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).