Winnipeg in Focus is a database for archival descriptions and digital collections at the City of Winnipeg Archives.

Showing 124 results

people and organizations

Allan, Hugh

  • Person
  • 1917-2004

For more information on Hugh Allan, see the Hugh Allan fonds at the University of Manitoba Archives and Special Collections.

Hugh Allan was born on May 14, 1917 in Cypress River, Manitoba, and eventually moved to Winnipeg, where he became a highly regarded photographer. Allan worked for many different employers, including Time Magazine and Maclean's, but he is most famous for his work with the Winnipeg Tribune, which employed him from 1950 to 1970. After leaving the Tribune, Allan worked as a freelance photographer. He passed away on May 30, 2004.

Assiniboia (Man.)

  • Corporate body
  • 1880-1968

The Rural Municipality of Assiniboia was one of the three original municipalities that surrounded the City of Winnipeg. It was incorporated in 1880 when the Province of Manitoba divided its entire area into municipalities. In 1969, the Rural Municipality of Assiniboia joined with the City of St. James to form the City of St. James-Assiniboia.

The first Council for the Rural Municipality of Assiniboia met in 1880, with William Tait as Warden. The first Council for the new City of St. James-Assiniboia met on January 7, 1969, with A. W. Hanks as Mayor.

Berman, Martin

  • Person

Martin Berman grew up in Winnipeg but moved to Toronto to raise his family. He collected his first postcard on March 15, 1985. His goal was to collect postcards of Winnipeg and rural Manitoba.

Bike to the Future

  • Corporate body
  • 2006-[2013?]

Bike to the Future began as a forum for cyclists and community members to discuss their vision of cycling in Winnipeg. The forum took place on September 20, 2006 and was attended by over 100 people. This was followed by lobbying candidates in that year's municipal election and the creation of a report putting forth their own vision. Bike to the Future was incorporated in February, 2007, after which it continued to lobby for cycling infrastructure and safety measures. Around 2013, it was reorganized into Bike Winnipeg.

Bike to Work Day Winnipeg

  • Corporate body
  • 2007-2013

Bike to Work Day began in 2007 when a group of cyclists hosted an event to raise the profile of cycling in Winnipeg, to encourage people to cycle to work, and to advocate for better cycling infrastructure. This became a yearly event and in 2011, other organizations were invited to host pit-stops, further raising its profile and accessibility. The yearly event was overseen by a steering committee, and it became so successful that in 2014, Bike to Work Day was expanded to become Bike Week, which celebrated and promoted cycling more broadly, rather than focusing specifically on commuting.

Bike Week Winnipeg

  • Corporate body
  • 2014-

Bike Week Winnipeg was born out of Bike to Work Day, which first took place in 2007. Bike to Work Day was hugely successful and in 2014, it was expanded into Bike Week, which sought to promote not just commuting, but all aspects of cycling in Winnipeg. Bike Week Winnipeg was officially incorporated in 2017 and its board provides direction to an events contractor and a volunteer planning committee.

Bike Winnipeg

  • Corporate body
  • [ca. 2013]-

Founded as Bike to the Future, Bike Winnipeg adopted its current name circa 2013. Its mission is to make cycling in Winnipeg safe and accessible.

Block, Morris

  • Person
  • 1929-1998

Morris Block was born in Winnipeg on December 24, 1929. He was educated in Winnipeg where he earned two undergraduate degrees at the University of Manitoba (Science and Engineering) and graduated at the top of his Civil Engineering class in 1955. In 1958, he started the engineering firm M. Block & Associates. His interests included the history of Winnipeg and Manitoba and he collected a wide variety of materials relating to these two themes.

Shortly after graduation, Morris Block married Clara. They had six children. Morris Block died in December of 1998.

Brooklands (Man.)

  • Corporate body
  • 1921-1968

Both the Rural Municipality and the Village of Brooklands were incorporated on June 10, 1921 through Order in Council No. 36806. Originally part of the Rural Municipality of Rosser, Brooklands qualified for village status under section 9 of chapter 133 of The Municipal Act. The Letters Patent incorporating Brooklands as a village describe the municipality’s original boundaries as “comprising not more than 640 acres, formerly comprised within the limits and extent of the Rural Municipality of Rosser, bounded on the south by Notre Dame Avenue, on the east by Keewatin Street, on the north by Geyser Avenue, and on the west by the center line running north and south of section 14 in township 11 in range 2 east of the first principal meridian in the Province of Manitoba.” On October 4, 1961, under section 16 of The Municipal Act and through Order in Council No. 1207, the Village of Brooklands became a Town. Six years later, in 1967, the Town of Brooklands amalgamated into the City of St. James. In 1968, a further merger between the City of St. James and the Rural Municipality of Assiniboia resulted in formation of the new City of St. James-Assiniboia, which in turn joined eleven other municipalities in amalgamation with the City of Winnipeg in 1972.

Note that from 1939 until 1954, the Village of Brooklands was under the jurisdiction of the Municipal and Public Utility Board. In 1959, after approximately four years of independence, the Village was taken back under the supervision of the Public Utility Board. In 1954, after nearly eighteen years under a provincial trustee, Brooklands was granted the right to administer its own school affairs.

As in other municipalities, government organization in Brooklands was dictated by its letters patent. Accordingly, council consisted of a mayor, sometimes called a reeve, and four councilors elected by qualified electors of the village/town. Council duties included the formulation of public policy, implementation and administration. Like other municipal councils, policy administration was delegated to standing committees comprised of council members. Standing committees were: finance, by-laws, public works, social welfare, water works, fire and police services. In addition to these functions, the municipality was responsible for assessment, tax collection, elections, and for at least part of its history, overseeing a school district. In the 1960’s, with powers acquired when it achieved Town status, council established a Parks Board and an Industrial Development Board.

Typically, daily operations within a municipality are carried out by line departments. It is likely that these records were merged into departmental records in the City of St. James following the merger in 1967, and subsequently into record series in the City of St. James-Assiniboia and the City of Winnipeg at amalgamation. Remaining records for the Village and Town of Brooklands provide little information on departmental organization or operations.

Charles E. Goad Company

  • Corporate body
  • 1895-1915

The Charles E. Goad Company was established by Charles Goad in Montreal in 1875 and dominated the Canadian fire insurance plan business for more than fifty years. Fire insurance underwriting firms like Goad’s produced detailed plans of urban communities for subscribing fire insurance companies and their agents to assist in assessing fire liability of insurance holders. At the time of his death in 1910, Goad and his surveyors had mapped over thirteen hundred Canadian communities. The company continued under the direction of Goad’s three sons. In 1911, an agreement was reached between the Goad Company and the Canadian Fire Underwriters’ Association (CFUA) by which the Goad’s was to make and revise plans for the CFUA. The agreement was terminated in 1917 and soon after the CFUA acquired exclusive rights to revise and reprint the Goad plans for the use of Association members. The company ceased production of fire insurance plans by 1918 and was dissolved in 1930.

Charleswood (Man.)

  • Corporate body
  • 1913-1971.

The Rural Municipality of Charleswood was incorporated in 1913 when the community on the south side of the Assiniboine River chose to separate from the Municipality of Assiniboia. The RM included those portions of the Parishes of Headingley and St. Charles that lay south of the river, but excluded any property belonging to the Town of Tuxedo or City of Winnipeg. According to the Charleswood Historical Society, Charleswood was either named after the councilman Charles Kelly or the Parish of St. Charles and the nearby woodlands. An Act to Amend "The Municipal Boundaries Act" officially created the RM. This piece of provincial legislation came into force on February 15, 1913. George Chapman became the first Reeve shortly thereafter.

Councils consisted of a Reeve or Mayor and four Councillors. The functional responsibilities of the RM of Charleswood were defined in versions of The Municipal Act and would later change in 1960 with the creation of the Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg. At one time, the municipal office would have included the following positions: City Clerk, Treasurer, Superintendent of Public Works, Municipal Accountant, Chief Constable, Fire Chief, Shop Foreman, Draughtsman, and Welfare Officer. The law firm Lawrence & Sansome was routinely hired as solicitors and Templeton Engineering served as consultants for many years. In addition to Council, the municipal government included the Town Planning Committee, Public Works Committee, and Charleswood Voluntary Fire Brigade. It was part of the St. James-St. Vital-Fort Garry-Charleswood-Assiniboia-Tuxedo Health Unit.

Charleswood was a predominantly rural area supported by agricultural production, dairy and poultry farms, and mink ranches. Following the Second World War, there was a marked increase in population and an expansion of residential areas. One development that dates from this time was a settlement for ex-servicemen called Roblin Park, a project made possible by the Veteran’s Land Act. The growth of Charleswood into “the Suburb Beautiful” was accompanied by the increase and diversification of local services and businesses. The municipal government mirrored these changes and constructed the first Municipal Civic Centre in 1965.

The RM of Charleswood ceased to exist in 1972, when Chapter 105 of the Statutes of Manitoba came into force unifying twelve area municipalities and the Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg into one city government. Following amalgamation, Charleswood Park was created as part of the new municipal structure.

City of Winnipeg 2012 Earth Day Art Activity Working Group

  • Corporate body
  • 2012

Acting on advice from the Mayor’s Environmental Advisory Committee in 2011, the Executive Policy Committee of the City of Winnipeg directed city staff to coordinate a free art activity with a future-oriented sustainability theme through existing child and youth drop-in programs in City recreation centres. A working group consisting of representatives from Planning, Property and Development (Environmental Coordinator), Community Services, the City of Winnipeg Archives, and the Winnipeg Arts Council planned the activity and engaged a mentoring artist, Craig Love, to work with City recreation technicians to deliver the art activity to children and youth at five City of Winnipeg recreation centres (East End Cultural Centre, Norberry-Glenlee, Westdale Community Centre, Magnus Eliason Recreation Centre, and Turtle Island Neighbourhood Centre). During spring break, children and youth participants made quilt-like squares using mostly natural, sustainable, and some recycled materials. Themes that inspired the children included the earth, ecology, nature, home, and sustainability. The activity promoted greater understanding of how and why daily efforts of sustainability matter. The forty craft works created represent the children’s wish-list for the future of the city and the world. After public exhibition at City Hall in mid-April and at the Millennium Library on Earth Day itself (Sunday, April 22), five representative squares, a folder of conceptual drawings created by the children as they planned their projects, and a photographic record of the project were delivered to the City of Winnipeg Archives so that they can be made available at a future date. Photographs of the five representative works were used to advertise Earth Day 2012 and posted to the Winnipeg Arts Council website. The photographer for the project was William Eakin.

Clark, Owen

  • Person
  • 1938-

Owen Clark was born on July 16, 1938 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His first experience playing a musical instrument occurred in 1955 at a Canadian Army cadet camp in Dundurn, Saskatchewan where he played the snare drum. A year later at Tec Voc High School in Winnipeg, Clark replaced an absent bass drummer in a school performance, and decided to become a professional musician when he was invited to join the country group, the CKY Playboys in the late 1950s. In 1971, Clark graduated with a Bachelor of Music Education and a Licentiate Diploma in Performance (High Distinction in Percussion) from McGill University in Montreal. In 1974, he received a Masters of Science in Education (Major in Music) from Moorhead State University in Moorhead, Minnesota. Clark has five children and is married to Kolleen Karlowsky.

Clark’s musical skills include drums, vocals, percussion, electric bass, composing and arranging. For many years, he taught The History of Rock Music and Percussion at the University of Manitoba, and Music, Canadian History and Computer courses in the Seven Oaks School Division (Winnipeg). He was a radio announcer and chair of the program committee at CJNU radio station in Winnipeg and performed for radio and television, including recording at CBC (TV and Radio), CTV, CKND, and Shaw cable television network. In addition, Clark performed on albums, jingles, films, documentaries and videos at major Winnipeg recording studios. His symphonic experience includes the CBC Montreal Opera Orchestra, Les Grande Ballets Canadienne, National Arts Center Orchestra (Ottawa), Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, National Ballet, the Manitoba Opera Co., and the CBC Winnipeg Orchestra. Commercially, Clark has performed Classical, Jazz, Rock, Country, Pop, Latin music and in musical theatre, and has appeared with Stevie Wonder, Sarah Vaughan, the Four Aces, Esquivel, Lionel Hampton, Jazzmobile, Stanley Black, Arthur Fiedler, Vincent Price, the Queen City Kids, Rich Little, Lenny Breau, Tom Jackson, Harry Belafonte, Ron Paley, Bob Hope, Andy Williams, Gloria Loring, Freddy Fender, Pat Boone, Bobby Curtola, Len Cariou, Catherine McKinnon, and on Sesame Street, Disney On Parade, the Ice Capades, Alan Blye, Aubrey Tadman, Rainbow Stage, Manitoba Theatre Centre, and The Warehouse Theatre. As co-owner of Clark Productions Ltd. since 1980, Clark plays drums, bass, and percussion and sings with Owen Clark and the Good Time Dance Band, the Owen Clark Big Band, the Ragtime Strutters, and the Owen Clark Jazz Group. He also freelances with many bands, singers, and performing groups in the Winnipeg area. In 2008 he published the book, Musical Ghosts: Manitoba’s Jazz and Dance Bands, 1914-1966 using many photographs from his Collection in the book.

As part of a creative arts committee at Elwick Community School in Winnipeg, Manitoba Clark was awarded the Hilroy Fellowship for Innovative Teaching in 1986. In 2009, he received the Manitoba Jazz Musician of the Year Award and an Association for Manitoba Archives Manitoba Day Award. In 2011 he was nominated for a Winnipeg Arts Council Arts Award.

Clarke, Jack

  • Person
  • [?]

Jack Clark worked as the City of Winnipeg Signals Engineer circa 1960s.

Critical Mass Winnipeg

  • Corporate body
  • [between 1992 and 1999]-

Critical Mass is a leaderless movement that began in San Francisco, California, in 1992 and has since spread to cities and countries around the world. It organizes monthly bicycle rides both to celebrate bicycles and human-powered vehicles and to protest their marginalization as a form of traffic, as well as other issues. Though Critical Mass has been organizing rides in Winnipeg since at least 1999, it came to prominence in May 2006, when force was used to arrest a number of ride participants, leading to accusations of police brutality. Though Critical Mass became less active following these events, its name is still used by community organizers.

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