Fonds consists of records relating to Petter's activities as a provincial politician, law professor, and university administrator. Activities and topics documented include Petter's early life, including his involvement in the 1965 Children's International Summer Village, grade school studies in Nelson, and undergraduate studies at Notre Dame University and the University of Victoria (UVic) in the 1970s (series 1); Petter's legal career, including employment with the Saskatchewan Department of Justice from 1982 to 1984, Osgoode Law School (York University) from 1984 to 1986, and the UVic Faculty of Law from 1986 to 2010 (series 2); Petter's political career, including early involvement with the New Democratic Party in the 1970s, his election as MLA for Saanich South in the 1991 provincial election, and his service as an MLA in various cabinet posts from 1991 to 2001 (series 3); Petter's time as President and Vice-Chancellor of Simon Fraser University from 2010 to 2020 (series 4); and sound recordings and audiovisual materials from across Petter's life and activities (series 5). Records include correspondence, memos, administrative records; research, writing, publications; lecture notes, teaching materials, course packs; campaign materials, events and communications materials, button pins; subject files and reference materials; newspapers and newspaper clippings; speaking notes, schedules, conference materials; ministerial scrapbooks; photographs; sound recordings and moving images (analog and digitized).
The fonds has been arranged by the archivist into five series:
- F-347-1 Early life records (1965-1981)
- F-347-2 Legal work and teaching records (1976-2020)
- F-347-3 Political career records (1960-2001, predominant 1972-2001)
- F-347-4 Simon Fraser University personal records (2009-2020)
- F-347-5 Sound recordings and audiovisual materials (1970-2003)