North KildonanManitoba Communities: North Kildonan (Unincorporated Rural Municipality)

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When the Rural Municipality of East Kildonan was created in 1914 it was a community divided. The south was interested in development and was investing large sums to expand civic services. The north, with a population of just 1000, was a rural enclave with many of its farms dating back to the Selkirk Settler era. Concerned about rising taxes, the north sought to split off. In 1925 the Rural Municipality of North Kildonan came into being with H. C. Whellams as its first Reeve along with councillors J. H. Coulter, L. De Jong, J. De Graaf, and A. M. McKay. North Kildonan was forced to assume nearly $100,000 in debt after the division. To pay it off, council vowed not to borrow money from banks, hired no permanent staff and operated out of rented property. When the debt was paid off in 1946, a celebratory banquet was held at the Marlborough Hotel.

In 1927-1928, a parcel of 20 acres of land was assembled near present-day Edison Avenue and Henderson Highway. It was subdivided into 21 lots and marketed to Mennonite settlers. From that initial collection of chicken farmers and commercial gardeners grew a strong community that by the time of amalgamation numbered 5,000 and still make up a strong part of the community’s fabric.

Post-Second World War suburban expansion brought development to North Kildonan. New housing, roads and schools were added and by the time it amalgamated with the city of Winnipeg in 1972 it boasted a population of 19,000. Its final council consisted of Mayor David W. Pekary with councilors Leo J. Rougeau, Harry Meronek, Charles A. Barry, and Barry J. Filbert.

Present Status

City of Winnipeg (1 January 1972)

Incorporation History

Rural Municipality of North Kildonan (1 January 1925)
Amalgamation of Assiniboia, Brooklands, Charleswood, East Kildonan, Fort Garry, North Kildonan, Old Kildonan, St. Boniface, St. James, St. Vital, Transcona, Tuxedo, West Kildonan, and Winnipeg (1 January 1972)

Land Area (square km)

?

Population

Year

Total

1931

1347

1941

1946

1951

3222

1956

4451

1961

8888

1966

11955

1971

17713

Reeves and Mayors

Known originally as Reeve, the title of the chief executive officer of the municipality became Mayor in 1949.

Term

Reeve

1925-1937

Herbert C. Whellams (1867-1950)

1938-1943

James Gallagher (1883-1965)

1944-1945

Cornelius Huebert (c1905-1973)

1946-1953

James Thomson Findlay Aitken (1900-1971)

1954-1957

Jack Lawrence Pearce (1923-2010)

1958-1961

John Dickson (1908-1961)

1961-1962

Merrill Bruce Whitehead (1913-1988) - Acting

1962-1963

Jack Lawrence Pearce (1923-2010)

1964-1965

Stanley Copp (1915-1987)

1966-1971

David Wilfred Pekary (1926-2007)

1972

Merged into Winnipeg

Secretary-Treasurers / Clerks

Term

Secretary-Treasurer / Clerk

1925-1945

M. H. Matheson

1946-1962

Angus MacAulay

1963-1971

Lawrence Klump

Assistant Secretary-Treasurers / Clerks

Term

Assistant Secretary-Treasurer / Clerk

1945

Elizabeth Walker

1946-1949

Chrissie MacAulay

1950-1951

K. S. Biggs

1952-1955

Ina MacAulay

1955-1958

Joe Desharnais

1959-1962

Lawrence Klump

1963-1965

Stanley Schick

1965-1971

Allan Renolds

Aldermen / Councillors

Councillor

Term(s)

Arinbjorn Sigurgeirsson Bardal (1866-1951)

1926-1942

Charles Barry

1954-1959, 1964-1971

Stanley Copp

1945-1954

John H. Coulter (?-1941)

1925-1941

Peter Crook

1960-1965

Gordon Crozier

1963-1966

J. F. Daman

1941-1943

Abe De Fehr

1958

Henry De Fehr

1945-1957

Frank De Graff

1944-1957

John De Graff (1900-1954)

1925-1935

P. De Graff

1938-1943

L. De Jong

1925-1928

Vern Dyck

1965-1966

George H. Enns

1968-1969

Barry Filbert

1967-1968, 1970-1971

Jean B. Fortier

1929

James Gallagher

1930-1937

Basteaan Lemmen

1938-1953

F. L. Macatavish

1936-1937

Adam Magas

1958

Angus Matheson McKay (1862-1953)

1925

Harry Meronek

1969-1971

David Wilfred Pekary (1926-2007)

1964-1965

Alfred Penner

1966-1967

Henry Redekopp

1961-1964

Leo Rougeau

1955-1962, 1965-1971

R. Schwartz

1959-1960

Merrill Bruce Whitehead (1913-1988)

1959-1963

Engineers

Term

Engineer

1956-1964

Carson H. Templeton (c1917-2004)

1965

Bernie Barry

1966

Bail Rotoff

1967-1971

Carson H. Templeton (c1917-2004)

Chief Constables

Term

Chief Constable

1926-1946

William Stalker

1946-1952

John J. Stalker

1952-1953

East Kildonan Police

1953-1954

A. Bachelor

1954

Joseph Walker

1954

William Simpson

1955-1968

George Love

1968-1971

John Urochenko

Fire Chiefs

Term

Fire Chief

1954-1959

Charles Barry

1959-1964

Jack Hoppenbrouwer

1964-1966

George Einfeld

1966-1971

Donald Tymko

Health Officers

Term

Health Officer

1925-1932

D. Wallace

1933-1945

C. W. Duncan

1946

Glen Hamilton

1947

C. W. Duncan

1948-1971

Kildonan-St. Paul Health Unit

Assessors

Term

Assessor

1925-1960

Hugh Rotherham Eade (1882-1976)

Sources:

Manitoba Gazette, 1887-1959. Manitoba Legislative Library.

“North Kildonan now free of debt,” Winnipeg Free Press, 31 December 1946, page 3.

“Taxes made North Kildonan,” Winnipeg Free Press, 31 December 1971, page 21.

North Kildonan History, Miles Macdonell Alumni Association.

Map of East and North Kildonan Municipalities, TimeLinks.

Rural Municipality of North Kildonan - Pathways, City of Winnipeg Archives.

Fiftieth anniversary of the Mennonite settlement in North Kildonan, 1928-1978, Our Roots.

We thank Nathan Kramer for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Jim Smith, Christian Cassidy, and Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 21 November 2017