1858 - British Columbia A Colony In August 1858, the British government declared Vancouver Island a colony and appointed Sir James Douglas as its first governor. Matthew Begbie was sent from England to be the first British judge of the colony. Begbie was kept busy with the excitement of gold rushes causing frontier justice. The new legislative assembly opened in 1860. By 1866, the colony would be joined with British Columbia, the mainland colony. Published: Monday, November 10, 2014 Last updated: Monday, November 10, 2014 By: Lloyd Duhaime Permalink