Legislative Update – March 19, 2024

News

First Session, 43rd Legislature

Government Bills

Introduced

Private Bills

Introduced

2nd Reading

For the status of all current bills click here.


Regulations

NumberTitleRegisteredPublished
1/2024Speed Timing Devices Regulation, amendment5 Jan. 20245 Jan. 2024
2/2024Winnipeg Police Service Special Constables Additional Powers Regulation, amendment5 Jan. 20245 Jan. 2024
3/2024Lands Withdrawn from Prospecting Orders, amendment5 Jan. 20245 Jan. 2024
4/2024Court of King’s Bench Rules, amendment23 Jan. 202424 Jan. 2024
5/2024Community Safety Officers Regulation, amendment15 Feb. 202415 Feb. 2024
6/2024First Nation Safety Officers Regulation, amendment15 Feb. 202415 Feb. 2024
7/2024General Hunting Regulation, amendment5 Mar. 20246 Mar. 2024
8/2024Moose Conservation Closure Regulation, amendment5 Mar. 20246 Mar. 2024
9/2024Hunting Dogs Regulation, amendment5 Mar. 20246 Mar. 2024
10/2024Captive Wild Animal Regulation, amendment5 Mar. 20246 Mar. 2024
11/2024Hunting Guides Regulation, amendment5 Mar. 20246 Mar. 2024
12/2024Miscellaneous Licences and Permits Regulation, amendment5 Mar. 20246 Mar. 2024
13/2024Exotic Wildlife Regulation, amendment5 Mar. 20246 Mar. 2024
14/2024Wildlife Fees Regulation, amendment8 Mar. 20248 Mar. 2024
15/2024General Hunting Regulation, amendment14 Mar. 202415 Mar. 2024
16/2024Hunting Seasons and Bag Limits Regulation, amendment14 Mar. 202415 Mar. 2024
17/2024Vehicle Use in Hunting Regulation, amendment14 Mar. 202415 Mar. 2024
18/2024Watershed Districts Regulation, amendment15 Mar. 202418 Mar. 2024

Legislative Update – May 18th

News

Manitoba Government Introduces Legislative Amendments that would Enhance Safety of Combative Sport Participants May 17, 2023 – The Manitoba government is introducing Bill 40, the Combative Sports Act, to expand the mandate of the Manitoba Combative Sport Commission (MCSC) which would enhance the safety of combative sport participants at all levels, Sport, Culture and Heritage Minister Obby Khan announced today.

Changes to King’s Bench Rules – New amendment to the rules dealing with family matters, as well as probate and estate matters, have been approved. See regulations 37/2023, 38/2023, and 39/2023 for full details.

Fifth Session, 42nd Legislature

Government Bills

Introduced

  • 39 The Residential Tenancies Amendment Act (3) – amends The Residential Tenancies Act to list examples of information or evidence that the director may consider in an application to evict a tenant for unlawful activity.
  • 40 The Combative Sports Amendment Act – This Bill expands the Commission’s mandate to include licensing and regulating amateur combative sports that the Lieutenant Governor in Council has designated.

In Committee

Private Bills

Introduced

2nd Reading

For the status of all current bills click here.


Regulations

NumberTitleRegisteredPublished
37/2023Court of King’s Bench Rules, amendment12 May 202312 May 2023
38/2023Court of King’s Bench Rules, amendment12 May 202312 May 2023
39/2023Court of King’s Bench Rules, amendment12 May 202312 May 2023
40/2023General Hunting Regulation, amendment15 May 202315 May 2023

Legislative Update March 2023

Fifth Session, Forty-Second Legislature

Recent Bill Activity

Government Bills

Introduced

  • 13 The Wildlife Amendment Act -“New residency rules are established for use in issuing licences and permits under the Act. People who reside outside Manitoba may be required to use the services of guides or outfitters when hunting specified animals or when hunting under certain licences. Restrictions on Sunday hunting are removed from the Act.”
  • 15 The Court of King’s Bench Amendment Act – “amends The Court of King’s Bench Act to establish the salary for a person who resigns as the senior master but continues to act as a master.”
  • 16 The Domestic Violence and Stalking Amendment Act – “amends The Domestic Violence and Stalking Act. A protection order may include provisions that enable the parties to the order to attend a family arbitration, family dispute resolution activities and supervised child visitations and transfers. A party applying for a prevention order or a protection order must disclose the existence of any orders or agreements between the subject and the respondent dealing with parenting arrangements, custody, contact, access or guardianship.”
  • 17 The Regulated Health Professions Amendment Act (2) – “amends The Regulated Health Professions Act. The minister’s powers relating to inquiries, directives and orders are extended to the regulatory colleges and associations of health professions that are not yet governed under the Act.”
  • 18 The Legislative Security Amendment Act – “amends The Legislative Security Act to add a portion of Memorial Park to the legislative precinct.”
  • 19 The Provincial Offences Amendment Act – “makes several minor amendments to The Provincial Offences Act. Rules respecting when a ticket or an information may be amended or quashed are standardized. Information contained in a document attached to a certificate of evidence signed by an enforcement officer or other authorized person is admissible as proof of the facts set out in the document. There are no appeals of decisions made on motions or other preliminary matters in proceedings under the Act unless the Act specifically allows an appeal.”
  • 20 The Conflict of Interest (Members and Ministers) Amendment Act – “amends The Conflict of Interest (Members and Ministers) Act as follows: Reports concerning gifts, benefits and private air travel are made public, Securities or stocks that a minister entrusts to another person are excluded from the minister’s disclosure statement, and Records that become public under the Act are not subject to destruction.”
  • 21 The Highway Traffic Amendment Act – “amends The Highway Traffic Act with respect to operators of regulated vehicles.”
  • 22 The Emergency Measures Amendment Act – “amends The Emergency Measures Act. The name of the Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization is changed to the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization. Every government department must prepare a continuity plan for responding to events that affect its ability to deliver services. A government department must also prepare an emergency management program if directed to do so by the minister. Further amendments are made to allow corporations or organizations to be designated as critical service providers by class as well as individually.”
  • 23 The Vulnerable Persons Living with a Mental Disability Amendment Act – “amends The Vulnerable Persons Living with a Mental Disability Act. “
  • 24 The Wildfires Amendment Act – “Inspection and enforcement powers are expanded and the maximum fines that may be imposed are increased. The requirements that apply when carrying on work within a burning permit area are now established by regulation. A work permit is no longer required.”
  • 25 The Workers Compensation Amendment Act (Wildfire Firefighters) – “lists heart injuries and specific cancers presumed to be caused by firefighting unless the contrary is proven. This Bill amends the Act to extend the presumptions to wildfire firefighters.”
  • 26 The Limitations Amendment and Public Officers Amendment Act – “amends The Limitations Act and The Public Officers Act.”
  • 27 The Intimate Image Protection Amendment Act – “amends The Intimate Image Protection Act. It shifts the burden of proof in an action for the non-consensual distribution of an intimate image. The distribution of an intimate image of a person is presumed to have occurred without their consent. A person who distributed the intimate image must establish that they had reasonable grounds to believe that they had consent from the person in the image to distribute that image.”
  • 28 The Local Government Statutes Amendment Act – “amends The City of Winnipeg CharterThe Municipal ActThe Northern Affairs Act and The Public Schools Act. The following people must take a leave of absence when they run for election as a member of the Legislative Assembly: a member of council of a municipality, including the City of Winnipeg; a member of a community council; a trustee of a school division or district. In addition, The Elections Act is amended to eliminate the prohibition on a member of council of a municipality being nominated for election as a member of the Legislative Assembly.”
  • 29 The Life Leases Amendment Act – ” This Bill amends The Life Leases Act to enhance the rights of tenants under life leases.”
  • 30 The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Amendment and Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corporation Amendment Act (2) – “amends The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Act and The Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corporation Act to establish a five-year pilot project that enables the operator of a retail store that meets requirements established by regulation to sell liquor in their store.”
  • 31 The Animal Care Amendment Act (2) – “The time limit for an appeal may be extended by the Animal Care Appeal Board. The appeal board may also dismiss a matter without a hearing in certain circumstances. Administrative amendments are made regarding notices of appeal filed with the appeal board. Amendments are also made regarding collection of costs under the Act.”
  • 32 An Act respecting Child and Family Services (Indigenous Jurisdiction and Related Amendments) – “An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families (Canada) affirms the right of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples to exercise jurisdiction in relation to child and family services and sets out a framework for coordinated service provision. This Bill amends several Acts to recognize Indigenous jurisdiction and support the implementation of the federal Act.”
  • 33 The Addiction Services Act – ” establishes The Addiction Services Act. A licence is required to provide addiction services that involve overnight accommodation, supervised consumption services and withdrawal management services to people with substance use addictions. Related amendments are made to The Personal Health Information Act and The Private Hospitals Act.”
  • 34 The Police Services Amendment Act – “This Bill amends The Police Services Act. The Director of Policing may establish standards respecting police service operations, facilities and equipment. The criminal intelligence director is responsible for creating standards dealing with criminal intelligence. The Manitoba Police Commission monitors police service compliance with policing standards.”
  • 35 The Education Administration Amendment Act (Teacher Certification and Professional Conduct) – “This Bill amends The Education Administration Act. To teach in a public school or funded independent school, a teacher must have a Manitoba teaching certificate. Key changes are made in relation to those certificates.”
  • 36 The Fair Registration Practices in Regulated Professions Amendment Act – “This Bill amends The Fair Registration Practices in Regulated Professions Act. Time limits are established in which a regulated profession must respond to an application for registration from an individual who has a similar registration in another Canadian jurisdiction. A regulated profession may apply to the minister for an extension of a time limit. Regulated professions are also required to comply with any regulations respecting English or French language proficiency testing requirements for domestic and internationally educated individuals. Compliance orders may now be made under this Act if a regulated profession fails to comply with a domestic trade agreement.”
  • 38 The Builders’ Liens Amendment Act (Prompt Payment) – “Bill amends The Builders’ Liens Act. A prompt payment scheme is established to facilitate the timely flow of construction project funds by imposing payment deadlines on each payor in the construction contract chain.”

In Committee

Passed


Private Bills

Introduced

  • 223 The Manitoba Assistance Amendment Act (Adult Education) – “amends The Manitoba Assistance Act. The director must consider whether undertaking adult education is the most appropriate employment enhancement measure for an assistance recipient.”
  • 224 The Transportation Infrastructure Amendment Act – ” amends The Transportation Infrastructure Act to add a requirement that the minister establish standards for clearing snow from provincial roads. These standards must meet the minimum requirements set out in a schedule to the Act and must be published.”
  • 225 The Health Services Insurance Amendment Act (Personal Care Home Staffing Guidelines) – “
  • This Bill amends The Health Services Insurance Act to require the minister to ensure that the current standards for paid care set out in the guidelines are maintained. The minister must also establish standards to ensure that the direct care provided to residents is adequate.
  • 226 The Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Amendment Act – ” This Bill amends The Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Act. In addition to screening for hearing loss, parents and guardians are offered the opportunity to have their infants tested for congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. The Act’s title is amended to reflect this change.
  • 227 The Workplace Safety and Health Amendment Act (Access to Washrooms for Delivery Persons) – “In most circumstances, the owner of a workplace must provide access to a washroom, on request, to a delivery person attending the workplace.”
  • 228 The Pay Transparency Act – “This Bill establishes The Pay Transparency Act to: prevent employers from seeking pay history about employees; require employers to include pay information in publicly advertised job postings; and require private sector employers with more than 100 employees to file a pay audit report with the Pay Equity Commissioner, including information on gender, diversity and pay of employees. All bids for public tenders must demonstrate that the bidder pays women, gender-diverse individuals and men equally.
  • 229 The Farmers’ Markets Week Act (Commemoration of Days, Weeks and Months Act Amended) – “This Bill amends The Commemoration of Days, Weeks and Months Act. The last full week of July of each year is proclaimed as Farmers’ Markets Week.”
  • 230 The Municipal Councils and School Boards Elections Amendment Act – “This Bill amends The Municipal Councils and School Boards Elections Act to require candidates to disclose offences to which they have pleaded guilty or in respect of which they have been found guilty. Offences for which a person received a record suspension under the Criminal Records Act (Canada) must be disclosed. Youth offences and those offences for which a pardon was granted under the Criminal Code (Canada) are excluded.

2nd Reading


For the status of all current bills click here.


Legislative Update March 2023

News

March 1, 2023 Manitoba Government Welcomes the Start of the Spring Legislative Session – The fifth session of the 42nd legislature began on March 1 at 1:30 p.m.

Government Bills

Fourth Session, 42nd Legislature

Introduced

Bill 12 The Minor Amendments and Corrections Act, 2023This Bill corrects typographical, numbering and other drafting errors. It also makes minor amendments to various Acts and regulations.

Private Bills

Introduced

Bill 221 The Fatality Inquiries Amendment Act (Overdose Death Reporting) – “This Bill amends The Fatality Inquiries Act to require the chief medical examiner to post a report on a government website setting out the number of drug overdose deaths in Manitoba for each month. The report must also identify the type of drug that is suspected of causing or contributing to each reported death.”

Bill 222 The Public Schools Amendment Act (Nutrition Programs) – “This Bill amends The Public Schools Act to require the minister to report each year by school division and school district on the schools that provided a nutrition program during the previous fiscal year. The minister must table the report in the Assembly and make it available to the public.”


For the status of all current bills click here.


Legislative Update: Adjourned for Holiday Season

Government News Releases

Recent Bill Activity

The House adjourned on December 1, 2022. The 5th Session of the 42nd Legislature will reconvene on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at 1:30 p.m.

Introduced

Government Bills

Private Members’ Bills

Passed

Government Bills

Public Bills

  • Bill 213 The Animal Care Amendment Act – ” This Bill amends The Animal Care Act to prohibit leaving a companion animal, such as a dog, in an unattended vehicle if the temperature in the vehicle is dangerously hot or cold for the animal. If the exterior temperature is more than 22 degrees C or less than -10 degrees C, it is presumed that the temperature inside the vehicle is dangerous for the animal. An officer is authorized to use force to enter a locked vehicle to remove an animal if they use the minimum necessary force, report the entry to an animal protection officer and remain with the animal until an animal protection officer arrives on the scene or provides instructions.” SM 2022, c. 54

See here for the current status of all bills.


Legislative Update 5th Session, 42nd Legislature

Government News Releases

Recent Bill Activity

Government Bills

Introduced

  • Bill 2  The Official Time Amendment Act – “amends The Official Time Act to discontinue the seasonal time change for daylight saving time.”
  • Bill 3 The Vital Statistics Amendment Act (Name Registration)   – “amends how a name may be expressed under The Vital Statistics Act. The letters, including marks above and below letters, and other typographical symbols permitted to be used in a name are set out in the Act, and additional ones may be set out in the regulations. The restriction on the number of names that may be included in a surname is removed. In accordance with a person’s traditional culture, a person may be registered under a single name instead of having both a given name and a surname. A registration that included a letter or typographical symbol that is now permitted is validated.”
  • Bill 4  The Minimum Wage Adjustment Act, 2022 (Employment Standards Code Amended) – “amends The Employment Standards Code to set the minimum wage at $14.15, effective April 1, 2023.”
  • Bill 5 The Demise of the Crown Act (Various Acts Amended) – mends several statutes to deal with the demise of the Crown. The chief legislative counsel is given a revision power to make changes to other Acts and regulations to reflect the change of sovereign.
  • Bill 6 The Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation Amendment Act – “makes several amendments to The Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation Act. The corporation is not required to pay benefits to a resident of a jurisdiction other than Manitoba if there is an interjurisdictional agreement that exempts the corporation from providing benefits to residents of that jurisdiction. Currently, an accident victim 65 years or older is entitled to an income replacement indemnity only if they are employed at the time of the accident. The entitlement is broadened to also apply if the victim has a job offer or a history of seasonal, casual or temporary employment.
    The corporation is authorized to pay funds in trust to a person to manage on behalf of a victim with impaired cognitive functioning, even if no formal committee or substitute decision maker has been appointed for the victim. The corporation’s ability to recover overpayments is strengthened.”

Public Bills

Introduced

  • Bill 200 The Black History Month Act (Commemoration of Days, Weeks and Months Act Amended) – “amends The Commemoration of Days, Weeks and Months Act. February of each year is proclaimed as Black History Month.”
  • Bill 201 The Residential Tenancies Amendment Act – “amends The Residential Tenancies Act. The Act currently establishes a process to set the maximum rent increase that may be charged for most rental units and allows landlords to apply for an order that authorizes rent increases above this amount. This Bill prevents landlords from applying for a larger rent increase unless the landlord has incurred eligible capital expenditures or there has been an extraordinary increase in taxes, utilities or security service costs. Larger rent increases cannot be charged until an order has been made that authorizes the increased rent. Landlords are prevented from removing or reducing rent discounts for one year after an application for a larger rent increase is made and from applying for a larger rent increase within one year after removing or reducing a rent discount.
  • Bill 202 The Abortion Protest Buffer Zone Act – ” establishes The Abortion Protest Buffer Zone Act. Access zones are created for clinics and facilities that provide abortion services and for service providers. Certain activities are prohibited within these zones. Certain activities are prohibited on school sites and within 50 metres of school sites.”
  • Bill 203 The Orange Shirt Day Statutory Holiday Act (Various Acts Amended) – “This Bill recognizes Orange Shirt Day, September 30, as a provincial statutory holiday for the purposes of The Employment Standards Code and The Interpretation Act.”
  • Bill 204 The Drivers and Vehicles Amendment Act (Licence Plates for MMIWG2S Awareness) – “amends The Drivers and Vehicles Act. It permits an organization to apply to the Registrar of Motor Vehicles to make a licence plate available that includes the abbreviation “MMIWG2S”, meaning missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people. The plate must also bear a graphic depicting a red hand or a red dress.”
  • Bill 205 The Restricting Mandatory Overtime for Nurses Act (Various Acts Amended) – “amends The Employment Standards Code to establish a separate overtime regime for nurses by January 1, 2024. Nurses are not obligated to work overtime in non-urgent circumstances. Amendments to The Licensed Practical Nurses Act and The Regulated Health Professions Act provide that a refusal by a nurse to work overtime in non-urgent circumstances does not constitute professional misconduct or breach the duty of care owed to their patient. This Bill also amends The Health Administration Act to require the minister to report twice a year to the Assembly about nurse position vacancies.”
  • Bill 206 The Louis Riel Act – “This Bill bestows the honorary title of “First Premier of Manitoba” on Louis Riel. The Bill requires the Manitoba education curriculum to include the significant contributions of Louis Riel.”
  • Bill 207 The Criminal Property Forfeiture Amendment Act – “This Bill amends The Criminal Property Forfeiture Act. Currently, money in the criminal property forfeiture fund may be used for programs operated by law enforcement agencies. The Bill enables the money to instead go to non-profit community organizations for social programs, such as affordable housing and restorative justice.”
  • Bill 208 The Protecting Youth in Sports Act – “establishes The Protecting Youth in Sports Act. A sports organization or association that receives government funding, a school division or an independent school must ensure that every coach; completes training in the prevention of sexual abuse, harassment, abuse and bullying in sport before commencing coaching youths; and undertakes not to host a young athlete in the coach’s home without prior permission of the athlete’s parent and, in the case of a student participating in an extra-curricular athletic activity, the principal of the student’s school.
  • Bill 209 The Manitoba Hydro Amendment Act (Referendum Before Privatization of Subsidiary) – “amends The Manitoba Hydro Act. Currently, the government may introduce a bill to privatize Manitoba Hydro only after a referendum has been held in which the majority of voters have approved the privatization. The amendment clarifies that the referendum requirement also applies to the privatization of any subsidiary of Manitoba Hydro.”

See here for the current status of all bills.


Regulations
NumberTitleRegistered Published
133/2022Lands Withdrawn from Prospecting Orders, amendment10 Nov. 202210 Nov. 2022
134/2022Impoundment of Vehicles Fees Regulation, amendment18 Nov. 202218 Nov. 2022
135/2022Wildlife Fees Regulation, amendment18 Nov. 202218 Nov. 2022

Regulations of Manitoba

The library will be closed on Good Friday, March 29.
The courthouse will be closed on Monday, April 1 but the library will be open for remote requests.