Manitoba Business: Winnipeg Electric Railway Company / Winnipeg Electric Company

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Presidents | Vice-Presidents | Facilities | Sources

The Winnipeg Electric Railway Company, formed in 1892 by entrepreneurs William Mackenzie and James Ross through the purchase of infrastructure developed by Albert William Austin, became the Winnipeg Electric Company in 1924. It provided streetcar, gas, and electrical service to Winnipeg and several outlying rural municipalities. Electricity was provided from two main sources: a steam-generating plant at Assiniboine Avenue and Main Street, and three hydroelectric generating stations on the Winnipeg River.

In January 1953, the company was sold to the Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board.

Presidents

Period	President
1892-?	William Mackenzie (1849-1923)
?-1926	?
1927-1929	Andrew Wingate McLimont (1870-1951)
1929-1940	Edward Anderson (1867-1955)
1940-1952	William Henry Carter (1874-1962)

Vice-Presidents

Period	Vice-President
?-?	William Henry Carter (1874-1962)
c1922	Andrew Wingate McLimont (1870-1951)
?-?	Conrad Stephenson Riley (1875-1960)
?-?	Edwin Victor Caton (1884-1972)
?-?	Lawrence Frederick Betts “Lawrie” Palk (1885-1942)

General Managers

Period	General Manager
1892-1900	George Huestis Campbell (1855-1928)
1900-1917	Wilford Phillips (1858-1918)
1917-1928	Andrew Wingate McLimont (1870-1951)
1929-1940	Edward Anderson (1867-1955)

Chief Engineers

Period	Chief Engineer
1933-1953	Edwin Victor Caton (1884-1972)

Facilities

Hydro-Electric Generating Stations

Generating Station	River	Generators	Capacity (MW)	Construction Start	Construction Completed	Status
Great Falls	Winnipeg	6	129	1914	1928	Operational
Pinawa	Winnipeg	9	22	1903	1906	Decommissioned
Seven Sisters	Winnipeg	6	165	1929	1931 (phase 1), 1952 (phase 2)	Operational

Buildings

Substation	Location	Building Type	Year	Status
Academy Substation	216 Academy Road, Winnipeg	Substation	1947	Converted to residence (?)
Assiniboine Powerhouse	Assiniboine Avenue, Winnipeg	Powerhouse	1904	Demolished (?)
Canada Cement Plant Substation	2395 McGillivray Boulevard, Winnipeg	Substation	1913	Demolished (?)
Dawson Substation	375 Dawson Road, Winnipeg	Substation	?
Desautels Substation	403-407 Rue Desautels, Winnipeg	Substation	1927
Des Meurons Substation	620 Des Meurons Street, Winnipeg	Substation	1940
Dunraven Substation	25 Dunraven Avenue, Winnipeg	Substation	?
Garson Limestone Quarries Substation	Garson, RM of Brokenhead	Substation	1912	Demolished (?)
Harrow Substation	680 Harrow Street, Winnipeg	Substation	1920-1937
Kildonan Substation / West Kildonan Substation	1812 Main Street, Winnipeg	Substation	c1907
Kylemore Substation	Osborne Street, Winnipeg	Substation	1909	Demolished (?)
Little Britain Substation	Main Street, RM of St. Andrews	Substation	c1907	Destroyed by fire (1951)
Logan Substation	1113 Logan Avenue, Winnipeg	Substation	1912	Demolished (?)
McPhillips Electric Terminal and Substation	636 McPhillips Street, Winnipeg	Terminal, Substation	1927
Middlechurch Substation	3796 Main Street, RM of West St. Paul	Substation	c1907
Mill Substation and Steam Plant	41-55 Mill Street, Winnipeg	Substation, Steam Plant	1905-1937	Demolished (?)
Osborne Substation	265 Osborne Street, Winnipeg	Substation	1947	Demolished (2019)
Oxford Substation	Oxford Street [later Day Street], Winnipeg	Substation	1913	Demolished (?)
Point Douglas Gas Works	33-35 Sutherland Avenue, Winnipeg	Gas Works	?	Demolished (?)
Powers Substation	354 Powers Street, Winnipeg	Substation	1946	Demolished (1985)
St. James Substation	1637 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	Substation	1909
Sherbrook Substation	393 Sherbrook Street, Winnipeg	Substation	1920-1928
South Osborne Repair Shop	Osborne Street, Winnipeg	Repair Shop	1904	Demolished (?)
Stony Mountain Substation	?	Substation	?	Demolished (?)
Winnipeg, Selkirk and Lake Winnipeg Railway Building	360 Eveline Street, Selkirk	Ticket Office, Freight Shed	1904
Winnipeg, Selkirk and Lake Winnipeg Railway Carbarn	479 Eveline Street, Selkirk	Carbarn	1907

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Winnipeg Electric Railway Building (213 Notre Dame Avenue, Winnipeg)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Winnipeg, Selkirk and Lake Winnipeg Railway Carbarn (479 Eveline Street, Selkirk)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Selkirk and Lake Winnipeg Railway (Selkirk Park, Selkirk)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Manitoba Eastern Railway Bridge (Whitemouth River, RM of Whitemouth)

Manitoba Business: Manitoba Power Commission / Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board / Winnipeg Hydro / Manitoba Hydro

Sources:

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

“Annual report of the Winnipeg Electric Railway Company for the fiscal year ended December 31st, 1913,” Manitoba Free Press, 13 February 1914, page 17.

“Grand Falls power promised soon,” Winnipeg Tribune, 26 June 1922, page 6.

“W. E. sub-station permit issued,” Winnipeg Free Press, 14 October 1946, page 5.

We thank Jordan Makichuk and Sandra Phillips for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 5 April 2025