Delta’s 90th birthday celebration.
Politics piqued William’s interest from a young age, which led him to being elected a Conservative member of the legislative assembly for Okanagan in 1941. He then joined the Social Credit Party and won his seat in the provincial election in 1952. William served as the Premier of British Columbia for 20 years, making him the longest serving Premier in the province’s history. As Premier, the Province aggressively invested and developed major infrastructure including the George Massey Tunnel, the Roberts Bank Superport and the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal. William pursued conservative fiscal policies, which aided him in successfully eliminating the Province’s debt.
In 1976, William was made Officer of the Order of Canada – the second-highest honour for merit after the Order of Merit.
Born in Hastings, New Brunswick, William moved to British Columbia in 1930, with his wife and three children. William passed away in February 1979 in Kelowna and has been honoured repeatedly for his contributions by the Government of Canada, the Government of British Columbia, and Simon Fraser University.
Freedom of the City was bestowed on Edgar C. Dunning in 2004 as part of Delta’s 125th Anniversary in recognition of his devotion to the city.
Edgar was dedicated to the betterment and preservation of Delta, and held an immaculate memory of the town’s history. Edgar’s many accomplishments include being a founding member of the Kinsmen Club of Ladner, the Delta Community Band Society, and the Delta Historical and Museum Society. He served on the executives of the Delta Board of Trade, Beach Grove Golf Club, Delta Memorial Park Association, and the Ladner Business Association. He was an active member of the British Columbia Weekly Newspapers’ Associations, becoming its youngest president. Edgar was awarded the BC Community Achievement Award in 2010, and was named “Citizen of the Year Award” by the Delta Chamber of Commerce in 1974.
Born in Elbow, Saskatchewan, Edgar’s family moved to Ladner in 1922, where his father started his own company producing the local newspaper – Delta Optimist. Edgar spent most of his life working for the newspaper as a Publisher, Co-Publisher, and a Columnist. His weekly column called “Rambling” influenced the development of Delta and was last published on the day of his passing in 2010.
Arne Knudsen was awarded Freedom of the City on February 13, 2006.
Following his third attempt to join the Canadian Army, Arne was accepted in the Royal Canadian Artillery. Upon returning from World War II in 1946, Sergeant-Major Knudsen bought a chicken farm on Hellings Road in North Delta. There was no ground water available in North Delta, and therefore, Arne was forced to buy water for farm operations at a cost of $4 for 600 gallons. This resulted in marginal revenue for the farm and Arne was determined to change this. Arne earned the nickname “The Radical Veteran” and formed the Rate Payers Association to address the lack of available ground water. In 1948, Arne’s lobbying efforts, backed by fellow veterans, resulted in the Greater Vancouver Water Board granting their request for a public water system in North Delta.
Arne’s drive to improve services in Delta led him to form the North Delta Volunteer Fire Department, where he assisted in building the Fire Hall and Sunbury Hall, which is operated by the Delta Firefighters Holding Society.
Born in Aarhus, Denmark, Arne immigrated to Canada in 1929. Arne passed peacefully in Delta in March 2007, and the turnout at his funeral was a testament to his tribute to Delta, with former Premier Dave Barrett in attendance along side countless friends of all ages and ranks.