The Winnipeg City Council () is the governing body of the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Council is seated in the Council Building of Winnipeg City Hall. The composition of the Council consists of 15 city councillors and a mayor. Each councillor represents an individual ward throughout the city while the mayor is elected every four years by a vote of the city-at-large. Overview Part 3 of The City of Winnipeg Charter legislates the composition of Winnipeg City Council, which currently consists of 15 councillors and the Mayor. Each councillor represents an individual ward while the mayor is elected by a vote of the city-at-large. Councillors have a dual role: they are members of Council, dealing with decisions that affect the whole city; and members of the Community Committees, dealing with issues within local communities. Wards Current wards Past wards Into its first civic election on 5 January 1874, Winnipeg had a total of 4 city wards—North, South, East, and West. The city's wards were reorganized in 1881, with the addition of Fort Rouge as Ward One, and existing wards to the north of the Assiniboine River being reorganized into Wards Two through Six. In 1906, Elmwood was added as Ward Seven in 1906, becoming was the city's first extension across the Red River. These seven wards were collapsed into three in 1920: Wards One and Two became Ward One; Wards Three and Four became Ward Two; and Wards Five, Six, and Seven became Ward Three. Following the amalgamation of Winnipeg, the new unified Council represented 50 wards. History Early years Winnipeg officially became incorporated as a city on 8 November 1873, with the passing of An Act to Incorporate the City of Winnipeg by the Manitoba Legislature. Among other things, the Act outlined the essential powers for Winnipeg City Council. The Act also dictated qualifications for candidates who wished to run for mayor or alderman in the city’s first election. They had to be male freeholders or householders; natural born or naturalized subjects of the British Crown; 21 years of age or more; and resident in the city for at least 3 months prior to the election. With a total of 4 city wards—North, South, East, and West—Winnipeg's first civic election took place on 5 January 1874, resulting in the election of Francis Evans Cornish as the first mayor of Winnipeg. In addition, the city’s first elected aldermen