Legislative Update

by George Roy | Dec 4, 2019 | Bill Status, Legislation, New Bills

2nd Session, 42nd Legislature

New Bills

GOVERNMENT BILLS

Bill 8 The Pension Benefits Amendment Act – amends The Pension Benefits Act with a number of changes made in response to recommendations from the Manitoba Pension Commission. These changes include how pension plan members contribute, determine benefits, withdraw funds, and other important changes.

Bill 9 The Public Services Sustainability Amendment Act – amends The Public Services Sustainability Act by setting the start and duration of a sustainability period by regulation, limiting increases in pay during a sustainability period, giving the minister power to approve modest increases in pay, detailing compensation changes, and other clarifications.

Bill 10 The Regional Health Authorities Amendment Act (Health System Governance and Accountability) – amends the Act to consolidate administrative services related to health care and to centralize the delivery of certain health services across Manitoba. The Act is renamed The Health System Governance and Accountability Act.

Bill 11 The Minor Amendments and Corrections Act, 2019 – corrects typographical, numbering and other drafting errors. It also makes minor amendments to various Acts.

Bill 12 The Workplace Safety and Health Amendment Act – makes the following amendments to The Workplace Safety and Health Act: a discriminatory action is now referred to as a reprisal; the position of the chief prevention officer is eliminated; a referral for a reprisal must now be made to a safety and health officer within six months after the date of the alleged reprisal; an appeal of a decision made by a safety and health officer may be dismissed by the director if the appeal is frivolous or vexatious, or, in the case of a reprisal, if it was not referred to an officer within six months; and maximum fines for offences under the Act are increased.

Bill 14 The Public Sector Construction Projects (Tendering) Act – concerns tenders issued by government and other public sector bodies in relation to construction projects. It prohibits the issuing of a tender that would require the successful bidder to employ unionized employees or non-unionized employees for work on the project. Related amendments are included.

Bill 16 The Labour Relations Amendment Act – amends The Labour Relations Act to allow the transition of conciliation and grievance mediation functions to the private sector. The requirement to review provisions of the Act (introduced in 2000) respecting the settlement of subsequent collective agreements is repealed. The Lieutenant Governor in Council is given authority to make regulations setting fees for the various applications that may be made to the Manitoba Labour Board under The Labour Relations Act and other Acts.

Bill 17 The Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation Amendment Act (Claim Dispute Tribunal) – amends The Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation Act to establish the claim dispute tribunal. The tribunal is an independent body that has exclusive jurisdiction to resolve a dispute between an insured person and MPIC concerning vehicle repairs or the amount payable when a vehicle is damaged. In addition, the tribunal may resolve a dispute about MPIC’s determination of liability for an accident or a decision to deny coverage, unless the insured person elects to have those matters determined by the court instead.

Bill 19 The Public Service Act – provides a legislative framework for an ethical and effective public service for Manitoba. The values for an ethical and effective public service are set out in law and supported by codes of conduct, action plans and workforce management policies to be established across the public service. An employers’ council, ministerial directive power for broader public service employers, and consultation opportunities harmonize the delivery of public services in Manitoba.

Bill 21 The Workers Compensation Amendment Act – amends The Workers Compensation Act to deal with the governance of The Workers Compensation Board (“WCB”) and to respond to the 2016-2017 recommendations of the Legislative Review Committee. It includes significant changes to governance, coverage and assessment, compensation, administration, and enforcement.

PRIVATE BILLS

Bill 203 The Climate and Green Plan Amendment Act (Improved Climate Change Targets and Enhanced Ministerial Accountability) – This Bill amends The Climate and Green Plan Act to change how reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions are established and reported and to reduce ministers’ salaries until the targets are achieved.       

Bill Status

SECOND READING

Bill 7 – The Employment Standards Code Amendment Act – Dec. 2, 2019

Check the Bill Status to follow the legislative process.

Legislative Updates

by George Roy | Oct 16, 2019 | Bill Status, Legislation, New Bills

1st Session of the 42nd Legislature

New Bills

Government Bills

• Bill 3 – The Appropriation Act, 2019 – received Royal Assent and deemed in effect as of October 10, 2019

• Bill 4 – The Loan Act, 2019 – deemed to have come into force on April 1, 2019.

Private Bills

Bill 200 – The Legislative Assembly Amendment and Legislative Assembly Management Commission Amendment Act

Check the Bill Status to follow the legislative process.

2nd reading

• Bill 2 – The Public Services Sustainability Amendment Act
• Bill 200 – The Legislative Assembly Amendment and Legislative Assembly Management Commission Amendment Act

Passed

• Bill 22 – The Business Registration, Supervision and Ownership Transparency Act (Various Acts Amended)  – In effect January 1, 2020
  – amendment(s) adopted at Committee Stage

Legislative Update: New Bills

by George Roy | Oct 8, 2019 | Bill Status, Legislation, New Bills

First Session, Forty-Second Legislature

Government Bills

Bill 2: The Public Services Sustainability Amendment Act

This Bill amends The Public Services Sustainability Act. The key changes are as follows:

• the start date and the duration of a sustainability period for a group of unionized employees may be set by regulation;
• the increases in pay during a sustainability period that is set by regulation cannot exceed the maximum increases currently permitted under the Act;
• the minister may approve a collective agreement that provides for modest increases in additional remuneration;
• compensation changes that reflect sustainability savings identified in the course of collective bargaining may be approved by Treasury Board;
• a collective agreement may be exempted from the Act by regulation;
• references to the Manitoba Health Services Insurance Fund and other funds are removed;
• the recovery of overpayments is clarified.

Bill 22: The Business Registration, Supervision and Ownership Transparency Act (Various Acts Amended)

This Bill amends The Business Names Registration Act, The Cooperatives Act, The Corporations Act and The Partnership Act. The following are the key changes.

Extra-Provincial Registrations

Registrars may enter into agreements with other Canadian jurisdictions respecting the extra-provincial registration of corporations, partnerships and cooperatives. Cabinet may make regulations about these registrations.

Extra-provincial limited partnerships can now be registered in Manitoba.

Extra-provincial limited liability partnerships that have an attorney for service no longer require a registered office in Manitoba.

Supervision of Cooperatives

The Cooperatives Act is amended to authorize the minister to designate a Superintendent of Cooperatives. Those functions of the Registrar of Cooperatives that relate to the supervision over financial matters, the issuing of securities and appeals of membership terminations in a housing cooperative are transferred to the Superintendent. The Registrar is also no longer required to act as an adviser to cooperatives or provide model forms of articles and by-laws to cooperatives.

Ownership Transparency

The Corporations Act and The Cooperatives Act are harmonized with recent changes to federal legislation respecting ownership transparency.

Corporations must maintain a register of individuals who, separately or collectively, exert more than 25% of the shareholder voting rights. Reporting issuers, publicly traded corporations, licensed insurers and loan and trust corporations are exempt from this requirement.

Corporations and cooperatives are no longer allowed to issue options or other instruments that are convertible into bearer form. Holders of such instruments that are in bearer form can require the corporation or cooperative that issued them to convert them into registered form.

*Reinstated from the 4th Session, 41st Legislature

Private Members’ Bills:

Bill 200: The Legislative Assembly Amendment and Legislative Assembly Management Commission Amendment Act

This Bill amends The Legislative Assembly Act and The Legislative Assembly Management Commission Act. The definition “recognized opposition party” and the definition “other opposition party” are changed to include political parties that are represented in the Assembly by two or more members, provided that the party’s candidates received at least 10% of the votes cast in the last general election. Such a party and its members are not immediately entitled to any additional funding, salaries or allowances.

To follow the legislative process, be sure to check Bill Status daily.