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Manitoba Urban Association - Association of Urban Municipalities | Association of Manitoba Municipalities | Honourary Life Members | Founders
In 1905, John W. Fleming invited representatives from the cities, towns, and municipalities around the province to meet in his city, Brandon, to consider a proposal for a new organization. Fifty participants arrived from 31 rural and urban municipalities in time for the opening session in the afternoon of Tuesday, 14 March. The mood was unanimously favorable, for the assembled group promptly approved the creation of a Union of Manitoba Municipalities.
Each fall, the Union held an annual meeting, usually in Brandon or Winnipeg but occasionally in places such as Portage la Prairie, Stonewall, and St. Boniface. Their purpose was to highlight common problems, develop collective responses to matters of mutual concern, and pass along useful information. The organization faltered during the early years of the Great Depression; membership fell for a few years, but the benefits were sufficiently compelling that, as the economy recovered, so too did membership statistics. Over time, the urban municipalities, which had been represented from the outset, drifted away to form their own association. The separation was temporary, however, for in 1999, the Union of Manitoba Municipalities merged with the Manitoba Association of Urban Municipalities to become the Association of Manitoba Municipalities. The AMM thrives to the present day, having its offices in Portage la Prairie, and still holding a well-attended annual meeting each fall.
On 23 April 2006, a Centennial Organization Award was presented by MHS President Gordon Goldsborough to the Association of Manitoba Municipalities Vice President Garry Wasylowski and Executive Director Joe Masi.
Manitoba Lieutenant-Governor, The Honourable John Harvard (center), presents a MHS Centennial Organization Award
to AMM Executive Director Joe Masi (left) and AMM Vice President Garry Wasylowski (right) at a ceremony on 23 April 2006.
UMM Presidents
UMM Secretary-Treasurers (Executive Directors)
John Dowglass Cardale
(1905-1913)
Robert Forke
(1914-1921)
Duncan D. McDonald
(1922-1931)
John Spalding
(1932-1948)
Russell Barrett
(1949-1959)
J. Lawrence Smith
(1960-1967)
James Chester Scott
(1967-1976)
Warren H. Rusk
(1976-1989)
Jerome Mauws
(1990-1998)
MUA - MAUM Presidents
MUA - MUAM Executive Directors
Jessica A. Coulter
(1949-1950)
Peter Ferguson Copland Byars
(1950-1961)
Chaim Nachman Kushner
(1961-1966)
Leslie “Les” Hutcheon
(1966-1969)
Gerald F. Saunders
(1969-1980)
Rochelle Zimberg
(1980-1998)
AMM Presidents
Wayne Motheral
(1998-2001)
Stuart Briese
(2001-2004)
Ron Bell
(2005-2008)
Doug Dobrowolski
(2008-2015)
Chris Goertzen
(2015-2018)
Ralph Groening
(2018-2020)
Kameron “Kam” Blight
(2020-2024)
AMM Executive Directors
Jerome Mauws
(1998-2001)
Joe Masi
(2001-2019)
Denys Volkov
(2020-present)
Name
Organization
Municipality
Albert Andrews
UMM
Harry Armstrong
UMM
Alan Beachell (1924-2015)
AMM
Arcade Bedard
UMM
AMM
Arnold “Bud” Birch
AMM
John Leslie Bodie (1909-1997)
MAUM
Lorne Boguski
AMM
Rick Borotsik
AMM
Alice Bourgouin
AMM
Stuart Gordon “Stu” Briese (1946-2019)
AMM
AMM
MAUM
Kari Byron (1892-1973)
UMM
Drew Caldwell
AMM
Vernon A. Campbell
UMM
Kenneth Donald Carels (1938-2005)
AMM
AMM
James Hubert Chipperfield (1917-2001)
MAUM
Robert Christie Cochran (1868-1939)
UMM
Audrey Coulson
AMM
Percy Coutts
UMM
T. A. Demasson
UMM
Edward Ingo Dow (1904-1992)
MAUM
Josaphat Doyon
UMM
Max Dubas (c1908-1980)
UMM
MAUM
AMM
AMM
O. S. Eiriksson
UMM
Magnus Eliason
MAUM
Cecil G. Ferguson
UMM
Felix Fitzpatrick
UMM
Walter Froom
UMM
Arthur Galbraeth
UMM
MAUM
MAUM
Frederick J. Gould
UMM
Joseph-Philippe Guay (1915-2001)
MAUM
George William Harbottle (1939-2012)
AMM
Peter Heide
AMM
Harold Lloyd Henderson (1907-1993)
MAUM
AMM
Charles Edmund Ivens (1889-1946)
UMM
Bjorn Thorlaksson Jonasson (1884-1966)
UMM
Stephen Juba (1914-1993)
MAUM
Shirley Kalyniuk
AMM
Ben King
UMM
Melvin Klassen
AMM
AMM
John Krahn
AMM
MAUM
Chaim Nachman Kushner (1905-1997)
MAUM
Bert Lagimodiere
AMM
Steve Lupky
AMM
Stephen Adolph Magnacca (1902-1980)
MAUM
Les Magnusson
AMM
Rene Maillard
AMM
AMM
Joseph Alderic Marion (1864-1954)
UMM
Thomas Marsden
UMM
Helen Frances Marsh (1917-1995)
MAUM
Richard “Rick” Martel (1951-2016)
AMM
Mr. McBride
UMM
William McCallum
UMM
G. I. McCullough
UMM
Duncan D. McDonald (1868-1953)
UMM
Robert Melvin
UMM
AMM
MAUM
AMM
MAUM
AMM
AMM
R. A. Paterson
UMM
John Paxton
MAUM
Edward “Ed” Peltz (1931-2016)
AMM
Robert George Perfect (1882-1950)
UMM
Charles Poole
UMM
John Potoski
UMM
Llewelyn Brychan “Chappie” Powell
UMM
James Rae
UMM
John Ramsden
UMM
S. L. Reidle
UMM
Art Rempel
AMM
Gordon Scott
MAUM
Eugene Semard
UMM
Harry Shearer
UMM
Randy Sigurdson
AMM
AMM
Jacob Single
UMM
John Spalding (1886-1954)
UMM
Robert Stefaniuk
AMM
Roy Stevenson
AMM
David Stewart
UMM
W. G. Sutcliffe
UMM
M. F. Szewczyk
UMM
Bert Thompson
UMM
Gordon Tingey
UMM
Harold Unger
MAUM
Martin Vertz
UMM
Larry Walker
AMM
MAUM
Webb, A. O.
UMM
Carl Weddow
UMM
William Whitmore
MAUM
MAUM
James Williamson
UMM
Sigurder Wopnford
UMM
Daniel Abraham Yanofsky (1925-2000)
MAUM
The following people attended the 1905 Brandon convention that led to the formation of the Union of Manitoba Municipalities:
Photo source: Gordon Goldsborough
Name
Position
Municipality
No. in Photo
Henry Lamont Adolph (1862-1940)
Alderman
John Galbraith Barr (1864-1940)
Councillor
Maurice Edmund Boughton (1853-1947)
Secretary-Treasurer
William Alexander Bridgett (1867-1959)
Councillor
Christopher Campbell (1865-1931)
Alderman
John Cardale (1860-?)
Councillor
Robert Christie Cochran (1868-1939)
Reeve
16
George Robson Coldwell (1858-1924)
Alderman
3
Michael Collins (1844-1912)
Secretary-Treasurer
Pierce Couling (1877-1947)
Councillor
George Albert Coulter (1865-1915)
Councillor
Robert Dalgarno (1859-1933)
Reeve
31
Louis-Misael Bougret dit Dufort (1848-1914)
Reeve
St. Norbert
George Languer Eamer (1868-1945)
Councillor
28
Thomas Henry Emes (1852-1941)
Councillor
22
John William Fleming (1868-1928)
Mayor
34
John Edwin Gayton (1849-1923)
Secretary-Treasurer
Carson Glenn (1860-?)
Councillor
26
John Fletcher Goldsborough (1863-1943)
Councillor
18
James Goring (1859-1941)
Councillor
Joseph Haig (1849-1942)
Reeve
John Henderson Haverson (1854-1932)
Mayor
Charles Howard (1877-1955)
Councillor
Henry William Johnston (1857-1943)
Councillor
Richard Langtry (1866-1954)
Mayor
Allan Leslie (1858-1938)
Reeve
W. G. Livingstone
Councillor
Victor Magar (1849-1930)
Councillor
John Peter McDougall (1849-1925)
Reeve
James M. McNaughton (1866-?)
Reeve
Robert Harrison Metcalfe (1868-1933)
Councillor
John Harvey Miller (1851-1922)
Councillor
John Richard Morgan (1854-1925)
Councillor
Alexander Polson (1855-1912)
Reeve
Charles Poole (1858-1935)
Reeve
David Porteous (1855-1915)
Reeve
John Grant Rattray (1867-1944)
Reeve
Henry L. Ross (1865-?)
Councillor
Henry “Harry” Sandison (1861-1942)
Alderman
John R. Shepherd (1850-?)
Reeve
Edward Soldan (1854-1927)
Reeve
Horace V. Stevenson (1868-1945)
Secretary-Treasurer
Christopher Stinson (1864-1929)
Reeve
William M. Taylor (1858-?)
Reeve
Robert Burns Thompson (1861-1947)
Councillor
Thomas Bennett Tomes (1856-1913)
Reeve
Joseph Turenne (1846-1920)
Mayor
Malcolm Turriff (1849-1917)
Clerk
George Walter Ullyot (1850-1925)
Mayor
William Hordle Wheatland (1867-1954)
Councillor
See also:
MHS Resources: Manitoba’s Municipal History
Memorable Manitobans: Longest-Serving Municipal Reeves and Mayors
Obituary [Richard Martel], Wiebe Funeral Home Altona Ltd.
We thank Louise Ayotte and Monica Ball of the Manitoba Legislative Library for their help in locating biographical information on the AMM Founders, and Lynne Bereza at the AMM for providing photographs of UMM, MAUM, and AMM officials. Ken C. Baldock and Cathy Eamer helped with the identification of people in the founders photo. We thank Nathan Kramer and Donna Belgin for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 5 November 2024
