It is tasked with administering the provincial Insurance Act, Credit Unions and Caisses Populaires Act, and the Corporations Act (Part XXlV). The FIRB was created in April 2000 through the amalgamation of two branches under the Department of Consumers and Corporate Affairs: the Insurance Branch and the Trust, Cooperatives and Credit Union Regulation Branch. Since then, government restructuring has led to the FIRB being part of various departments; as of October 2012, FIRB was merged into the Manitoba Financial Services Agency (MFSA). Manitoba Securities Commission The Manitoba Securities Commission (MSC; ) is the securities regulatory authority of Manitoba. As a division of the Manitoba Financial Services Agency, it is an independent agency of the provincial government and its Chair reports to the legislature through the Minister of Finance. Following The Securities Act, MSC was structured in its present form in 1968, divided into two branches: the administrative or functional arm, consisting of full-time employees who conduct day-to-day operations. This arm includes 2 operating divisions of its own: the Securities division, which is organized into several operational sections—investigation, legal, registration & compliance, corporate finance & continuous disclosure, finance & administration, and education/information. Real Estate division Commission members, the policy-making body consisting of Order-in-Council appointees (maximum of 7) who meet regularly. The Chair presides at the Commission members' meetings and is also the chief executive officer of the administrative arm. Public Utilities Board The Manitoba Public Utilities Board is an independent quasi-judicial administrative tribunal that regulates public utilities and designated monopolies. It has oversight and supervisory powers over the rates charged for electrical utility, auto insurance, gas and propane utilities, and all water and sewer utilities outside of Winnipeg. The Board is led by a chair and a vice-chair, appointed by the Lieutenant Governor. The chair has similar authority to that of a justice of the Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench or as the deputy minister for the Manitoba Justice. Board members, appointed by the chair, are tasked with carrying out the Board's legislative mandate. The PUB Chairperson reports to the Minister of Finance. The Board has regulated services under legislation since 1913, with the current Public Utilities Board Act being passed in 1959. In addition to the Public Utilities Board Act, regulatory administration is provided through: Centra Gas Manitoba Inc. (natural gas distribution, utility rate setting) Crown Corporations Governance and Accountability Act Efficiency Manitoba Act Gas Allocation Act Gas Pipe Line