Series 3 - By-laws

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By-laws

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    CA ON00372 3

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    Date(s)

    • 1892-1969 (Creation)
      Creator
      City of Fort William (Ont.)

    Physical description area

    Physical description

    8 m, 32 cm of textual records. (64 v.)

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    Archival description area

    Name of creator

    (1892-1969)

    Administrative history

    During the years immediately following Confederation, the Ontario government began to take steps to assert control over the northwestern portion of the province. This assertion of control included the surveying of several new townships on the north shore of Lake Superior.

    In 1873, the Corporation of the Municipality of Shuniah was established. (Ont. Stat., Capt. 50, 36 Vic.) Shuniah, which consisted of Thunder Cape and Prince Arthur’s Landing along with the townships of McGregor, Crooks, McTavish, McIntyre, Paipoonge and Neebing (including Fort William), was the first incorporate municipality in northwestern Ontario. In response to a petition submitted by various residents of Shuniah, the legislature passed an act in March of 1881 (Ont. Stat., Cap 43, 44 Vic) which provided for the withdrawal of various portions of the muncipality, i.e. the geographic townships of Blake, Crooks, Pardee, Paipoonge, Neebing, McKellar, along with Sundry islands, in order to establish the Municipality of Neebing. With the growth of population and development of manufacturing and shipping, a portion of the Municipality of Neebing was withdrawn in order to incorporate the Town of Fort William in 1892. (Ont. Stat., Capt. 70, 55 Vic.)

    As a result of substantial commercial growth, coupled with an increase in population during the early years of the twentieth century, the inhabitants of Fort William petitioned the Ontario legislature for incorporation as a city. Consequently in 1907, the Ontario government passed legislation which elevated Fort William (Ont. Stat.., Capt. 66, 7 Edward. VII) to city status. In 1969, the Ontario legislature passed an Act to Incorporate the City of the Lakehead (Ont. Stat. , Capt. 56) which provided for the amalgamation of Fort William into the new Corporation of the City of Thunder Bay. When this Act took effect on Jan. 1, 1970, Fort William ceased to exist as a separate entity.

    Custodial history

    Under the Municipal Act the powers of Council are to be exercised by a by-law. By-laws enable localities to pass and enforce law within their own territorial limits within the framework of established provincial and federal legislation. The Municipal Act also establishes the requirement to maintain original by-laws passed by Town and City Councils in the office of the Clerk. Through the course of their appointments, the following Clerks maintained the Fort William by-laws: Edward Saunders Rutledge (1892-1900), Mr. A.
    McNaughton (March 1900 to 1945) Donald M. Martin (1945-1964) and Donald B. Morris (1964-1970).

    Scope and content

    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).

    Notes area

    Physical condition

    Immediate source of acquisition

    Arrangement

    This series consists of 64 volumes of numerically sequenced By-laws.

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        Availability of other formats

        Copies are available on microform.

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        Finding aids

        A file list is available.

        A series description is available.

        Associated materials

        By-laws are accessible through an index that is available in both hard copy and microform.

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