Series consists of photographs acquired by the Office of the City Clerk. Included are group photographs of City Councils for Fort William, Port Arthur and Thunder Bay from various years, photographs of children at sporting events and in school settings and portrait photographs of Aldermen, Mayors and City Clerks from various years. Also included in this series are early photographs of construction and development within the Thunder Bay region, photographs of accidents including train accidents and ship wrecks and a variety of early photographs showing the landscape of the region. Landscape photographs include images of industrial areas such as grain elevators, mills and mines in the district, Kakabeka Falls, views of the Kaministiquia River and Mount McKay, early street views of downtown Fort William and various railway bridges in the region, and photographs of the old Fort William City Hall.
Series consists of photographs collected by Thunder Bay Fire Rescue and include photographs from the former fire departments of Fort William and Port Arthur. Included are photographs of formal ceremonies and other activities of the fire department, photograpghs of fire fighters combating fires in various areas of Thunder Bay and group photos of fire personnel.
Thunder Bay Fire Rescue consists of the following divisions; Fire Prevention and Investigation, Apparatus and Equipment, Fire Suppression, Training and Administration. Each division is led by a Director and is overseen by the Fire Chief and Deputy Fire Chief. At 2011, Thunder Bay Fire Rescue is positioned under Community and Emergency Services and reports to the General Manager of this department. The key responsibilities of the department include fire suppression, emergency planning, auto extrication, handling of hazardous materials, industrial accidents, medical assistance, fire prevention (including education and awareness strategies), and investigations and rescue operations in situations that involve high and low angles, water and ice and confined spaces.
Under By-Law 1545, dated December 30, 1918, the duties of Officials were set out. The duties of the City Clerk included secretary of council, returning officer, voters list preparation, local improvements, preparation of juror’s list, registrar of vital statistics, supplies control, responsibility for fuel controller records, isolation hospital, tax roll and office. (the By-Law may be consulted for more detailed information)
The records were in the custody of a number of Clerks commencing with William Howard Langworthy who was appointed Clerk and Treasurer of the Town of Port Arthur on May 12, 1884, under By-Law 1. Mr. Langworthy was also appointed Clerk of the Police Office on January 25, 1886, under By-Law 88. On January 26, 1891, under By-Law 275 he was again appointed Clerk and the By-Law also stated that his salary as Clerk also included his salary as Secretary of the Local Board of Health.
On February 10, 1897, under By-Law 481, James McTeigue was appointed Clerk and the ByLaw also stated that his salary as Clerk also included his salary as Secretary of the Local Board of Health. On February 7, 1898, under By-Law 502 , Mr. McTeigue was appointed Clerk and Treasurer. On January 18, 1907, under By-Law 898, Mr. McTeigue’s salary as Clerk and Treasurer and Secretary of the Local Board of Health, also included his salary as Secretary Treasurer of the Electric Railway and Light Commission. Under By-Law 52, dated January 15, 1908, his title as Secretary Treasurer of the Electric Railway and Light Commission was changed to Secretary of the Electric Railway and Light Commission.
In 1908, under By-Law 113, dated April 13th, the Office of the Clerk and Treasurer was separated and William Gurney was appointed Treasurer. Mr. McTeigue continued as Clerk, Secretary of the Local Board of Health and Secretary of the Electric Railway and Light Commission. Under By-Law 500, dated January 9, 1911, the title Electric Railway and Light Commission was changed to Utilities Commission. Under By-Law 734, dated January 11, 1912, Mr. McTeigue was appointed Clerk and Secretary of the Local Board of Health.
Under By-Law 837, dated July 30, 1912, T. F. Milne was appointed Clerk. Under the ByLaw, his salary as Clerk, also included his salary as Secretary of the Local Board of Health, Secretary of the Board of Park Commissioners and Secretary of the Board of Police Commissioners. Under By-Law 960, dated January 13, 1913, Mr. Milne was again appointed Clerk, with his salary also including his services as Secretary of the Local Board of Health. No other duties were mentioned in this By-Law. Under By-Law 1142, dated January 19, 1914, Mr. Milne was again appointed Clerk. No other duties were mentioned in this By-Law.
On March 20, 1922, under By-Law 1684, Mr. Milne was appointed Clerk and Deputy Treasurer. Due to the death of T.F. Milne , Arthur H. Evans was appointed temporary Clerk and Deputy Treasurer of the City of Port Arthur under By-Law 2085, dated January 29, 1934. Under ByLaw 2100, Arthur H. Evans was appointed the permanent Clerk and Treasurer.
On September 11, 1939 under By-Law 2348, pursuant to the provisions of the Revised Statutes of Ontario, 1937, Chapter 266, Section 234, Sub-section 2 and Section 238, William V. McComber was appointed Deputy City Clerk and Deputy City Treasurer during the absence of the then Clerk and Treasurer, Arthur H. Evans who was serving in His Majesty’s Forces.
On December 11, 1939, under By-Law 2371, William V. McComber was appointed permanent Clerk and Treasurer during the indefinite absence of Arthur H. Evans, subject to the said Arthur H. Evans being able to return to his position upon his return, which provision is covered under By-Law 2349, dated September 25, 1939. On December 27, 1946 under ByLaw 2711, Arthur H. Evans was re-appointed as Clerk and Treasurer pursuant to The Reinstatement and Civil Employment Act 1946 and to By-Law 2349.
On July 28, 1947 under By-Law 2758, Arthur H. Evans was appointed Clerk and William V. McComber was appointed Treasurer and Deputy Clerk.
On July 25, 1955 under By-Law 3771, Lillian Dennis was appointed Deputy Clerk, the aforesaid Arthur Henry Evans retained his position as Clerk at this time, under By-Law 3770 also dated July 25, 1955. On May 27, 1963 under By-Law 4945 it was necessary to appoint an Acting Clerk, and Lillian Dennis was appointed. Frank Morphet was appointed Deputy Clerk under By-Law 4946, dated May 26, 1963. On November 12, 1963 under By-Law 5014, Lillian Dennis was appointed Clerk of the City of Port Arthur. Lillian Dennis remained in the position as Clerk until her retirement on January 1, 1970.
The series contains records generated in the office of the City Clerk and consists of files arranged alphabetically under the categories Education, Election, Employees, Finance, Government, Government Housing, Government Licenses/Licensing, Government Police, Government Vital Statistics, Health, Health Hospitals, Legal, Miscellaneous, Planning, Property, Property Zoning, Real Estate Transactions, Recreation, Social, Trade, Trade Elevators, Trade Railway/Railways, Traffic & Safety, Utilities, Utilities
Telephone/Telephones, Utilities Water, Works & Construction, Works & Construction Streets, Works & Construction Traffic & Safety, Works & Construction Traffic, Fire & Safety and Works & Construction Water.
This series consists of meeting minutes for the Municipal Council for the Town and City of Fort William. Comprehensive indexes compiled by staff at the City Clerk’s office provide access to the various issues discussed at council meetings.
City of Fort William (Ont.)
The fonds consists of minutes, by-laws, agreements, correspondence, reports, financial records , maps and plans which documents virtually all aspects of municipal rights, responsibilities and activities. As a result of a disastrous fire in March of 1903, which destroyed the original Town Hall and almost all of the municipality’s early records, there is relatively little documentation covering Fort William’s first decade. The post 1903 records, however, reflect all categories of municipal functions, and responsibilities including council, administration, finance, waterworks, roads, planning, building, engineering, public transportation, parks, recreation, telephone, welfare, police and fire service.
City of Fort William (Ont.)By-laws cover a great variety of issues and concerns. There are By-laws to formalize agreements with other institutions, appoint municipal officials, regulate tax collection, construct sidewalks and roadways, license local establishments, provide for holding elections, establish rates for water and other applicable utilities, and construct City facilities. While most By-laws pass after three readings by council, some early by-laws affecting the “future position” of the municipality required the electoral approval by ratepayers according to the Municipal Act. These by-laws would generally include debenture by-laws for the borrowing of funds on credit, but would also include by-laws for annexation or separation, a re-division
of wards, construction of street railways, local assessment and improvement to name a few.
Interspersed with the earliest Fort William By-laws, there are also sundry by-laws generated by the Municipality of Neebing (1890-1894).
City of Fort William (Ont.)This series consists of index books for the Fort William Council. Each index is filed by year and contains an alphabetic order of topics with references to the page number where the topic was recorded in the Council Minute Book.
City of Fort William (Ont.)E. S. Rutledge was appointed in 1903 as the Collector of Rates for the Town of Fort William and retired at the end of 1905.
When established as a Town on April 14th, 1892 by the Province of Ontario, four wards were established in Fort William and their boundaries defined. Assessment rolls, currently in preparation by the township of Neebing, were to be transferred as appropriate to the new Town of Fort William for the collection of taxes. It is unknown who acted as the original assessment commissioner and tax collector for the Town of Fort William, however, J.J. Wells held the position from 1905 to 1912 and was the original Assessment Commissioner /Tax Collector for the newly incorporated City in 1907.
Under the Act Respecting Municipal Institutions 1914 (Chapter 192 Section 230) assessment commissioners could be appointed by a Council through a By-law. The records show Assessment Commissioners for the Town of Fort William as follows; J.J. Wells, 1905 to
1912 - Charles England, 1913- 1916 - R. Dagger 1931 to June 1945 (Hendersons) - Alexander Halliday appointed under By Law 3937 dated June 26th, 1945 and sworn in June 30, 1945 - 1950 Hendersons Lists J. A. Colvin as Assessment Commissioner - W. Paul Simpson appointed under By-law 4356 dated July 11th 1950 takes office August 8th - Wilbert Wray appointed under By-law 11-1957 dated February 26th, 1957.
Organized by Ward and Subdivision, details of the Assessment Rolls included the Name, Address and Occupation of the Property Owner, the street name, lot number, house number, plan number, size of the lot, The Rate, the Actual Land and Building Value, school support, number of children and whether the occupant was a tenant or an owner.
In addition to calculating property values for tax purposes, early Assessment rolls were used for election purposes to establish polling sub divisions and to determine eligibility to vote on the bases of property ownership.
Under By-law 4262 (1949) Assessment for the year was to be conducted between January and September, the assessment rolls to be returned to the City Clerk by dates specified in the bylaw. In the same year, a report prepared by Stevenson and Kellogg indicated that the Commissioner completed all assessments and that the department was overburdened, spending most of its time on the collection of taxes. It was recommended that the department be severed in order to have one assessment office and one tax office. In 1950 this division was completed and a new Assessment Commissioner was hired for the City of Fort William.
This series is virtually complete consisting of 817 bound volumes with detailed records of information for assessment purposes. Fort William Collector’s Rolls, Series 15 may substitute or be used to fill in any gaps in the Assessment Rolls.
This series contains records relative to Council and the City Clerk’s office. The First Box is strictly correspondence, alphabetically filed and dating from 1903 to 1913. Additional materials are arranged by file code and can be accessed through reviewing the file list.
Records in the Fort William City Clerk’s Files reflect some of the above mentioned legislative requirements, however, this series largely reflects local issues including correspondence relative to Council actions and the administration of the City through its various Boards. The earliest records of the of Fort William Clerks Files consist of correspondence for the Town of Fort William in the early part of the 20th century. These records are alphabetically ordered and cover the period from 1903 to 1913. Latter records are subject-based files organized by a file code. The following titles are in no way exclusive or consistently applied over the span of years for the City Clerks files. They are included here to reflect the variety and scope of issues addressed by the Clerk.
File headings include the following: Auditorium, Board of Education, Bridges, City Statistics, City Hall, Complaints, Court of Revision, Council, Court of Revision – Voters List, Elections, Fort William Gardens, General Correspondence, District Officer of Health, Health, Housing, Historical, Hydro-Electric Commission, Industry, Legislation, Local Improvements, Loch Lomond, Public Utilities, Railways, Rinks, Royal Visit, Streets, Street Railway, Tax, Tourists, Town Planning, Transit, Visitors, Vital Statistics, War and Zoning. A detailed file list is available.
In 1949 a report conducted by Stevenson and Kellogg identified the work performed in the Clerks department. In addition to duties already mentioned, the clerk oversaw City insurance matters, performed secretarial duties for Council and its committees (such as the Police Commission and Board of Health) issued marriage licenses, and was responsible for the internal coordination of work between departments as well as the coordination between departments and the committees of Council which managed the City. This last responsibility for the coordination between departments and Council was likely alleviated after the appointment of Sydney H. Blake as City Administrator in January of 1958, his duties being described in By-law 58-1961 to include the control and direction of department heads.
City of Fort William (Ont.). City ClerkA Cemetery and Parks Committee appears to have been established in the fall of 1901 as a 5-member sub-committee of Council. For the period 1904-1905, the committee was chaired by J.E. Dean. There is no indication of how park and cemetery functions were directed after 1905 as there are no references to the committee within the Fort William council minutes, and no remaining minutes for this or any related Committee until the formulation of the Parks Board in 1910.
After public consultation in the form of a plebiscite, and the adoption of By-law 735, the Board of Parks Management was created in 1910 under the authority of the Ontario Public Parks Act. The original public petition for the Board of Parks Management is available in the Fort William City Clerks files. (TBA 4 – File 131 entitled Parks Board 1910-1920)
Appointments to the Parks Board were formally established by Council on January 11 1910, with the first regular meeting of the Board of Parks Management held January 28th, 1910, chaired by W. A. Dowler.
Early ventures for the Board of Parks Management included the acquisition and control of existing park properties, boulevards, and the hiring of a landscape architect. The Parks Board undertook improvements to various park properties, scheduled use of park facilities and maintained a greenhouse. In addition to developing Chippewa Park and leasing cabins on Sandy Beach, the board assumed responsibility for the management of city cemeteries at various points after 1917. The Parks Board undertook responsibility for the formation of outdoor skating rinks in 1942, participated in the initiative to establish a skiing facility near Mount McKay in 1947 and undertook the Fort William Centennial Conservatory Project in the late 1960s.
Recreational committees began to surface as early as 1943 with an appointment of a Special Recreational Committee on March 15. Later, under the authority of By-law 4263 (1949) the Fort William Civic Recreation Committee was established to provide a program of community recreation as prescribed under the Department of Education Act. As the functions of recreation and parks committees were similar, Council passed a motion for the Board of Parks Management to assume the Civic recreation program in 1952. To avoid the requirement for a public plebiscite for the dissolution of the two boards and the creation of a new board to manage both functions, Council resolved the issue through By-law 4492, which passed and received approval from the Ontario Department of Education in 1952. This by-law allowed council to appointment members of Board of Parks to the Civic Recreation Committee. Both committees maintained separate minutes, but were in effect managed under the Board of Parks Management. Minutes (January 1966 to January 1967) for the Fort William Civic Recreation Committee are bound with the Board of Parks Management Minutes 1964-1965. Minutes for the Fort William Board of Parks Management end in 1969 due to the amalgamation of the City of Fort William and Port Arthur.
This Series Consists of meeting minutes relating to the management of Parks and Cemeteries for the City of Fort William. Eleven bound volumes exist, for which there are no indices. The first volume for the Board of Parks Management, dated January 28, 1910 to December 3, 1917, contains the originating By-law 1. Some Newspaper clippings and reports are interspersed. After 1935 the minutes reflect a growing structure for parks management. Reports from the Inside Park Committee, Chippewa Park Outside Committee, McKellar Park Committee, Finance Committee and a Tourist Committee are included for the period 1935-1936. While it appears that the first four are sub-committees to the Parks Board, the Tourist committee appears to be a committee of council with representation from the Parks Board. Frequent progress reports are included from Mr. A. Widnall, the longstanding Board Secretary and Parks Manager and reports from various Chairmen.
Also included with this series, custodial history of which is not known, is the Annual Statement for the Fort William Board of Parks Management for the year 1949. Included in this document are the statement of receipts and payments for the year, as well as the operating statement and highlights of various activities held at and improvements made to the City's parks throughout the year.
The Fort William Street Railway line was originally built and operated by the City of Port Arthur. In a decision by the Ontario Municipal and Railway Board of 1908, the Street Railway was to be managed by representatives from both Municipalities until December 1913, when each Municipality would manage its own Street Railway service. A special committee was appointed by the City Councils of Fort William and Port Arthur as early as 1907. Six representatives were appointed from both Municipalities including Mayor Clavet and Mr. George Hodder (Chair) from Port Arthur and Mayor Murphy from Fort William. Mr. McNaughton, Municipal Clerk for Fort William, was appointed Secretary of the Committee. In addition to Street Railway concerns, this Joint Committee discussed matters relating to telephones, and the supply of gas to the two Cities. Minutes exist for 1907 and 1909 and one meeting in January 1910.
In addition to this joint committee, the City of Fort William established a special Street Railway Committee at a meeting of Council on April 7, 1908. In addition to questions regarding the Street Railway, the Committee was to address the question of the Mount McKay and Kakabeka Falls Railway Co. Members appointed were Alderman Oakley, Peltier, Dean and the Mayor. In January of 1909 Aldermen O’Donnell, Dean, Fergusson and Oakley were appointed.
Minutes remain for the period May 1908 to August 1909 and December 1913 to April 1915. By-law 1709, passed in 1915 discharged the Street Railway Committee as a Subcommittee of Council.
After the dissolution of the Fort William Street Railway Committee, the Public Utilities Committee assumed responsibility for the management of the Fort William Street Railway.
Tourist Registers for the City of Fort William for the period 1927 to 1928 are stamped as the property of the Civic Tourist and Convention Bureau under the direction of secretary manager D. G. Dewar and his assistant Josephine Vanderkaa. The Civic Tourist and Convention Bureau was formalized under By-law 2664 of 1926. Managed by a Committee of the same name (see Series 6), staff at the Tourist Bureau promoted tourism, made arrangements for visitor accommodations and promoted the tourist trade. In performing these functions, the Bureaus register served much like a guest book, recording visitors to Fort William, the date of their visit, length of stay, and where they were from.
The responsibility and origin of the records for the 1907 to 1909 period are unknown. In these years, only the visitor’s name and home is given. Some listed names are identified as distinguished visitors or entertainers. Most names, however, appear to be regular travelers.
Outlined in By-law 325 (1903), the duties of the Building Inspector included the examination of construction of buildings and repairs, making the Office of the Building Inspector a likely candidate for the responsibility of the Fort William building permit registers. Through reviewing annual reports (Series 16) it appears that the office of the Building Inspector came under the direction of the Fire Water and Light Committee.
Arranged numerically by year and permit number, registers (Between 1912 and 1972) generally include the following details:
permit number, date, owner, information on the location of the building including lot, block, plan, street and address, a description of the building including construction details of walls, foundations and roof, the names of architect/contractor and plumber/electrician, the costs of the construction, any fees charged and the purpose of the permit. Monthly summaries give the
totals for different categories of construction such as duplexes, single dwellings, sheds, commercial and institutional buildings.
The earliest building permits (1907-1911) do not include details regarding the contractor, builder, plumber or electrician, but still provide a description of the purpose of building and value attached to the construction.
This series consists of bound volumes with details of construction completed under a permit number. There is no index to permit numbers, by name or property. Researchers must know the approximate year of the construction for a property in order to search, page by page, for the street address.
Contains reports and studies prepared primarily by consultants for Engineering Division and other City departments related to a variety of projects. Topics include traffic, water treatment, landfills, soil quality, and urban planning, among others. Most reports are post-1970 but the series also includes reports prepared for the former Cities of Fort William and Port Arthur.
The various Standing Committees of Council and their duties were established under By-law #709, passed in 1909. This series consists of the Expenditure Records of the Committee operations reflecting various detailed accounts of the financial aspects of each Committee. Date, name, particulars, V. No., and amount are the common headings that are included in the Expenditure Records of all the Committees, as well each record has a variety of detailed accounts reflecting the operation of each Committee.
The following are just a few of the Committees and their duties in this series.
The Finance Committee oversaw and had access to account books and documents in the treasurer’s office, regulated all matters regarding receipt of payment.
The Works Committee was responsible for reporting to Council on all regulations and matters relating to fences, planting trees, boulevards, sewers, drains, streets and thoroughfares.
The Public Utilities Committee reported on all matters relating to Waterworks, Telephone and Street Railway and regulated the construction, operation and maintenance of these utilities.
The Fire, Water & Light Committee were responsible for managing and reporting on the organization, equipment and maintenance of the Fire Brigade and its equipment. They also reviewed the financial records of the Fire Department.
The License and Relief Committee oversaw all matters relating to the issue of licenses, fees, and the appropriation made by Council for the relief of the poor.
The Property Committee had control of all real property, including Public Buildings and Cemeteries belonging to the City, supervised Mountain View Cemetery, regulated fees and sale of plots. Reported on heating, lighting, purchases, erection and maintenance of sites for public buildings and regulated the salaries of caretakers of building and grounds.
No committee reports or correspondence have survived.
15 bound handwritten volumes exist dated 1914 - 1952.
This series is a record of the assessment of industrial properties in the City.
When established as a Town on April 14th, 1892 by the Province of Ontario, four wards were established in Fort William and their boundaries defined. The researcher must know the street address in order to use the assessment rolls efficiently, as well the ward would be beneficial. In addition to calculating property values for tax purposes, early assessment rolls were used for election purposes to establish polling subdivisions and to determine eligibility to vote on the basis of property ownership.
Under the Act Respecting Municipal Institutions 1914 (Chapter 192 Section 230) assessment commissioners could be appointed by a Council through a By-law. Included in each Assessment Roll is a form called “Affidavit of Assessor in Verification of Assessment Roll” that has been notarized by the commissioner and assessor. The Town of Fort William’s Assessment Commissioners were A. McNaughton from 1915 to 1944 and D. M. Martin from 1945 to 1949 and 1951. The Assessors were Charles England from 1915 to 1918, J. Richard Dagger from 1919 through 1944, A. Halliday from 1945 to 1949 and W. Paul Simpson in 1951.
Organized by Ward and Subdivision, details of the Assessment Rolls included part or all of the following; Name, Address and Occupation of the Property Owner, Owner or Tenant, the street name, lot number, house number, plan number, size of the lot, Rate, Actual Value of Land, Building Value and total of both, school support and date of delivery of notice. Each book also includes a summary of assessment and details.
A supplementary Assessment Roll for 1915, 1916, and 1917 was produced.
This series is virtually complete consisting of 37 bound volumes with detailed records of information for assessment purposes.
Series consists of five volumes of Committee Minutes and one Index booklet.
The first volume (TBA4262-01) contains minutes for a number of Council Committees. At the inaugural meeting dated Jan. 10, 1921, the Nominating Committee appointed members to several committees, including Finance, Utilities, Works, Fire, Water & Light, License & Relief, Property & Market, Claims, Health, Swimming Pool, Band and Industrial and Entertainment. Minutes for some of the aforementioned committees are recorded in this volume. Other committee minutes included are the Joint Meetings of City Council, Council of the Board of Trade and the Executive of the Trades & Labor Party, the Efficiency Committee, the Special Committee regarding the Grand Trunk Pacific Agreement, the Special Committee regarding Hydro, Cemetery Investment, Special Committee re Plumbing, Special Committee re Conditions at the Abbatoir, Great Lakes Paper, C.P.R re Building of a Hotel and the Loch Lomond Watershed Committee. In 1930, the Industrial Commission was formed. This Committee was composed of members from the Industrial Committee, the Joint Board of Trade and the Trades and Labour Council. Their minutes are also included in this volume. Minutes end on May 4, 1933.
The second volume (TBA4262-02) contains minutes of the Civic Industrial Board. Pursuant to a resolution of council, this Board was elected by ballot. At the first meeting held on February 1,1950, the main objectives of this board were outlined. They were to explore the possibilities of bringing industry to the City, to assist in local industrial concerns and to explore and study existing industrial sites for perspective firms. Minutes end on October 22, 1954.
The third volume contains minutes of the Land Development Committee, commencing with the third meeting dated March 4, 1954. This committee dealt with a number of items, including housing projects, school sites, property purchases, subdivisions and zoning changes. Committee members' names were recorded at the beginning of each year. In 1958, it appears the City Land Development Committee changed its name to the Development & Industrial Committee.
Volumes 4 (TBA4262-04) and 5 (TBA4262-05) continue to contain minutes of the abovenoted Committee. In 1962, the Committee's name changed to the Industrial & Promotion Committee. The last meeting date is January 21, 1965.
The final item (TBA4262-06) is an alphabetical index to the Minutes of the Industrial & Promotion Committee for 1962 to 1965.
On March 5, 1926, the Industrial Committee, being a sub-committee of Council, established a Tourist Executive in order to manage a program for the tourist business. The Tourist Executive drew representation from the Board of Trade, Retail Merchants, the Parks Board, Trades and Labour Council, Motor Club, and the Fish and Game Club in addition to the members from the existing Industrial Committee. Alderman Schoales acted as the first Chair of the Tourist executive which in turn recruited additional members from the community at large for the following sub-committees; Printing and Publicity, Canvassing, Tourist Information, Roads, Hotels and Transportation, and Camp Grounds. Renamed the Fort William Tourist and Convention Bureau when it was formalized under By-law 2664 in December of 1926, its’ purpose was to: “foster and promote the tourist trade… to establish Fort William [as a] centre for the holding of conventions…to undertake publicity…arrange for the accommodation of tourists and their cars, [and to] arrange for road marking and sign boards and such other measures as may be deemed advisable”. (FW By-law 2664)
By 1938, representation on the Tourist Bureau had expanded to include representation from the Parks Board, the Chamber of Commerce and the Hotelkeepers Association. The Committee oversaw a local tourist information bureau, sent representatives to various North American Outdoor shows and maintained an affiliation with the Duluth Arrowhead Association in order to distribute promotional material to potential American tourists. In general, efforts to improve highway and road markings, entertain tourists, promote and distribute material to entice visitors and encourage conventions are noted throughout the minutes. In addition, minutes of the Joint Tourist Committee Minutes of Port Arthur and Fort William are included after 1944. Among the issues addressed by the Joint Committee were the use of shared promotional material, the development of Kakabeka Falls and Sibley as Tourist destinations, and the completion of the Trans-Canada Highway along the north Shore of Lake Superior.
In 1938 Council passed By-law 3555 in order to generate funds through taxation for the purpose of giving grants to bands. A Band Committee appears to have been established as a committee of council to oversee matters relating to the Fort William Pipe Band and the Fort William City Band. Minutes of this Committee are included for the period April to December
1940 and relate mostly to the payment of accounts for Band expenditures. The Band Minutes themselves refer to the Committee as a committee of council, but the relationship between the Band and the Tourist and Convention Bureau Committee is unknown.
A handful of annual reports (Series 16) remain for the Civic Tourist Bureau which supplement the minutes by providing information on Tourist issues as well as statistical information on tourist attractions attendance and the number of tourists crossing through the Pigeon River Border.
According to Council Minutes, Council representatives were appointed to the Fort William Tourist Committee until 1969. It is unknown what happened to minutes after 1950.
This Series consists of meeting minutes relating to the management of the Fort William Tourist and Convention Bureau. Five bound volumes exist, for which there are no indices. Reports and Joint Tourist Committee Minutes of Port Arthur and Fort William are interspersed after 1944.
This series mainly consists of Mountain View Cemetery and some St. Patrick's Cemetery Burial Permits. There are also Burial Permits and Acknowledgment of Registration of Death, Burial-Removal-Transit Permits, Burial-Transit Permits, Certificates of Cremation, Certificates of Death, Certificates of Registration of Death, Disposition-Removal Permits, Permits for Disposition of Human Remains from other provinces and countries.
Most of the records are issued between 1967 and 1996. Only one was issued in 1940.
Opening in January of 1944, Winston Hall was constructed as a Women’s residence for wartime housing by the War Munitions and Supply Ministry of the Federal Government. When the property was deemed to be surplus, City Council acquired it through an agreement with the Director of the Veterans’ Land Act (October 15th 1945) and by arranging to borrow $80,000 for the purchase under By-law 3954 (October 9th, 1945). The Ontario Government approved the agreement between the Director of the Veterans’ Land Act and Council through enacting the City of Fort William Act, 1946.
Council appointed five of its members to the Winston Hall Committee on October 23, 1945 in order to direct the management of the facility. The committee first convened 2 days later on October 25th, 1945 and elected Alderman Booth as the chair. Renovations, the appointment of management, personnel, lease and rental arrangements were items addressed by the committee. At various points, the fixtures in Winston Hall included a grocery, concessions, bowling alley, assembly hall and classrooms for the Canadian Vocational Training School.
Between 1945 and 1948, other programs to manage construction of post-war housing were administered by a Housing Committee that was established by council on January 9th 1945. After 1949, however, the Winston Hall Committee advised in these local improvement matters between the City of Fort William and Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation and was thenceforward known as the Winston Hall and Civic Housing Committee. In Fort William, the last project of this kind was identified as project 10. Details regarding agreements between Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation and the City of Fort William can be found in the City Clerks Files under Housing.
On November 9, 1950 the members of the Winston Hall and Civic Housing Committee advised council to authorize the sale of the Winston Hall property to Mr. Alan Guyer. Council had already approved a leasing arrangement for the property on May 30, 1950 under by-law 4342. After coming to an agreement of sale on November 28, 1950, By-law 4424, passed through Council on March 30th, authorizing the sale to Mr. Guyer for the Winston Hall Property and ending the City’s commitment to the management of the property.