for its legislature, considering the province's booming economy and population that had expanded sevenfold since 1881. In its 1911 annual report, the Department of Public Works said that the "congested state of all the Departments in the Legislative Buildings renders necessary the erection of more commodious buildings at the earliest possible date." In 1911, the Manitoba government announced an architectural competition to all architects who were subjects of the British Empire. A grand prize of C$10,000 and a commission of $100,000 was offered for the best design for the new Manitoba Legislative Building. The cost for the new building was to be $2,000,000. Of the 67 submissions, Frank Worthington Simon, a former student at the École des Beaux-Arts, had his design chosen for the construction of the impressive structure. Construction Construction began in the summer of 1913, with excavation work beginning in July. After five days of excavation, removing of soil in 31 days, the site for the building was moved south and the terrace adjacent to the building was raised by meters (2 feet). Manitoba Tyndall stone was quarried at Garson, Manitoba, about northeast of Winnipeg. By 1914, 1,231 architectural drawings had been created for the project. On 3 June 1914, the north-east cornerstone ceremony, which was commonly done by masons, was laid by contractor Thomas Kelly. The construction of the massive building suffered setbacks, however, and would take almost 7 years to complete. Obstacles included labour and funding shortages brought on by the First World War, as well as labour unrest during the Winnipeg General Strike. Construction was further slowed due to Kelly stealing many of the materials to build his own house three blocks away. Such scandal would inspire a Royal Commission calling to investigate the building’s construction, subsequently bring on the resignation of a Premier Rodmond Roblin and a change of government. As result of the above circumstances in part, the building was not ready for partial occupancy until 1919. The Golden Boy was installed in November 1919. On the west side of the grounds were the Fort Osborne Barracks and Drill Shed, which were not demolished until after the Legislature was completed. Final costs of the construction would be at C$9,379,000: an itemized statement issued by the Department of Public Works included $150,000.00 for furnishings and finishings; $219,551.29 for plumbing, heating and ventilation; $157,172.72 for electrical work; and $296,023.59 for repairing defective work. Post-construction Government