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

?-?

James William Hamilton (1865-?)

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

 

 

 

Hamiota

39 Maple Avenue East

 

 

Hartney

 

 

 

Holland

Holland, RM of Victoria

1903-?

 

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

?-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

?-?

 

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, 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: 7 October 2023