In August 1955 the Greater Winnipeg Investigating Commission was appointed by
Premier Douglas Campbell to design and recommend a metropolitan level of governance for the Greater Winnipeg area. Commission members included Mayor George Sharpe of
Winnipeg, Mayor J. G. Belleghem of
St. Boniface, Mayor Thomas Findlay of
St. James, Councillor C. N. Kushner of
West Kildonan, and J. L. Bodie, former mayor of
East Kildonan. Their report was released at the end of March 1959. When implemented, it was the third form of metropolitan government instituted on the North American continent after Toronto (1954) and
Dade County, Florida (1957). The original name for the governing entity would have been The Corporation of Metropolitan Winnipeg. However the Mayors did not like this name and had it changed in March 1960 to the 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. Bill 62 entered Second Reading stage in February 1960. 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. Metro government was established in 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. On January 1, 1972 Metro was dissolved in favour of combining all municipalities under one city. All former City, RM, and Town Acts were repealed. == Responsibilities ==