Series consists of reports, correspondence, plans, promotional materials, unbound meeting minutes, and proposals created and kept by Metro committees and sub-committees, as well as liaison committees formed between Metro and external organizations. Series documents activities related to sinking funds, retirement, property, grants administration, development of a Metropolitan police force, Pan-Am Games, Canadian centennial (1967) and provincial centennial (1970).

Most records are arranged by committee or sub-committee and then in reverse-chronological order to reflect the original order as maintained by Metro’s Executive Director and Chairman of Council. As various committees were responsible for centennial planning and shared certain functions, their records were compiled into thematic folders. Consequently, files related to both the provincial and federal centennial maintain this organization, rather than the committee-based organization found throughout the rest of the series.

The Local Government Boundaries Commission was established by the Provincial Government in 1966 and concluded in 1970. It investigated the local governmental structures within the metropolitan area and identified areas that could be improved. Overall, the commission found that the two-tiered government system functioned well enough to continue. However, the government rejected the Commission’s conclusions were rejected a year after they were published, a decision which led to the creation of Unicity in 1971.

Series consists of correspondence, inter-office memos, submissions, statements, and briefs documenting the commission’s proceedings as they relate to the Metro government.

Series consists of records produced or related to Council operations. Records include presentations, correspondence, plans and pamphlets. Records created or kept by Councillors Albert E. Bennett, R. Darwin Chase, Lawrence E. Ostrander, Peter Taraska and Bernie Wolfe are also included in the series.

Metro’s General Government was composed of its Chairman of Council, the Council Administration (the Executive Director and Secretary’s Department), the Law Department (including Claims), and the Information Research Officer. In 1963, the Personnel Department was transferred from the Finance Division to General Government under the supervision of the Executive Director. During the Metro Decade, Council was led by three Chairman: Richard H.G. Bonnycastle (1960-1966), interim Chairman Lawrence E. Ostrander (1966), and Jack Willis (1966-1971). Metro’s first Chairman was appointed by the Provincial Government for a four-year term. As of 1964, Chairmen were elected by Council. The Chairman of Council decided how the Corporation discharged its responsibilities as assigned to them by the Metropolitan Winnipeg Act. The Chairman discharged these responsibilities to the Executive Director: Elswood F. Bole (1960-1965), J.R. McInnes (1965-1969), and D.I. McDonald (1969-1971). The Executive Director, as Metro’s chief administrative officer, was accountable to the Council. Consequently, he ensured that Council’s instructions were carried out. The Executive Director delegated these instructions to Metro’s divisions. In addition to supervising the divisions, Metro’s Solicitor, Secretary and Information Research Officer were also accountable to the Executive Director.

Series consists of reports, correspondence, plans, briefs, petitions, biographical sketches, photographs, statements and speeches, press releases, studies, legal agreements, staff newsletters, pamphlets, union agreements, organizational charts, and Metro Christmas cards. The series documents the functions of individual positions or offices within the General Government structure, as well as the overall organization and administrative functions of the corporation. Records related to personnel activities and Metro events (including its first anniversary) are also documented throughout the series.

Series includes multiple filing systems and maintains the original order of the records based on their creation or collection by General Government offices and staff. Legal agreements were kept in chronological order based on numbers assigned to each agreement. Series includes an incomplete set of agreements from no. 497-1743. Chronological files were kept in the Chairman’s office starting in 1965. These files documented outgoing correspondence and contain related attachments in reverse-chronological order. Reading Files were kept by the Corporation’s secretary and were compiled by month and year, also in reverse-chronological order. The remaining records in the series were compiled into folders based on the office that created or collected them, followed by a sub-heading based on the function to which each folder related (for example, Personnel Department – Biographical Sketches).

The Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg Review Commission (also known as the Cumming Commission) was created on October 2, 1962 through an Order-in-Council (No. 1250/62) to investigate the relationship between Metro and area municipalities in terms of finances, government form and structure, and boundaries, to improve inter-governmental relationships. The Commission held several public hearings in April 1963 where citizens were allowed to present and individuals, associations and representatives from various municipalities were invited to submit briefs. While the Commission believed that the Metro government structure was beneficial for the municipalities, they did make recommendations related to taxes, levies, Metro’s jurisdiction over municipalities, and the additional zone. They also recommended that Metro establish four year terms for its Chairman and council members effective as of 1964.

Series consists of the Commission’s report and recommendations, briefs and rebuttals from individuals and organizations, a submission to the commission by Metro, as well as records created by Metro to prepare for the Commission, including correspondence, inter-office memos, research material and reports.

Series consists of reports, statements, press summaries, submissions, correspondence and interdepartmental memos. It documents the development of a report on revenues and taxation that aimed to investigate new methods of distributing costs between the municipalities under Metro’s jurisdiction in a fair and equal way. The report was submitted by Dr. Gordon Blake, professor of Economics at the United College in Winnipeg, and Carl Goldenberg, a Montreal lawyer and economist with experience as a consultant in municipal financial matters.

Responsibilities inherited by Metro were undertaken by six divisions under the supervision of the Executive Director of the Corporation. Metro’s Assessment Division was responsible for the preparation and delivery of annual realty, property and business assessment rolls, the re-assessment of properties, the processing of appeals to the Metropolitan Board of Revision and the Municipal Board, as well as all functions previously administered by municipal assessment personnel such as the preparation of annual voter lists, vacancy surveys, property appraisals and population analysis and distribution. The Finance Division oversaw the development of financial plans and objectives, which included maintaining Metro’s account books, issuing financial reports, supervising transactions, and preparing budgets. The Parks and Protection Division inherited functions related to parks (including riverbanks, boulevards and care of trees), the zoo, municipal golf courses, mosquito abatement, and civil defence. The Division further increased park land in the Greater Winnipeg area by 1,000 acres. The Planning Division developed, executed and enforced the Development Plan, and other By-laws and regulations related to zoning, subdivisions, building, electrical and plumbing by-laws. The Streets and Transit Division inherited transit functions from the Greater Winnipeg Transit Commission and was further responsible for the street system, arterial traffic control and bridges. With the assistance of this Division, Metro fulfilled its commitment to build three new bridges in Winnipeg: the St. James Bridge and Underpass, St. Vital Bridge, and Maryland Twin Bridge. Finally, the Waterworks and Waste Disposal Division inherited responsibility for the supply, treatment, storage and distribution of water to area municipalities, which included the maintenance and construction of pumping stations, treatment plants and lagoons.

Series consists of records produced by the divisions, directed to and collected by the Metro Executive Director and/or Chairman of Council. Records include inter-office memos, correspondence, reports, divisional directors’ files, plans, promotional material, financial records, operating and capital budgets, presentations, statistics, news releases, transcripts, surveys, studies and investigations.

Series documents the planning, research, organization and execution of Metro projects and events, administration, the organization and roles of the divisions, communications between the divisions and the Executive Director, as well as Metro’s relationship with municipal and provincial officials, and citizens of the Greater Winnipeg area.

The records were filed in the offices of the Executive Director and Chairman in reverse-chronological order according to the division to which they related. They were subsequently compiled into general divisional folders, or in thematic folders categorized by major projects or functions of each division. The arrangement of the series reflects this original order.

Series consists of briefs, plans, organizational charts, reports, statements and correspondence related to the proposal for the reorganization of local government in the Metropolitan area (also referred to as the Greater Winnipeg area), as well as to the Province of Manitoba’s White paper on urban reorganization and the City of Winnipeg Act which led the way to the creation of Unicity in 1972. Files related to Metro Chairman Jack Willis’ mayoral run for the unified City of Winnipeg are also included in the series.

Series consists of pamphlets, brochures and booklets promoting the Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg. It documents Metro’s establishment, provision of services, organization, electoral system, operations, history, as well as its first and tenth anniversaries.

Forms part of Fonds 14. Series consists of correspondence, reports, memos, acts, photographs and various records generated or received by council. Files are organized alphabetically by an alpha-numeric filing code, with most records in each file organized in reverse-chronological order. Series documents activities related to assessment, personnel, finance, parks and protection, streets and transit, bridge construction and maintenance, water and waste, planning, general government, committees, municipalities, boards, legislation, property, events, by-law development and administration, and general research.

Series consists of correspondence, reports, itineraries, and research concerning the study of municipal government in North America and England. This material includes research on Metropolitan Toronto that was compiled in the years leading up to the creation of the Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg. Series documents communications between Metro and other Metropolitan governments (Toronto, Montreal, and Dade County, Florida), Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton, Greater London Council, and the Corporation of the City of London, England. The governance, administration and public perceptions of these municipalities are recorded as well.

Series consists of photographs created, commissioned, or otherwise collected by the Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg for promotional and internal use, as well as some accompanying textual material. Photographs are primarily prints, but also include negatives and slides. Photographs consist largely of Winnipeg parks, streets, bridges, city employees, Metro Councilors and Administration. Most promotional photographs have cut lines or captions provided for publication purposes.

A very small number of photographs were taken before and after the Metropolitan Corporation era (1960-1971). The older photographs were gathered for promotional purposes and the more recent photographs were likely added by the Information Services section.

Forms part of Fonds 15. Series consists of minutes and reports of the Board of Equalization, the Sinking Fund Trustee, the Administration Board and the Board of Commissioners.

Forms part of Fonds 15. Series consists of communications and reports created or received by the Greater Winnipeg Water District. Included are copies of a 1912 report by Charles Slichter and Rudolph Hering’s Report on a Water Supply from Shoal Lake for the Greater Winnipeg Water District, 1913. Also included are various maps and plans for the aqueduct, aqueduct operating and intake records, correspondence regarding land right of ways and correspondence regarding the rail line constructed by the GWWD.

Series consists of 269 numbered by-laws of the Greater Winnipeg Water District. Two indices are available: Index to By-Laws 1-163 and Index to By-Laws 164-258. The last eleven by-laws are not included in either index. The indices list by-laws in number order and provide a description of their purpose. By-laws were drafted for a variety of reasons, including appointments to District boards, to define duties of District officers, to borrow and/or spend money, to establish rates for municipalities served by the District, and to repeal existing District by-laws.

Forms part of Fonds 15. Series consists of numbered contracts and agreements entered into by the Greater Winnipeg Water District. Contracts and agreements are typically for the supply of building materials such as steel rails, steel splice bars or telephone lines, as well as for specific projects like the construction of a gate house or for clearance of a right-of-way. Plans and specifications are included with some contracts. The series is incomplete.

Forms part of Fonds 15. Series consists of financial ledgers and journals, pay sheets, financial statements, annual reports, and other financial material. Many of the ledgers and journals are oversized.

Forms part of Fonds 1. Series includes City of Winnipeg Council Minutes dating 1874-1971, which briefly recount the proceedings of council meetings and are the official, legal record of decisions made by Council. Recorded decisions reveal municipal governance, resource allocation, and service delivery. Minutes also refer to topics debated, reports considered, by-laws introduced, communications received, decisions reached and votes taken during council meetings. Council minutes are a rich and detailed source of information about the history of the City of Winnipeg, and provide understanding of issues past and present in city politics.

Minutes dating up until 1912 are handwritten.

Handwritten indices begin in 1878 for early minute books.

Forms part of Fonds 4. Series consists of voters lists (1916-1969) and election working papers (1912-1969) for the Rural Municipality of Fort Garry.