Transcona is a

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

and suburb of

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Win ...

, located about east of the downtown area. Until 1972, it was a separate municipality, having been incorporated first as the Town of Transcona on 6 April 1912 and then as the City of Transcona in 1961. The first Council for the Town of Transcona met in 1912, with Colin J. E. Maxwell as mayor; and the first Council for the City of Transcona met on 19 June 1961, with

T. F. Copeland T is the twentieth letter of the Latin alphabet. (For the same letterform in the Cyrillic and Greek alphabets, see Te and Tau respectively). T may also refer to: Codes and units * T, Tera- as in one trillion * T, the symbol for "True" in lo ...

as mayor. Today, the ward is represented by a member of

Winnipeg City Council The Winnipeg City Council (french: Conseil municipal de Winnipeg) is the governing body of the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Council is seated in the Council Building of Law, government, and crime in Winnipeg#Winnipeg City Hall, Winnipeg ...

, and the suburb is part of the Transcona neighbourhood cluster—composed of much larger boundaries including large areas that were part of the Municipality of North Kildonan, and much of the area west of Plessis. It is primarily a

working-class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colo ...

residential area with some light industry.

History

Beginning in 1835, the area now known as Transcona was administered by the Council of Assiniboia until 1870, when the Province of Manitoba was created and took jurisdiction over the area, after which they began the process of

municipal incorporation A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally owne ...

.Transcona (Man.)
" ''City of Winnipeg Archives''. Retrieved 2021 June 10. The community of Transcona came about in 1908 when the

Grand Trunk Pacific The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historic Canadian transcontinental railway running from Fort William, Ontario (now Thunder Bay) to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, a Pacific coast port. East of Winnipeg the line continued as the National ...

(GTP) and

National Transcontinental Railway The National Transcontinental Railway (NTR) was a historic railway between Winnipeg and Moncton in Canada. Much of the line is now operated by the Canadian National Railway. The Grand Trunk partnership The completion of construction of Canada's ...

(NTR), looking to build a second railway line across Canada, settled on a large area of unoccupied, flat land east of

. This land functioned as the centrally-located site for repair and maintenance of the GTP and NTR railways. (Built in 1926, CNR Steam Locomotive #2747 (CNR 2747), a

steam-powered A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a Cylinder (locomotive), cylinder. This pus ...

railway locomotive in

Rotary Heritage Park Rotary may refer to: General * Rotary motion Engineering and technology * Rotary dial, a rotating telephone dial * Rotary engine (disambiguation), multiple types of engines called "rotary" * Rotary latch * Rotary milking shed, a type of milkin ...

on Plessis Road, was the first of 33 engines to be built completely at the Transcona Shops and the first engine to be built in

Western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada� ...

.)CNR 2747
/ref> The land was also intended to be a

townsite A townsite is a legal subdivision of land for the development of a town or community. In the historical development of the United States, Canada, and other former British colonial nations, the filing of a townsite plat (United States) or plan (C ...

, so that

municipal services Municipal services or city services refer to basic services that residents of a city expect to the city government to provide in exchange for the taxes which citizens pay. Basic city services may include sanitation (both sewer and refuse), ...

could be provided to workers who came for prospective employment for the railway. The name ''Transcona'' derived from combining ''Trans''continental with Strath''cona'', the name of Lord Strathcona, Donald Smith, a former Manitoban who was instrumental in building the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canad ...

not too long before. In 1910, the Transcona post office opened and the area's population was reported at 1,600 people. The community at the time included two boarding houses, a bakery, butcher shop, a bank, two churches (

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

and

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their na ...

), and a two-room school in the Saunders Block. A year later, on February 10, the Transcona

Board of Trade The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for International Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...

was inaugurated. Soon after, on 6 April 1912, the Town of Transcona was officially incorporated. The first Transcona election was held on Monday, 20 May 1912, resulting in Colin J. E. Maxwell as mayor. Six town councillors were also elected: Peter Watt, J. W. Gunn, C. Fieldhouse, Alex Campbell, Ovide Brodeur, and Matt Hall. The first

town council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland Town Councils in the Republic of Ireland were the second t ...

met later that year. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, between 1914 and 1918, more than 400 men from Transcona enlisted in service to their country and the

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

; and the Transcona Shell Company and Eley Cartridge Company manufactured

munitions Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weapo ...

. With the town declaring bankruptcy in 1921, the mayor and council were required to resign, and administration over Transcona was handed to the Manitoba government from that year until 1928, after a Town Council was elected in 1927. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, from 1939-1945, over 800 men and women from Transcona served in uniform, while others worked at the Cordite Plant, on the armoured train, or helped with the Transcona War Efforts Committee. By 1955, Transcona had a population of 8,000, which grew to 13,000 by 1961. That year, the municipality gained a

city charter A city charter or town charter (generically, municipal charter) is a legal document ('' charter'') establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages. Traditionally the granting of a charter ...

and became the City of Transcona, whose first council 19 June 1961, with

as mayor. On 3 October 1966, "The Park City" was officially adopted as the official

slogan A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a clan, political, commercial, religious, and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose, with the goal of persuading members of the public or a more defined target group. Th ...

through a motion passed by Mayor Harry Fuller and Alderman C.J. Perry, Paul E. Martin, William Dzyndra, and M. Sharpe. In 1972, the City of Transcona and several other municipalities merged with

as part of the Unicity project laid out in the 1971 ''City of Winnipeg Act'', whereupon it became a ward of the city and moved to

first-past-the-post voting In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...

. At the time of its amalgamation into Winnipeg, the mayor was Harry Fuller and its final councilors were D. E. Perry, Walter Phillip, George E. Marshall, Charles J. Perry, William Dryden, and Albert J. Thompson. Today, the

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I railroad, Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern United States, M ...

is still a major employer in the community. CNR 2747 is now on display at the corner of Plessis Road and Kildare Avenue in the Kiwanis Park courtesy of the Winnipeg Railway Museum.

Timeline

1907 -

Canadian Pacific The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canad ...

builds additional railway tracks near district in the Municipality of Kildonan (CPR) 1908 -

(GTP) decides on Transcona as location for railway shops and buys of land. Name of Transcona adopted for future town. Townsite was originally to be created in what is now the South Transcona area, but this area was low-lying and subject to flooding and so the main townsite was moved north of the shops. 1909 - Haney, Quinlan and Robertson start work on excavation for the foundation of the new shops 1910 (January 1) - first steel pillar is raised in the new shop building, and the post office opened 1911 (February 10) - first

is organized. 1912 (April 6) - Town of Transcona receives its charter, and on November 12 municipal offices and Fire Hall opened for Public Inspection. The first electric light and power installed from Pointe du Bois generating station of Winnipeg Hydro. Central School officially opened but classes do not begin until 1913. 1913 (January 18) - Transcona Shops opened, on April 10 the Transcona mayor presented Morley Donaldson, Vice-President of GTP, with golden key as memento of shop opening. CPR builds grain elevator and opens yards near Transcona in the Municipality of Springfield and the Municipality of Kildonan. In October, the grain elevator tilts due to failure of its foundations, becoming a textbook example of the importance of

soil mechanics Soil mechanics is a branch of soil physics and applied mechanics that describes the behavior of soils. It differs from fluid mechanics and solid mechanics in the sense that soils consist of a heterogeneous mixture of fluids (usually air and wa ...

. It is later restored. 1914 - Sewage system installed 1915-1918 - Transcona Shops manufacture munitions for the war; apparently part of the machine shop was converted to a shell shop. 1919 - Shoal Lake water connection for Town. Transcona athletic organization 1919 - Biggest sports field in Transcona's history held 1921 - Having run out of money, the town council dissolves, and the town is run until 1928 by provincially-appointed administrators 1926 - First locomotive built in CNR shops Steam Locomotive CNR 2747

1929 - New post office built 1930 - Transcona Horticultural Society organized 1933 - Effects of the Great Depression hit Transcona. At the peak the town is paying the rent for 192 families. 1942 - is commissioned, a named for the town. The vessel participates in anti-submarine combat in the North Atlantic in December 1944. 1950 - The Red River floods. Some Winnipeg residents are temporarily sheltered in Transcona churches. 1961 - Becomes City of Transcona 1972 - Amalgamated with the City of Winnipeg along with 11 other communities

Former reeves and mayors

Prior to its amalgamation into Winnipeg in 1972, Transcona was led by a reeve or

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

Places and government

Transcona is part of the

Elmwood—Transcona Elmwood—Transcona (formerly Winnipeg—Transcona) is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1988. Its population in 2011 was 85,906. History The riding was create ...

federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons by

Daniel Blaikie Daniel Blaikie is a Canadian politician who was elected to represent the riding of Elmwood—Transcona in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2015 Canadian federal election as a member of the New Democratic Party (NDP). He is the New Democ ...

of the

New Democratic Party of Canada The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * ...

. In the Manitoba Legislature, Transcona falls in parts of two constituencies; the representatives are James Teitsma of the

Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba (french: Parti progressiste-conservateur du Manitoba) is a centre-right political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is currently the governing party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, after winnin ...

and

Nello Altomare Nello Altomare is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in the 2019 Manitoba general election.Bryce Hoye"Meet the rookies: Manitobans elect 13 first-time MLAs" CBC News Manitoba, September 11, 2019. He r ...

of the

New Democratic Party of Manitoba The New Democratic Party of Manitoba (french: Nouveau Parti démocratique du Manitoba) is a social-democratic political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is the provincial wing of the federal New Democratic Party, and is a successor to the Manitoba ...

. Among its attractions, Transcona is home to the

Transcona Historical Museum Transcona Museum is a museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, that's mission is to preserve and promote the community spirit of Transcona, through sharing our history and stories for the benefit of all. The museum was founded in 1967 as Transcona's Cen ...

, the only designated historic building in the neighbourhood; Kildonan Place, the city’s third largest mall; Kilcona Park; and

Club Regent Casino Club Regent Casino is a casino located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is one of two casinos in the city—the other being the McPhillips Street Station Casino—both of which are owned and operated by the Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries Corporation, an ...

Neighbourhoods

The

city ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected ...

of Transcona includes the neighbourhoods of Melrose, Victoria West, Kern Park, Radisson, Kildare-Redonda, Canterbury Park, Meadows, Mission Gardens, Peguis, Grassie, Transcona South, Griffin, North Transcona Yards, Transcona Yards, Regent, Transcona North, Dugald, St. Boniface Industrial Park, Symington Yards, and Southland Park. Though the majority of the area consists of houses built several decades ago, there are newer developments located in the east and northwest sections of the community including Canterbury Park, Lakeside Meadows, and Mission Gardens. Transcona's future expansion is limited by the presence of the

Red River Floodway The Red River Floodway (french: Canal de dérivation de la rivière Rouge) is an artificial flood control waterway in Western Canada. It is a long channel which, during flood periods, takes part of the Red River's flow around the city of Wi ...

and the Perimeter Highway.

Education and demographics

As of the 2016 census, the Transcona neighbourhood cluster was home to 36,285 people. In 1959, the Transcona-Springfield School Division was created, supported jointly by the Town of Transcona and the

Rural Municipality of Springfield Springfield is a rural municipality (RM) in Manitoba, Canada. It stretches from urban industrial development on the eastern boundary of the City of Winnipeg, through urban, rural residential, agricultural and natural landscapes, to the Agassiz Pr ...

for high school education only, and administered by a school board of nine officials. The Transcona School District No. 39 remained for elementary and junior high students. The School Division and Transcona School District merged in 1967. In 2002, the Transcona part of the former Transcona-Springfield School Division and the River East School Division were united as the

River East Transcona School Division River East Transcona School Division (RETSD) is a school division located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. As the second largest school division in the province, it is composed of parts of what used to be two separate divisions that merged in 2002: the urba ...

Elementary schools

Bernie Wolfe Community School River East Transcona School Division (RETSD) is a school division located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. As the second largest school division in the province, it is composed of parts of what used to be two separate divisions that merged in 2002: the u ...

Ecole Centrale The Ecoles Centrales Group is an alliance, consisting of following grandes écoles of engineering: * CentraleSupélec (formed by merger of École Centrale Paris and Supélec) established in 2015 * École centrale de Lille established in 1854 * ...

* Ecole Margaret-Underhill * Harold Hatcher Elementary School *

Joseph Teres School River East Transcona School Division (RETSD) is a school division located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. As the second largest school division in the province, it is composed of parts of what used to be two separate divisions that merged in 2002: the urb ...

Radisson School Radisson School, originally Radisson Elementary School, is a school that is part of River East Transcona School Division in Winnipeg, Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, lon ...

* Wayoata Elementary School * Westview Elementary School *

St. Joseph The Worker School ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy ...

Middle schools

Arthur Day Middle School River East Transcona School Division (RETSD) is a school division located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. As the second largest school division in the province, it is composed of parts of what used to be two separate divisions that merged in 2002: the urb ...

* Ecole Regent Park School * John W. Gunn Middle School

High schools

Transcona Collegiate Institute Transcona Collegiate Institute (TCI) is a secondary education institution located in the Transcona suburb of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Transcona Collegiate teaches grades nine through twelve, with approximately 670 students and 60 staff members. Trans ...

(TCI) *

Murdoch MacKay Collegiate Murdoch MacKay Collegiate is a public, co-ed high school in the River East Transcona School Division, located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. History The school was named after Murdoch Mackay, a prominent physician, leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party, ...

Collège Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau Collège Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau is part of River East Transcona School Division in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It opened its doors in September 1990 with a population of 140 students and 14 teachers. By 2006, the school had grown to 330 students and a s ...

French-immersion schools

* École Regent Park School *

École Centrale The Ecoles Centrales Group is an alliance, consisting of following grandes écoles of engineering: * CentraleSupélec (formed by merger of École Centrale Paris and Supélec) established in 2015 * École centrale de Lille established in 1854 * ...

École Margaret-Underhill River East Transcona School Division (RETSD) is a school division located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. As the second largest school division in the province, it is composed of parts of what used to be two separate divisions that merged in 2002: the urb ...

Notable people

The neighbourhood has produced several celebrities, including sports commentator Rod Black, former

MuchMusic Much (an abbreviation for its full name MuchMusic) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. MuchMusic launched on August 31, ...

on-air personality Bradford How, Canadian athlete and cancer research activist

Terry Fox Terrance Stanley Fox (July 28, 1958 June 28, 1981) was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, with one leg having been amputated due to cancer, he embarked on an east-to-west cross-Canada run to raise money ...

, professional wrestler

Kenny Omega Tyson Smith (born October 16, 1983), better known by the ring name Kenny Omega, is a Canadian-born professional wrestler. Omega is an executive vice president of All Elite Wrestling (AEW), in which he also performs. Omega is a former one-time ...

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

speed skater Susan Auch, and librarian Lorna Toolis. In 2005, following in the style of CBC's

The Greatest Canadian ''The Greatest Canadian'' is a 2004 television series consisting of 13 episodes produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) to determine who is considered to be the greatest Canadian of all time, according to those who watched and p ...

series, the

sponsored their own local version called "The Greatest Transconian." The award was given to citizen Paul E. Martin, who was a

veteran with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, a long-serving City Councillor, former Mayor of Transcona (1958-1959), and member of the School Board. He was influential in creating the Transcona Historical Museum. Professional wrestler

(born Tyson Smith) was born and raised in Transcona, and in 2018 became the first Canadian-born IWGP Heavyweight Champion in the title's history. This follows a career in Japanese professional wrestling that includes a number of championship wins across weight classes. The

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * ...

politicians,

Bill Blaikie William Alexander Blaikie (June 19, 1951 – September 24, 2022) was a Canadian politician. He served as a member of Parliament (MP) from 1979 to 2008, representing Elmwood—Transcona and its antecedent ridings in the House of Commons of Canad ...

, Rebecca Blaikie and

were also born and raised in Transcona.

Sport and recreation

Transcona is the home of the Transcona Nationals, a sports team of Football Manitoba that has age groups ranging from 7 to 21. Three major community clubs and two indoor arenas can be found in the neighbourhood. Park City West, Oxford Heights, and East End Community Clubs organize a variety of recreational activities, while East End and Roland Michener arenas host most on-ice activities. From 1983 to September 10, 2011, Transcona was represented by the Transcona Railers Hockey team in the MMJHL who played out of the Roland Michener Arena. They were disbanded because the team found it hard to draw players of the required skill levels and numbers. A team of Railers alumni applied for membership into the MMJHL. On January 7, 2012, the league board accepted the new Transcona franchise for the 2012-2013 season. The new team plays at the newly renovated east end arena in the new side of the building.

References

External links

Transcona Museum History of Transcona retrieved 2012 Jan 4
{{Coord, 49, 53, 44, N, 97, 00, 19, W, display=title, type:city_region:CA_source:GNS-enwiki Neighbourhoods in Winnipeg Former municipalities now in Winnipeg Populated places disestablished in 1972 Transcona