Manitoba Business: The Imperial Oil Company Limited / Imperial Oil Limited

The Imperial Oil Company Limited was incorporated under the Canadian Joint Stock Companies Act on 8 September 1880, initially holding a capital stock value of $250,000. Its capital stock was increased to one million (December 1898), six million (July 1907), and 15 million (February 1913), and its operations expanded throughout Canada. Within Manitoba, the firm began operating at Winnipeg in 1881 and applied for a provincial licence under the Foreign Corporations Act (of Manitoba) in June 1913. In September 1919, the company formally simplified its name from The Imperial Oil Company Limited to Imperial Oil Limited.

Some of its buildings in Manitoba included:

City

Building

Location

Year

Status

Brandon

Imperial Oil Warehouse

15 Rosser Avenue East

1921

Demolished (early 2005)

Imperial Oil Building and Service Station

940 Princess Avenue

1929

 

Winnipeg

Imperial Oil Cooperage

955 Alexander Avenue

1910

 

Imperial Oil Warehouse

960 Logan Avenue

1918

Destroyed by fire (6 August 2023)

Elmwood Garage and Service Station

1 Hespeler Avenue

1919

 

Allen's Garage and Service Station

1370 Main Street

1928

Demolished (?)

Imperial Oil Service Station

566 Osborne Street

1929

Demolished (?)

Imperial Oil Service Station

445 River Avenue / 56 Osborne Street

1930

Demolished (1966)

Sources:

“City and provincial [I. Waterman ...],” Manitoba Daily Free Press, 7 June 1881, page 1.

“Imperial Oil Co.” Manitoba Daily Free Press, 3 January 1882, page 2.

Orders-In-Council (EC 0003B), Order-in-Council #17343 & #35455, GR1530, Archives of Manitoba.

Companies Office corporation documents (CCA 0059), 40I - The Imperial Oil Company Limited, GR6427, Archives of Manitoba.

We thank Jordan Makichuk for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.

Page revised: 19 September 2024