The Esquimalt Waterworks Company served areas within the present boundaries of the municipality of Esquimalt. It ceased activity in 1925 and its operations were taken over by the City of Victoria.
The Esquimalt Municipal Ratepayers Association was established to represent the interests of residents and businesses in Esquimalt.
The Esquimalt Lions Club started in 1951 and has been involved in a wide variety of community events and activities.
The Esquimalt Chamber of Commerce was established on February 26, 1947 as a volunteer, Not-For-Profit Corporation under the Boards of Trade Act, Part 1. Since the ’40s, the Chamber has been governed by a board of volunteers who are passionate about supporting the business community in Esquimalt.
The Esquimalt Municipal Archives opened officially on April 16, 1985 at its current location or 1149A Esquimalt Road. Council unanimously approved the formation of a municipal archives in 1984. They did so upon the recommendations presented by the first Esquimalt Historical Advisory Committee. When the advisory committee later dissolved, members stayed on as volunteers and the success of the archives can be directly attributed to them. A paid archivist position was also created in 1985 to manage the collections. The Archives continue to provide a safe, permanent and accessible home for municipal and private records of historical value for both the Township of Esquimalt and its residents.
The Township of Esquimalt was incorporated and recognized as a municipality on September 1, 1912 by the letters patent. A month later in October, the first by-law, "being the By-law to provide for the appointment of a Clerk, Assessor and Collector for the for Municipality" was passed.
The Municipal Clerk's Department provides a secretariat for Esquimalt Council and its Committees. This function includes agenda preparation, the recording of official minutes, the administration and certification of Township bylaws, and the execution of all legal documents on behalf of the Township of Esquimalt and functioning as the Head of Freedom of Information. In addition, the Municipal Clerk's Department is responsible for the administration of civic and school district elections and for the conducting of public referenda.
The City Clerk's Department is now known as Corporate Services and the Municipal Clerk title has changed to Corporate Officer. The Manager of Corporate Services fills the Corporate Officer position.
Before incorporation, policing in the dockyard and village was carried out at different times by the Dominion Police, the Royal Northwest Mounted Police, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. After 1912, this task was undertaken by the Esquimalt Municipal Police, the Esquimalt Police-Fire Department and the Victoria Police Department. Early police constables were also unofficially responsible for fire protection as the Fire Marshall position was held by the Police Chief. In September 1943, Council informed the Board of Police Commissioners that police officers would also be the official firefighters for the municipality. In 1957, the title Police-Fire Chief replaced Police Chief and Fire Marshall.
The Esquimalt Police-Fire Department was one of the few dual police-fires services in Canada. The force withstood many challenges from within the department and from both council and taxpayers to separate. In 1964, the police union tried to negotiate itself out of firefighting duties. Difficulties surfaced again in the late 1970s after a major fire. These difficulties were temporarily solved with more personnel and better training for all members of the department. Another change took place in the 1980s when a designated police officer with no firefighting responsibilities was authorized to serve on every shift.
In 2002, at the request of Mayor Ray Rice of Esquimalt and Mayor Alan Lowe of Victoria, the Solicitor General, the Honourable Rich Coleman announced the separation of the dual force. The policing of Esquimalt became the responsibility of an amalgamated City of Victoria and Township of Esquimalt police force under the guidance of the Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board. Mayor Darwin Robinson of Esquimalt (newly elected in 2002) reversed a similar plan to amalgamate fire services and instead approved the formation of the Esquimalt Fire Department in 2003.