LAWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

New Laws

Nov 1: Manitobans will not be turning the clock back the usual one hour to Standard Time this year or into the foreseeable. Based on the results of recent public consultations, the Manitoba Government announced that the province is making the move to permanent Daylight Saving Time (DST), effective this year.

Training

Sep 24: The Governments of Canada and Manitoba announced a joint investment of $500,000 in the AeroTrace Workforce Pilot program to train workers on the use of digital traceability, production data, and applied artificial intelligence (AI) in the aerospace and manufacturing sectors. The Program will be delivered by Manitoba Aerospace and Defence through the demand-led training stream of the Canada-Manitoba Workforce Tariff Response Program, in partnership with mode40, a Manitoba-based enterprise data intelligence firm.

Action Point: Find out about the rules governing whether employees are entitled to be paid for training time.

New Laws

Sep 18: Preliminary workforce data from four school construction projects and the Victoria Hospital emergency room redevelopment show apprentices completed 21% of reported construction hours worked, more than double the Manitoba Jobs Agreement initial target of 10%. Manitoba workers have completed 99% of reported hours on these projects to date. Manitoba has also seen increased participation in critical trades.

New Laws

Oct 13: The Assembly passed Bill 47 requiring Manitoba to establish an online public registry that provides information about journeypersons and other specified persons who are subject to The Apprenticeship and Certification Act. The Bill authorizes the government to share information with educational institutions and other persons providing technical training or other services under the Act.

New Laws

Sep 16: The Governments of Canada and Manitoba are jointly investing more than $3.8 million to create the Manitoba Defence and Dual-Use Innovation Bridge. A partnership among RRC Polytech, Manitoba Aerospace Inc., and Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, the program will offer targeted training and supports to enable over 100 Manitoba small- and medium-sized businesses to participate in domestic and international defence supply chains.

Health & Safety

Oct 6: Bill 56 adding new safety protections for cannabis store workers passed Second Reading. The legislation amends The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Act to eliminate the requirement for cannabis stores to have window coverings on storefronts. This will increase visibility from outside the store and ensure workers aren’t secluded from public view. It also authorizes the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba (LGCA) to establish mandatory minimum staffing levels during specified hours so that workers aren’t alone during periods when there may be higher risk of violence.

Action Point: Find out how to implement an effective fitness for duty policy to control substance abuse at your workplace.

Workplace Violence

Oct 7: Earlier this year, the Supreme Court of Canada recognized a new tort of intimate partner violence. Now the Manitoba Assembly is getting set to pass legislation (Bill 58) to eliminate the statute of limitations for that tort. Translation: Victims of intimate partner violence will have unlimited time to sue for money damages in civil court.

Action Point: Domestic and intimate partner violence becomes an OHS issue and liability risk for employers when it happens at the victim’s workplace. Find out how to protect your employees from the risk of workplace domestic violence.

Drugs & Alcohol

Oct 5: Bill 54 amending The Smoking and Vapour Products Control Act to ban the sale of most flavoured e-substances in businesses that children are allowed to enter which are located in major urban areas passed Second Reading.

Workers’ Compensation

Sep 26: Manitoba announced that it will introduce legislation to expand presumptive workers compensation coverage for firefighters and wildfire fighters. Presumed coverage means that specific occupational illnesses are presumed work-related unless there’s evidence demonstrating otherwise. The legislation will add new illnesses to the presumed coverage list.

CASES

Workplace Harassment: Probation, Not Jail for Employee Who Secretly Films Coworkers’ Derrières

A lab chemist pled guilty to two counts of voyeurism after admitting to taking workplace photos and videos of the faces, backsides, and buttocks of two fully clothed female coworkers without their knowledge or consent. The prosecution asked for a criminal conviction given the seriousness of the offence and the victims’ statements describing the mental harm they suffered as a result. While recognizing that voyeurism is serious, the Manitoba court reasoned that all voyeurism is not the same. In this case, there were mitigating factors, including the chemist’s lack of a criminal record, genuine remorse and empathy for the victims, completion of sensitivity training, and youth—age 29. In addition to being redeemable, the chemist was an immigrant who faced the risk of deportation if he had a criminal record. So instead of a conviction, the court settled on a conditional release with three years of probation [R. v. Mir Heidari, 2026 MBPC 55 (CanLII), September 17, 2026].

Action Point: Find out how to implement a legally sound and effective Workplace Harassment Prevention and Compliance Game Plan at your workplace.