Municipal official, community activist.
Born at Transcona on 19 November 1922, son of ? Wolfe and Rose Anna Equilby, he attended Transcona Collegiate and United College then worked in the insurance business, being a founding partner of Ernst, Liddle and Wolfe Limited.
Active in the community, he served on the Transcona-Springfield School Board (1958-1965), Metro Winnipeg council, and Winnipeg city council (1971-1977), and was Deputy Mayor of Winnipeg (1971-1977). He was a Liberal candidate in the 1958 provincial general election and 1968 federal general election but was defeated each time. He retired from politics in 1977. He was President of the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce (1956-1957), Vice-President of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and President of the Canadian Federation of Mayors and Municipalities.
A passionate heritage advocate, he was a founding member and President of Heritage Winnipeg (1986-2000), playing a major role in the gaining of heritage status for the city’s Exchange District, and was Manitoba Governor of Heritage Canada. In recognition of his exemplary service in support of built heritage in Winnipeg, he received awards from the Manitoba Heritage Federation (1998) and Heritage Winnipeg (2003). He was inducted into the Manitoba Order of the Buffalo Hunt (1957) and the Order of Canada (2001), and he received a Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (1977), Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2002), and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012).
In September 1951, he married Sheila Elizabeth Carey (1928-2024) and they had two sons and two daughters.
He died at Winnipeg on 6 November 2014. He is commemorated by Bernie Wolfe School in Winnipeg.
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Mission Gardens School / Bernie Wolfe Community School (95 Bournais Drive, Winnipeg)
Birth registration [Rodolphe Henry Brenard Wolfe], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“Social,” Winnipeg Free Press, 22 September 1951, page 15.
“City loses devoted public servant,” Winnipeg Free Press, 7 November 2014, page B3.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 22 November 2014.
Obituary [Sheila Elizabeth Wolfe], Winnipeg Free Press, 28 December 2024.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 28 December 2024
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