The collection consists of ninety-one albums of postcards and photographs pertaining to views and scenes mainly in British Columbia, but also including Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and the Yukon as well as Europe. The views of British Columbia include views of the Rocky Mountains, Vancouver, Victoria, Mayne Island, and Buttle Lake (pre-1911) as well as those of logging (Capilano Timber Co., 1917-1920), mining (Granby Consolidated Mining, Smelting and Power Co. and Consolidated Cariboo Hydraulic Mining Co.) railways (Canadian Pacific Railway, Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway, and Great Northern Railway) and shipping. In addition, there are postcards and photographs of the Hudson's Bay Company Kamchatka Venture, 1921, U.S. Civil War portraits and New Zealand shipping.

The fonds consists of records reflecting McDonald's career with the Greater Vancouver Regional Planning Board. It includes subject files, press clippings, and printed material. The fonds also includes records relating to planning the development of Kitimat, B.C. and in the province, in general.

The fonds consists of records created or accumulated by Wescoast Energy Inc. its predecessor company Westcoast Transmission Company, Limited, and their subsidy companies. Records relate to the activities of these companies and the gas and energy industry in British Columbia and North America, and have been arranged into the following eleven series: legal and financial records (1950-1996); record books and minute books (1949-1980); subject files (1949-2000); corporate publications (1950-2002); publications relating to Westcoast Energy Inc. and its subsidiary companies (1957-2002); books, articles and other publications relating to the energy industry in British Columbia and North America (1897-1996); executive speeches and addresses (1957-1997); photographs and slides (1950s-1994); video recordings (1978-1995); scrapbook (1957); and maps and plans (1945-1994).

The fonds consists of maps pertaining to the development of the Dolly Varden Mine and related projects in the Alice Arm area.

The fonds consists principally of bound and filed correspondence of the Company (1896-1914), early minute books and accounting records of the BCER and related companies. Also included is a valuable collection of maps, diagrams, and engineering and architectural plans.