List of former counties of Manitoba

In Manitoba, counties were originally only organized for judicial purposes. Between 1875 and 1890, they also existed for municipal purposes.

History

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In 1875, provision was made for a majority of the electors in a judicial county to petition to have it organized for municipal purposes.[1] By 1881, the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba passed legislation to redivide the entire Province into municipal counties,[2] as a consequence of its enlargement.[3]

They existed only until 1890,[4] though the term itself lived on with respect to the County Courts and land registration districts.[5]

Organization

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The Municipal Act, 1886[6] listed the counties of Manitoba as follows:

Number County United County Rural Municipalities Cities/Towns
1 Lisgar Lisgar, Plessis, and Gimli St. Andrews', St. Clements' East Selkirk, Selkirk
2 Gimli Lisgar, Plessis, and Gimli Gimli, Rockwood
3 Plessis Lisgar, Plessis, and Gimli Plessis
5 Manchester Douglas, Franklin, Montcalm Emerson, West Lynne
6 Carillon La Broquerie, Hanover, De Salaberry
7 Morris Morris, Youville Morris
8 La Verandrye Hespeler, Ste. Anne, Taché
9 D'Iberville Cartier, Macdonald, St. Norbert
10 Selkirk Assiniboia, Kildonan, Springfield, St. Boniface, St. Paul, Varennes St. Boniface, Winnipeg
11 Marquette Marquette and Fairford Belcourt, St. François Xavier, Woodlands
12 Fairford Marquette and Fairford Fairford, Posen, St. Laurent
13 Dufferin Carleton, Dufferin, Rhineland Nelson
14 Portage la Prairie Elm River, Portage la Prairie Portage la Prairie
15 Norfolk North Cypress, North Norfolk, South Cypress, South Norfolk
16 Rock Lake Argyle, Derby, Lorne, Louise Pilot Mound
17 Westbourne Westbourne Gladstone
18 Beautiful Plains Glendale, Osprey, Lansdowne, Rosedale
19 Riding Mountain Minnedosa and Riding Mountain Riding Mountain
20 Minnedosa Minnedosa and Riding Mountain Blanchard [sic],[7] Clanwilliam, Harrison, Odanah, Saskatchewan, Strathclair Minnedosa, Rapid City
21 Brandon Cornwallis, Daly, Elton, Glenwood, Oakland, Whitehead Brandon
22 Turtle Mountain Deloraine, Riverside, Turtle Mountain, Whitewater
23 Souris River Arthur, Brenda, Inchiquin, Medora
24 Dennis Sifton, Pipestone, Wallace, Woodworth
25 Shoal Lake Shoal Lake and Russell Archie, Birtle, Boulton, Ellice, Miniota, Oak River, Shoal Lake
26 Russell Shoal Lake and Russell Rossburn, Russell, Shell River, Silver Creek

County No. 4 (Varennes), created in 1881, occupied that part of Manitoba around Rat Portage,[8] in an area disputed with Ontario. It was abolished subsequent to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council's decision in 1884 to award the territory to Ontario,[9] later confirmed by the Canada (Ontario Boundary) Act 1889.[10]

Further reading

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  • Schofield, Frank Howard (1913). "XLI - The Extension of the Boundaries". The Story of Manitoba. Vol. I. Winnipeg: S.J. Clarke Publishing Co. pp. 341–350.

References

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