Ministry of Municipal Affairs (Manitoba)

Last updated
Manitoba Municipal and Northern Relations
Agency overview
Preceding agencies
Headquarters800 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB
Minister responsible
  • Glen Simard, Minister of Municipal and Northern Relations
Website gov.mb.ca/mr/

Manitoba Municipal and Northern Relations (formerly Department of Municipal Affairs until 1978) is a department of the Government of Manitoba that deals with local administrations and bodies, including municipalities, planning districts, and non-governmental organizations. This includes the provision of training, ongoing consultation, technical analysis, and funding related to land management, community renewal, infrastructure, and the building of capacity of local governments to provide services. [1]

Contents

The department is organized into two functional areas: Community Planning and Development; and Infrastructure and Municipal Services. There are also two areas of special focus: [2]

History

From 1886 to 1953, responsibility for overseeing municipal affairs throughout the province of Manitoba belong to the Department of the Municipal Commissioner, which was established by The Manitoba Municipal Act. The Municipal Commissioner replaced the existing system of municipal councils, county councils, and judicial boards which was established in the 1870s. This system was maintained by municipal taxation, and was soon found to be too costly and difficult to manage. County councils were abolished in 1884, followed by the judicial boards two years later; the Department of Municipal Commissioner was created thereafter. [3]

In 1953, the office of Municipal Commissioner was restructured and the provincial government assumed new responsibilities for municipal supervision. The result was the creation of the Department of Municipal Affairs by The Department of Municipal Affairs Act on 20 April 1953. [4]

From around 1966 to 1969, the department was known as the Department of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs. However, in 1971, the enactment of the new City of Winnipeg Act saw the creation a new Department of Urban Affairs, which was responsible for advising and assisting the new City of Winnipeg. The Department of Municipal Affairs continued to advise and assist rural municipalities in Manitoba. [4]

In 1978, the Municipal Affairs and Urban Affairs departments briefly merged to create the Department of Municipal and Urban Affairs. In 1979, a Minister of Urban Affairs was appointed but the departments did not formally separate again until 1981. [4]

In 1989, under the government of Gary Filmon, Municipal Affairs was combined with parts of the Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Natural Resources to form the Department of Rural Development. [4] [5] It provided advisory and program services to municipalities, local economic and environmental organizations, and citizens in rural Manitoba. In 1992, the Department was organized into two divisions—Local Government Services and Rural Economic Development—which oversaw branches and programs including the Food Development Centre, Rural Development Institute, Conservation Districts Program, and Assessment Branch. [5]

In 1999, Rural Development merged with the Department of Urban Affairs to create the Department of Intergovernmental Affairs. All of the programs of the former Department of Rural Development were absorbed into the new department, except for the Food Development Centre, which became part of the Department of Agriculture and Food. [5]

In 2003, the Department's Rural and Northern Community Economic Development division was transferred to the newly-created Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives (MAFRI) department. At the same time, the Trade and Federal-Provincial and International Relations division was created in the department through programming transfers from five departments; as result, the department was renamed the Department of Intergovernmental Affairs and Trade. [6] In September 2006, the Trade and Federal-Provincial and International Relations division, the Canada-Manitoba Infrastructure Agreement and the Economic Partnership Agreement were transferred out of the department and it was again renamed the Department of Intergovernmental Affairs. [7]

In November 2009, the various divisions were transferred out of the Department of Intergovernmental Affairs and it was subsequently renamed the Department of Local Government. [8] In October 2013, a government reorganization added the Energy Division, along with responsibilities for Manitoba Hydro, to the department which was then renamed the Department of Municipal Government. A new position of Minister Responsible for Relations with the City of Winnipeg was created under this new department. [9]

On 3 May 2016, the responsibilities of the former departments of Municipal Government and Aboriginal and Northern Affairs were combined into a single unit, the department of Indigenous and Municipal Relations, created by the newly-elected government led by Brian Pallister. [10] [11] The following year, the portfolios were again split, establishing the departments of Municipal Relations and Indigenous and Northern Relations. [12]

List of Municipal Relations ministers

The longest-serving Minister of Municipal Affairs in Manitoba was Howard Pawley, who served from 1969 to 1976 and played a significant role in the amalgamation of Winnipeg. Pawley later served as Premier of Manitoba from 1981 to 1988.

Name [12] [13] PartyTook officeLeft officeNotes
Minister of Municipal Affairs
Edmond Prefontaine Lib-Prog April 20, 1953June 30, 1958
John Thompson PC June 30, 1958December 21, 1969
Maurice Ridley PC December 21, 1959September 30, 1960
Sterling Lyon PC December 30, 1960October 25, 1961
Walter C. Weir PC October 25, 1961February 27, 1963
Robert Smellie PC February 27, 1963July 22, 1966
Thelma Forbes PC July 22, 1966September 24, 1968as the Minister of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs
Obie Baizley PC September 24, 1968July 15, 1969concurrently the Commissioner of Northern Affairs
Howard Pawley NDP July 15, 1969September 22, 1976
Bill Uruski NDP September 22, 1976October 24, 1977
Gerald Mercier PC October 24, 1977November 15, 1979
Douglas Gourlay PC November 15, 1979November 30, 1981
Aime Adam NDP November 30, 1981November 4, 1983
Andy Anstett NDP November 4, 1983April 17, 1986
John Bucklaschuk NDP April 17, 1986September 21, 1987
Bill Uruski NDP September 21, 1987May 9, 1988
Glen Cummings PC May 9, 1988April 21, 1989
Minister of Rural Development
Jack Penner PC April 21, 1989February 5, 1991
Jim Downey PC February 5, 1991January 14, 1992concurrently the Deputy Premier, Minister of Northern Affairs, and the Minister responsible for Communities Economic Development Fund
Leonard Derkach PC January 14, 1992October 5, 1999
Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
Jean Friesen NDP October 5, 1999June 25, 2003
Rosann Wowchuk NDP June 25, 2003November 4, 2003as Minister responsible for Intergovernmental Affairs
MaryAnn Mihychuk NDP November 4, 2003May 18, 2004as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Trade
Scott Smith NDP October 12, 2004September 21, 2006as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Trade
Steve Ashton NDP September 21, 2006September 14, 2009
Minister of Municipal Government
Ron Lemieux NDP November 3, 2009October 18, 2013as the Minister of Local Government (Portfolio name change)
Stan Struthers NDP October 18, 2013November 3, 2014(Kevin Chief was the "Minister responsible for the City of Winnipeg within the Department of Municipal Government")
Drew Caldwell NDP November 3, 2014May 3, 2016
Minister of Indigenous and Municipal Relations
Eileen Clarke PC May 3, 2016August 17, 2017After August 17, Clarke's portfolio was renamed Minister of Indigenous and Northern Relations.
Minister of Municipal Relations
Jeff Wharton PC August 17, 2017October 23, 2019
Rochelle Squires PC October 23, 2019January 5, 2021
Derek Johnson PC January 5, 2021January 18, 2022
Eileen Clarke PC January 18, 2022January 30, 2023
Andrew Smith PC January 30, 2023October 18, 2023
Minister of Municipal and Northern Relations
Ian Bushie NDP October 18, 2023November 13, 2024Also the Minister of Indigenous Economic Development
Glen Simard NDP November 13, 2024incumbent
Ministers
Name [12] [13] PartyTitleTook officeLeft office
Darren Praznik PC Minister responsible for French Language ServicesFebruary 5, 1991May 9, 1995
Darren Praznik PC Minister responsible for French Language ServicesJanuary 6, 1997October 5, 1999
Gary Filmon PC Minister of French Language ServicesFebruary 5, 1991October 5, 1999
Greg Selinger NDP Minister responsible for Francophone AffairsOctober 5, 1999September 14, 2009
Minister responsible for French Language ServicesNovember 3, 2009May 3, 2016
Rochelle Squires PC Minister responsible for Francophone AffairsMay 3, 2016October 18, 2023
Glen Simard NDP Minister responsible for Francophone AffairsOctober 18, 2023incumbent

Statutory responsibilities

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Municipal Relations | Province of Manitoba". Province of Manitoba - Municipal Relations. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
  2. 1 2 "Annual Report 2019-2020 Municipal Government." Government of Manitoba. Retrieved 2021 May 9.
  3. ↑ "Manitoba. Department of the Municipal Commissioner."
  4. 1 2 3 4 Manitoba. Department of Municipal Affairs
  5. 1 2 3 "Manitoba. Department of Rural Development"
  6. ↑ "Manitoba. Department of Intergovernmental Affairs (1999-2003)."
  7. ↑ "Department of Intergovernmental Affairs and Trade."
  8. ↑ "Department of Intergovernmental Affairs (2006-2009)."
  9. ↑ "Department of Municipal Government."
  10. ↑ "A breakdown of provincial cabinet changes". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  11. ↑ Lambert, Steve. "Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister, leaner cabinet sworn in". The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail Inc. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  12. 1 2 3 "MLA Biographies - Living". www.gov.mb.ca. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
  13. 1 2 "MLA Biographies - Deceased". www.gov.mb.ca. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
  14. ↑ "Annual Report 2015-2016 Municipal Government". Indigenous and Municipal Relations. Government of Manitoba. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
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