Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg
In 1960, the Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg was established by Manitoba's Metropolitan Winnipeg Act as a separate layer of municipal government in the metropolitan area of Winnipeg, Manitoba. At the time of its creation, it was the second two-tiered municipal government in North America. Metro Winnipeg consisted of the City of Winnipeg and various surrounding municipalities, including Brooklands, Tuxedo, Charleswood, Transcona, West Kildonan, North Kildonan, East Kildonan, Old Kildonan, Saint Boniface, Saint Vital and Fort Garry. During the period of its existence, it provided services such as transit, parks, water and other municipal services to residents.[1]
Metro Winnipeg operated from November 1960 and absorbed the Greater Winnipeg Transit Commission on Jan. 1, 1961. During this time it operated under a Committees Council system, with six divisions reporting to an executive director. It ceased to exist upon the introduction of a unified municipal government (popularly known as "Unicity") by the Province of Manitoba under Premier Ed Schreyer, effective Jan. 1, 1972.
The administration offices were located at 100 Main Street. The building was the administrative headquarters of the City of Winnipeg Streets & Transportation Department until 2007-2008 when the city handed it over to the Friends of Upper Fort Garry to make way for an expanded upper Fort Garry Heritage park.
Metro Winnipeg attempted to introduce a co-ordinated approach planning between its member municipalities, and to that end it created several planning documents. Those documents included the Downtown Winnipeg Plan, the Winnipeg Area Transportation Study, and District Area Plans for the suburban municipalities of metropolitan Winnipeg. Metro Winnipeg was responsible for the operation of Metro Winnipeg Transit.