The Committee on Legislation and Reception was responsible for wages and working conditions of civic employees, staff changes and appointments, grievances concerning civic personnel, labour union negotiations, work of the employer-employee advisory board, general legislation and charter amendments, and for reporting on legislation and receptions.

Names of the Committee over the years have included the Legislative Committee, Committee on Legislation, Reception, Trade and Commerce, Committee on Legislation and Reception, and Committee on Personnel and Legislation (1950-1957).

In 1958 the duties of the Committee on Personnel and Legislation were taken over by the Committee on Finance. In 1960 the Standing Committee on Utilities and Personnel was formed by By-Law 18236 to perform the combined functions of the former Committee on Personnel and Legislation and Committee on Public Works.* (See Municipal Manual, 1960 and Council Minutes 1957-1960).

The Committee on Public Utilities was responsible for Hydro Electric, Steam Heating, and Street Lighting Systems, Construction, Operation and Maintenance of Water Mains and Sewers, Garbage Collection and Disposal, and Street Cleaning.

In 1958 the duties of the Committee on Public Utilities were taken over by the Committee on Public Works. In 1960 the Standing Committee on Utilities and Personnel was formed by By-Law 18236 to perform the combined functions of the former Committee on Public Utilities and Committee on Personnel and Legislation.

The committee was appointed in 1958, and was responsible for considering and reporting on public and emergency housing projects, zoning, town planning, enforcement of by-laws relating to urban renewal, rehabilitation or conservation areas, matters relating to the Civic Centre, Public Safety Building, and Parking Garage, and the appointment of a technical committee to report and advise on the above mentioned activities.

The City of Winnipeg was incorporated in 1873 by a charter granted by the legislature of Manitoba. At incorporation, the City established a committee system of government: while Council was the governing body for the City, it was in committee that civic policies were formed and executed. The initial task for the first and all subsequent Councils was to strike standing committees for the Council year. In addition to standing committees, Council established special committees and commissions to investigate and manage various projects, issues and questions placed before the City.

The Better Housing Commission was formed in 1966 as specified in Section 707A of The Winnipeg Charter. The Commission consisted of five persons appointed annually by Winnipeg City Council. The Commission heard appeals related to notices issued under By-law No. 19165 (Minimum Standard of Housing Repair By-law). This by-law established minimum standards for the state of repair of the exteriors of residential buildings and of buildings in residential areas, and enabled enforcement. Members of the Commission in its inaugural year were: Alderman S. Rebchuk, George A. Stewart, E. J. W. Akins, T. A. MacFarlen, and Serge Radchuk. With the exception of Serge Radchuk, who was replaced by Fred James in 1967, membership remained the same until the last year of the Commission. The Better Housing Commission ceased operations in 1971 with the formation of Unicity.

The first public playground in Winnipeg was opened in 1908 by the Committee on Public Playgrounds for Winnipeg, the members of which had been appointed at a citizens meeting on May 28, 1908: Mrs. J. Dick, Mrs. Dr. Sparling, J. Dyson, J. S. Woodsworth, J. W. McMillan, John Appleton, H. R. Hadcock, E. L. Drewry and H. E. Wilson. This committee solicited private funds for a demonstration project to be operated in conjunction with the Mother's Association through the summer of that year. By the fall of 1908, the Committee on Public Playgrounds for Winnipeg had become the Playgrounds Association of the City of Winnipeg, reflecting a broad trend in North America and their connection with the American Playgrounds Association. In 1909, the Association met with the City of Winnipeg's Board of Control to propose creation of a commission to manage a system of playgrounds for the city. The Board of Control supported the proposal and the Playgrounds Commission was organized in 1909 under By-Law 5557 with an appropriation of $4000. The Playgrounds Commission managed playgrounds until 1919 when its powers were transferred to the Public Parks Board through By-Law 9835.

The City of Winnipeg was incorporated in 1873 by a charter granted by the legislature of Manitoba. At incorporation, the City established a committee system of government: while Council was the governing body for the City, it was in committee that civic policies were formed and executed. The initial task for the first and all subsequent Councils was to strike standing committees for the Council year. In addition to standing committees, Council established special committees to investigate and manage various projects, issues and questions placed before the City. Special committees were typically struck by a Council motion that outlined committee composition and responsibilities.

The Special Committee to Investigate Charges regarding Purchase of Motor Trucks was appointed on February 2, 1920 to address allegations made by the Winnipeg Motor Trades Association, Car Section, that tenders to supply vehicles to the City did not receive impartial consideration. The file contains a Resolution by the Winnipeg Motor Trades Association, Car Section, which includes the names of vehicle dealerships and managers. Also included is a statement by J. G. Sullivan, Consulting Engineer, refuting the charge. Sullivan's statement is signed by members of the committee responsible for selecting vehicles for purchase.

The City of Winnipeg was incorporated in 1873 by a charter granted by the legislature of Manitoba. At incorporation, the City established a committee system of government: while Council was the governing body for the City, it was in committee that civic policies were formed and executed. The initial task for the first and all subsequent Councils was to strike standing committees for the Council year. In addition to standing committees, Council established special committees to investigate and manage various projects, issues and questions placed before the City. Special committees were typically struck by a Council motion that outlined committee composition and responsibilities.

The Special Committee on Amalgamation was appointed by Council on August 19, 1918 to "consider and report on the question of adjusting, re-arranging and amalgamating the various departments of City Offices". In order to complete this task, the Committee requested statements from the City's twenty-three administrative departments showing the functions and duties of the department and the organization of staff (including the name, position, salary and responsibilities of each staff member). Statements were not requested for the Fire Department or the Light and Power Department. The Committee's final report was accepted by Council in December of 1918 and referred to the City Solicitor to draft requisite legislation. The Special Committee on Amalgamation had five members and adjourned following submission of its report to Council: Controllers Wallace and Puttee and Aldermen Fowler, Fisher and Vopni.

The Special Committee on Social Evil Question was appointed by Council on February 28, 1910 to meet with a similarly named committee of the Moral and Social Reform Council of Manitoba to address prostitution in the area around Rachel and McFarlane Streets in particular. Later in 1910, Council requested the Lieutenant-Governor-in-Council appoint a Commission to investigate charges of graft within the police department regarding trade in liquor and prostitution within a segregated area in the City (Rachel and McFarlane Streets). Judge Robson's report was received by the City in January of 1911. Although Council adopted a motion to have the Special Committee on Social Evil Question "remain a permanent Committee of the City Council for the year 1910", a handwritten note dated January 3, 1912 states "This matter has not been taken up." Committee minutes exist for three meetings in 1910 (March 17, 21 and 22). No file code was assigned to this special committee.

The City of Winnipeg was incorporated in 1873 by a charter granted by the legislature of Manitoba. At incorporation, the City established a committee system of government – while Council was the governing body for the City, it was in committee that civic policies were formed and executed. The initial task for the first and all subsequent Councils was to strike standing committees for the Council year. In addition to standing committees, Council established special committees to investigate and manage various projects, issues and questions placed before the City. Special committees were typically struck by a Council motion that outlined committee composition and responsibilities. From about 1924 onward, special committees and their associated files were assigned an alpha-numeric code beginning with the letter “A”.

The Special Committee to Enquire into the Employment of Married Women was appointed by Council on July 14, 1924 to determine how many married women were employed by the City. The Committee was also required to gather information regarding residency for all City employees. Based on a detailed survey of City departments, the Special Committee recommended to Council and Council adopted a policy of not engaging married women if they were not dependent on their work to manage their affairs and of not engaging any help resident outside the City. The Special Committee was composed of four aldermen. No file code was assigned to this special committee.

The City of Winnipeg was incorporated in 1873 by a charter granted by the legislature of Manitoba. At incorporation, the City established a committee system of government – while Council was the governing body for the City, it was in committee that civic policies were formed and executed. The initial task for the first and all subsequent Councils was to strike standing committees for the Council year. In addition to standing committees, Council established special committees to investigate and manage various projects, issues and questions placed before the City. Special committees were typically struck by a Council motion that outlined committee composition and responsibilities. From about 1924 onward, special committees and their associated files were assigned an alpha-numeric code beginning with the letter “A”.

The Special Committee on Investigation of the Fire Department was appointed by Council on May 13, 1919. It was composed of three aldermen, a representative of the Western Canada Fire Underwriters’ Association, one citizen member and one member of the Firemen’s Union. The Special Committee was instructed to review departmental operations with a view to recommending changes that would improve efficiency. The final report of the Special Committee was submitted to Council on May 25, 1920. While the Special Committee file does not contain a copy of the final report, the report was referred from Council to the Committee on Fire, Water, Light and Power and from there to the Committee on Public Safety (two copies of the report are located in File 12 of this committee’s communications). No file code was assigned to this special committee.

Following the Provincial Act of 1880, the Province of Manitoba was split into rural municipalities. The areas surrounding the City of Winnipeg were divided into three municipalities: Assiniboia, St. Boniface, and Kildonan. In 1914, the Municipality of Kildonan was split between the river into East and West Kildonan and the Rural Municipality of West Kildonan was incorporated. The first Council for the Rural Municipality was held in 1914 with Edmund Partridge as Reeve. In 1921 West Kildonan was incorporated as a town until it was incorporated as a City on April 25, 1961 with C.N. Cushner as Mayor. The City was dissolved in 1972 when it joined eleven other municipalities in amalgamation with the City of Winnipeg.

Winnipeg into the Nineties (WIN) was a volunteer group of citizens with a vision of how the City of Winnipeg should and could be developed. Created in January 1989, meetings were held bi-weekly at the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg offices and were chaired by Shirley Bradshaw. Members of the Founding Committee were: Shirley Bradshaw, Al Ducharme, Elizabeth Fleming, Mike Gidora, Barry Hammond, Marilyn Letts, Shirley Lord, Christine McKee, Evelyn Reese, Greg Selinger, Tom Simms and Donna Mae Yeo.

WIN was formed to oppose the so-called "Gang of 18", an informal group of councillors who held a majority on council and who met regularly before official council meetings to determine the city's agenda. The "Gang of 18" was a successor to the Independent Citizen's Election Committee, a right-wing municipal party that dominated Winnipeg's city council from the early 1970s to the early 1980s. WIN’s objectives were: to provide a vision for the City of Winnipeg and a future agenda based on clear policies for action; to promote open government and freedom of information in the interests of informed decision-making; to ensure accountability of elected officials on the basis of agreed, openly-stated policy positions; to promote ethical government and financial accountability through the open declaration of election contributions, individual statements of assets, and clear, conflict of interest by-laws; and to encourage citizen participation and consistent, reasoned decision-making that could be explained and justified to the general public. WIN worked to raise community awareness of municipal issues in Winnipeg, to facilitate the construction of a policy platform designed to achieve its stated objectives, and to field and support candidates who supported their objectives. WIN endorsed several candidates in Winnipeg’s 1989, 1992 and 1995 municipal elections, including future Mayor Glen Murray and future premier of Manitoba, Greg Selinger.

In the 1990’s WIN continued as a political organization in Winnipeg, under the name “Winnipeg in the '90s”. It was dissolved by members in late 1996.

In October 1981, Mayor William (Bill) Norrie created the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Race Relations to examine racial matters, advise the Mayor and City Council on racial issues, and recommend ways to improve racial harmony in the City of Winnipeg.

The Race Relations Committee replaced the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Race Relations in the fall of 1984. Shortly thereafter, a steering committee was formed to report on the role, operation, and structure of the Race Relations Committee. On March 23, 1985, it recommended that the Race Relations Committee be reconstituted as the City of Winnipeg Race Relations Commission. The steering committee believed the Commission would have more authority as it would report directly to the Mayor and City Council. As well, the steering committee determined that “if [the commission] was placed in any other context, the body would not appear to have sufficient authority.” The steering committee also recommended that the City create an ad hoc committee of the Mayor’s Race Relation Committee to hold public meetings.

The final outcome of this work was the creation of the Community and Race Relations Committee (CRRC) by City Council on June 11, 1986. The CRRC was mandated to develop policies and programs to improve racial relations within Winnipeg and to provide guidance for individuals and organizations seeking aid on matters of racial discrimination. The CRRC was also tasked with mediating disputes in order to foster understanding between ethnic groups.

Initially, the CRRC consisted of seven community at large members, seven institutional members, the Mayor, Chief of Police, Chief Commissioner, and the Chairperson of the Executive Policy Committee. The Mayor served as Chairperson and the role of Vice-Chairperson was given to the Chairperson of the Executive Policy Committee.
There were also several sub-committees including the Education and Management Sub-Committees. The CRRC reported the Executive Policy Committee.

In 1988, the Management Sub-Committee recommended that the Chairperson be a citizen member and the Mayor become the Vice-Chairperson. It was also recommended that the community at large members be reduced from seven to three and the institutional membership be increased to eleven. City Council adopted these recommendations on June 11, 1988.

The CRRC was criticized as having too much institutional representation and not enough from the community. Beginning in 1993, the Management Sub-Committee began a review of the CRRC’s structure. In response to demographic changes in Winnipeg, City Council dissolved the CRRC on December 31, 1999. It was later replaced with the Task Force on Diversity on January 1, 2000. The Task Force on Diversity became the Citizen Equity Committee the following year.

The City of St. James-Assiniboia, Manitoba, was incorporated in 1968, the product of a merger between the City of St. James and the Rural Municipality of Assiniboia, and was dissolved in 1972 when it joined eleven other municipalities in amalgamation with the City of Winnipeg. The City of St. James grew out of the Rural Municipality of St. James, which had been partitioned out of the Municipality of Assiniboia and incorporated in 1921 (in effect, separating the urban and rural parts of the Municipality of Assiniboia, with St. James representing the urban portion). The Rural Municipality of St. James, became the City of St. James in 1956 and merged with the Town of Brooklands in 1967. The mandate was to provide municipal services to citizens of the area.

The name “St. James” originated in 1853 when the Church of England received a grant of land from the Hudson’s Bay Company and formed the Parish of St. James. Prior to creation of the Province of Manitoba in 1870, the area was administered by the Council of Assiniboia (1835-1870). Following the Dominion Government of Canada’s purchase of land from the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1869, the newly formed Province of Manitoba had jurisdiction over the area and began the process of municipal incorporation. Once Treaty 1 was signed in 1871, settlement in the region increased, as did the process of municipal development. The name “St. James” continues as an electoral ward within the City of Winnipeg.

The municipality of Kildonan was originally formed from the municipality of Kildonan and St. John’s (incorporated in 1876) after the passing by the Provincial Government of the Municipal Incorporation Act of 1873. The municipality of Kildonan and St. John’s was renamed Kildonan after the Provincial Act of 1880, with jurisdiction over land on both the east and west sides of the Red River. The name “Kildonan” dates from 1817, when the Earl of Selkirk created the Parish of Kildonan while visiting the colony he had established in 1812. The name refers to the Strath of Kildonan on the Sutherland estate in Scotland from whence a number of his settlers had come.