Manitoba Business: Union Bank of Canada

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Presidents | General Managers | Branches | Sources

This bank, known originally as the Union Bank of Lower Canada when it was founded in Quebec City in 1865, dropped “Lower” from its name in 1886. Its headquarters were relocated to Winnipeg in 1912 and it operated a network of branches across the prairies until its merger with the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) in 1925. As a result of the merger, for the first time in its history the RBC held more assets than the Bank of Montreal. Two Winnipeggers, Robert Thomas Riley and William Rae Allan, joined the RBC board in 1926.

Presidents

Period	President
1912-1922	John Galt (1856-1933)
1922-1925	William Rae Allan (1864-1926)

Vice-Presidents

Period	Vice-President
1922-?	Harold Balfour Shaw (1873-1944)

General Managers

Period	General Manager
c1922	Harold Balfour Shaw (1873-1944)

Assistant General Managers

Period	Assistant General Manager
1925-?	James William Hamilton (1865-1945)

Manitoba Branches (1920)

Branch	Address	Period	Status
Altamont
Angusville
Baldur
Birtle	738 Main Street
Boissevain
Brandon
Carberry	33 Main Street	1901-1925	Deconstructed (2023)
Carman	32 First Street SW	1896-1925
Carroll
Clanwilliam
Clearwater
Crystal City	121 Broadway Street South	1918-1925
Cypress River
Dauphin
Deepdale
Deloraine	109 North Railway Avenue
Dropmore
Elm Creek
Elphinstone
Glenboro
Graysville
Gretna	Seventh Street	1902-1913	Destroyed by fire (1913)
Hamiota	39 Maple Avenue East	1902-1925
Hartney
Holland	103 Broadway Street	1903-1925
Homewood
Killarney
Lowe Farm
Manitou
Margaret
McAuley
McCreary
Melita
Minnedosa	32 Main Street South	1910-1925
Minto
Morden
Morris
Neepawa
Newdale	Main Street	1910-1925
Ninga
Oakburn
Rapid City	Fourth Street	1906-1925
Roblin
Roland
Rosebank
Roseisle
Russell	202 Main Street
Sandy Lake
Sanford
Shoal Lake
Solsgirth
Somerset	302 Third Street	1916-1925
Souris	6 Crescent Avenue West
Sperling	Main Street	1919-1925	Demolished (2011)
Strathclair
The Pas
Virden	184 Nelson Street West	1895-1912
	190 Nelson Street West	1912-1925
Waskada	Railway Avenue	1906-1925
Wawanesa
Wellwood
Winkler
Winnipeg	841 Corydon Avenue	1919-1925
	539 Ellice Avenue	?-1921
	587 Ellice Avenue	1921-1924
	646 Logan Avenue	1910-1925
	500 Main Street (Annex)	1921-1925
	504 Main Street	1904-1925
	1200 Main Street	?-1925
	1515 Main Street	1919-?
	1825 Main Street	?-1925
	Marion Street (Union Stock Yards)	?-1925
	249 Osborne Street	1912-1925
	250 Portage Avenue	?-1925
	491 Portage Avenue	1912-?
	885 Portage Avenue	1920-1925
	588 Sargent Avenue	1911-1925
	409 Selkirk Avenue	1917-1925

See also:

Manitoba Business: Royal Bank of Canada

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Lakeside Fresh Air Camp War Memorial (RM of Gimli)

The Buildings of the Winnipeg-Based Union and Northern Crown Banks: A Glimpse into Early Twentieth Century Corporate Architecture by David Spector
Manitoba History, Number 21, Spring 1991

Sources:

“W. R. Allan is chosen head of Union Bank,” Winnipeg Tribune, 9 January 1922, page 1.

Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Henderson Directories Limited, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.

885 Portage Avenue - Former Royal Bank of Canada by Christian Cassidy, Winnipeg Places.

We thank Joseph Martin and Barb Henderson for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Jordan Makichuk.

Page revised: 10 December 2024