LAWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

OHS Enforcement

Apr 12: Since the new enforcement year began on April 1, 2026, Manitoba has carried out 200 WSH inspections, resulting in the issuance of 9 Stop-Work Orders and 349 Individual Improvement Orders. There was also one reported OHS work refusal and five alleged reprisals. In the just completed 2025-26 enforcement year, there were 7,297 inspections, 14,838 Improvement Orders, and 524 Stop-Work Orders.

Action Point: Find out how to implement an OHS inspections policy in case inspectors show up at your door.

Infectious Illness

Apr 21: Second Reading for Bill 11 banning employers from requiring employees to provide a “sick note” verifying absences due to injury or illness unless either the absence lasts more than a week or the employee’s been absent more than 10 scheduled workdays in the calendar year. Employers must reimburse employees for the cost of getting a sick note.

Transportation Safety

May 1: Manitoba enacted new restrictions banning drivers from driving with any alcohol in their blood if they’ve previously been convicted of impaired operation related offences causing or resulting in bodily harm or death. Those who violate the new restrictions will be subject to penalties which mirror those for drivers with a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) between 0.05% and 0.08% under the Immediate Roadside Prohibition Program, including additional licence suspensions and monetary penalties ranging from $400 to $600 based on the number of offences, as well as vehicle impoundment, referral for driver assessment, and/or participation in the ignition-interlock program.

Transportation Safety

Apr 21: Legislation governing the use of low-powered personal electric vehicles such as electric kick-scooters, skateboards, self-balancing scooters, and unicycles, as well as three-wheeled vehicles, passed Second Reading. Bill 43 also clarifies that the use of an automated driving system is allowed only if it’s authorized under a pilot project or by a technology testing permit. It also requires all motor vehicles and trailers to be registered and plated even if a permit exempts it from weight and dimensions requirements.

Emergency Response

Apr 21: Manitoba expanded the 2025 Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) program to include dedicated funding for disaster risk reduction and wildfire mitigation. Previously focused solely on response and recovery, the DFA program will provide 12 municipalities directly affected by last year’s wildfires additional funding for projects designed to rebuild their communities while reducing future wildfire and disaster risk with each eligible municipality to receive mitigation funding equal to 25% of its total DFA‑eligible response and recovery costs.

Young Workers

Apr 16: Manitoba is investing up to $7.6 million in the Urban/Hometown Green Team program, which will create approximately 1,900 summer employment opportunities and support 624 projects in over 170 communities across the province. The grants cover 100% of wage costs plus $250 per position for non-profit organizations, and 50% of wage costs for municipalities on a cost-shared basis.

Action Point: Planning to hire students this summer? Find out how to implement a legally sound and effective New and Young Workers Safety and Compliance Game Plan.

Infectious Illness

May 1: Starting in October, all infants in Manitoba will be eligible to receive one free dose of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) antibody vaccination during their first RSV season. The dose will be offered shortly after birth in hospitals or through public health offices, nursing stations, and other designated sites across the province. This means infants born at any time of year will be eligible during their first RSV season, including those born outside of the fall and winter months.

Action Point: Find out how to use the OHS Insider Infection Exposure Control Plan template to prevent RSV, measles, and other infectious illness outbreaks at your workplace.

Industry Challenges

Apr 10: The province announced that it plans to invest an additional $2.5 million in the Manitoba Mineral Development Fund (MMDF) to generate sustainable economic growth in the mining industry. Since its establishment in July 2020, the MMDF has approved 131 projects and invested more than $22.5 million, resulting in the creation of 728 short-term jobs, 500 long-term jobs, and 274 partnerships.

Retaliation

Apr 14: Legislation (Bill 14) to beef up protections for public sector whistleblowers passed Second Reading. Highlights: i. The chief executive of a public body must act as the designated officer when a disclosure of alleged wrongdoing involves the designated officer or another senior official; ii. A disclosure involving the chief executive must be referred to the Ombudsman or, if the chief executive is a deputy minister, to the Clerk of the Executive Council; iii. An employee may make a disclosure despite any agreement to the contrary; iv. The circumstances in which reprisals are prohibited expanded to include when the employee is suspected of making a disclosure, declines to participate in a wrongdoing, or otherwise complies with the Act; and v. The person alleged to have taken reprisal action has the burden of proving that it didn’t take reprisal action.

Privacy

Apr 23: Bill 51 requiring the government, government agencies, health authorities, universities, school divisions, municipalities, and other public sector entities to comply with regulations governing the use of AI systems and cybersecurity has been reported out of Committee. Such regulations may include provisions requiring disclosure of information about AI use, development of accountability frameworks, and reporting of cybersecurity incidents.

Action Point: Find out about the 11 ways you can use Artificial Intelligence to improve workplace safety and OHS compliance without trampling on workers’ privacy rights.

Environmental

Apr 20: Bill 18 authorizes Manitoba environment officers to issue compliance orders for Waste Reduction and Prevention Act violations. Companies that don’t take the measures listed in the order will be subject to administrative monetary penalties. The Bill also includes new restrictions on knowingly providing false or misleading information to environmental officers or in reports required by the Act.

CASES

Powered Mobile Equipment: Government Agency Fined $100,000 for Wildfire Worker’s ATV Rollover Death

A government worker lost control of the all-terrain vehicle (ATV) they were operating on a paved road. The ATV rolled over and ejected the worker resulting in fatal injuries. The victim’s employer was fined $100,000 after pleading guilty to three OHS violations, including failure to train and ensure worker compliance with safe work procedures and ensure that workers who operate ATVs use proper headwear protection [Manitoba Dept. of Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures, Wildfire Service, Govt. Press Release, April 20, 2026].

Action Point: Implementing an effective Powered Mobile Equipment Operation Policy like the one on the OHS Insider site can help you prevent such tragedies and the 6-figure OHS fines they can lead to.