Public Works (1871–1967) In the beginning, the
Minister of Agriculture was
ex officio the minister responsible for
public works. The first Minister of
Public Works and Agriculture was appointed by the
Lieutenant Governor on 13 January 1871, as a member of
Manitoba's Executive Council, established after the first elections in the
newly-established province of
Manitoba. This new portfolio would carry out the responsibilities of the Board of Public Works and the Committee of Economy from the defunct
Council of Assiniboia, as well as the responsibility of overseeing the provincial government's involvement in the development and maintenance of roads, bridges, ferries, and related services. In 1874, following the division of the Department of Public Works and Agriculture's functions into two separate departments—and the resignation of
Edward Hay as minister—the
Department of Public Works was established. This new department was responsible for directing all construction, maintenance and repair for all public works of the Province of Manitoba. In 1959, the Bridge Office (renamed the Bridge Division) was created within the Highways Branch. In 1960, the Branch received its very own designated Assistant Deputy Minister, coinciding with an increase in construction projects and traffic studies, as well as in funding and staff. In this time, the Planning and Design Division was established within the Branch in an attempt to meet the growing challenges related to planning, design and engineering presented by modern highway and bridge construction. Also part of the 1965 Act, the functions related to the acquisition of land for use in provincial works projects were consolidated within the Land Acquisition Branch and the Land Acquisition Commission. however, the name change would not be affirmed by the legislature, and the Department continued to operate as Public Works until 1978. This name was kept by the NDP administration of
Edward Schreyer, who assigned
Joseph Borowski to the role in 1969, while changing the "Minister of Public Works" to the "Minister of Government Services" with the appointment of
Howard Pawley. The new
Department of Highways and Transportation () was established as an independent department following the removal of the Highways department from the umbrella of the Public Works and Highways portfolio. This new department took responsibility over the construction and maintenance of the road and highway system of Manitoba, as well as over the Motor Vehicle Branch (later known as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Division), which looked over highway safety and regulation. The Highways & Transportation section carried out its mandate through 4 key divisions: • Policy, Planning and Development — policy, planning, design and development of the
transportation infrastructure in Manitoba; • Construction and Maintenance — construction and maintenance of
provincial highways, bridges, and structures • Engineering and Technical Services — planning and technical support for highway construction in Manitoba; and • Driver and Vehicle Licensing — regulating transportation via
driver licensing,
vehicle registration, etc. The Highways & Transportation section was also in charge of administering the Motor Transport Board, the Highway Traffic Board, the
Taxicab Board, the License Suspension Appeal Board, and the Medical Review Committee. In addition to the provision of various support services, Government Services was also responsible for the Land Value Appraisal Commission, the Manitoba Disaster Assistance Appeals Board, and the Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization (MEMO). In 2006, the Department would be restructured and renamed once again, this time into
Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation. A decade later, in 2016, the name was shortened to the Department of
Infrastructure by the incoming government of
Brian Pallister, and has retained that name since. == Minister of Infrastructure ==