At a meeting in 1966, a group representing several departments of the University of Manitoba expressed a common interest in an interdisciplinary approach to the problems associated with human settlement. Their concern focused primarily on the communities of western and northern Canada. A request for funding, presented to the Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation, was favourably received resulting in the formation of the Centre for Settlement Studies in 1967 with John E. Page as first Director. Believing that the social and economic problems associated with human settlement might be a limiting factor in the settlement of Canada's northern communities, Page made this topic the first major focus of research. By 1974, the Centre had reached its peak of activity, and as federal funding policies on research were changing, the decision was taken to phase down the research and concentrate on reporting. L.B. Siemens, Page's successor, resigned from his position of Director and agreed to chair an ad hoc Policy Committee to wind up the affairs of the Centre. The Centre for Settlement Studies ceased to function on June 30, 1976, although research projects continued to be published well into 1977.