Meet Manitoba’s newest laws

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This article was published 02/06/2022 (1571 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Other bills that received royal assent Wednesday in Manitoba:

— Bill 2 (Public Services Sustainability Repeal Act) formally nixed legislation promoted by former premier Brian Pallister that froze then-severely limited public-sector wage increases.

— Bill 7 (Police Services Amendment Act — Enhancing Independent Investigation Unit Operations) changes the Police Services Act to improve the police watchdog’s communication with the Indigenous community and imposes fines and penalties on officers who break the new rules.

— Bill 8 (Court of Appeal Amendment and Provincial Court Amendment Act) ensures candidates for judicial appointments participate in education on matters related to sexual assault and social context, and outlines continuing education for judges. It changes Manitoba’s selection process for judges, increasing the number of those on the selection committee who are not judges or lawyers, and enhances accountability by assuring all those who apply will be evaluated by the committee.

— Bill 9 (Scrap Metal Act) requires scrap metal details to keep records of sellers, limit cash purchases from them and provide regular reports.

— Bill 15 (Drivers and Vehicles Amendment and Highway Traffic Amendment Act) allows for police reports under the Highway Traffic Act to be filed electronically rather than in-person.

— Bill 16 (Financial Administration Amendment Act) caps provincial borrowing and places a debt ceiling on Manitoba Hydro.

— Bill 17 (Family Law Act, Family Support Enforcement Act and the Inter-jurisdictional Support Orders Amendment Act) clarifies the rights and duties of family members and makes the law clearer and easier to understand.

— Bill 18 (Legislative Security Amendment Act) prohibits activities, which are to be spelled out later, on the grounds of the legislature with fines and evictions for violators.

— Bill 19 (Beneficiary Designation, Retirement, Savings and Other Plans, Amendment Act) requires a plan administrator to verify the identity of a person changing the designation of a beneficiary and when that designation can be changed.

— Bill 21 (Highway Traffic Amendment and Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation Amendment Act) authorizes municipalities to designate a street as a shared street in which drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and other users have equal priority and must share the road with a speed limit of not more than 20 km/h.

— Bill 23 (Reducing Red Tape and Improving Services Act, 2022) changes 10 acts to “reduce or eliminate regulatory requirements or prohibitions, to improve services and to streamline government operations.”

— Bill 26 (Officers of the Assembly Act, Various Acts Amended) says officers (such as chief electoral officer and auditor general) will be appointed by the assembly on the recommendation of the standing committee on legislative affairs rather than by cabinet on the recommendation of a committee of the assembly.

— Bill 27 (Highway Traffic Amendment Act, Alternative Measures for Driving Offences) says when convicted impaired drivers are dealt with by alternative measures, the attorney general must provide written notice to the registrar of motor vehicles. The registrar must issue a restricted licence to the person that only permits the person to drive a vehicle equipped with an ignition-interlock device for a specific period of time.

— Bill 29 (Mennonite College Federation Amendment Act) reflects the evolution of the Mennonite College Federation into the Canadian Mennonite University.

— Bill 30 (Police Services Amendment and Law Enforcement Review Amendment Act) allows for the creation of a code of conduct for police in Manitoba with the exception of RCMP officers and extends the time for filing complaints to the Law Enforcement Review Agency to 180 days from 30 days.

— Bill 31 (Minor Amendments and Corrections Act) corrects typographical, numbering and other drafting errors and makes minor amendments to various acts.

— Bill 32 (Victims’ Bill of Rights Amendment Act) allows for compensation to the family members of a victim despite the victim’s conviction for certain offences and allows a victim in a sexual assault case to receive, at no cost, independent legal representation if the victim’s personal information is sought to be used as evidence by the accused.

— Bill 33 (Municipal Assessment Amendment and Municipal Board Amendment Act) allows for permit notices and other documents to be sent electronically and gives the board the power to dismiss a matter without a hearing in certain circumstances.

— Bill 34 (City of Winnipeg Charter Amendment and Planning Amendment Act) says non-employees of the city may be appointed to act as inspectors and issue orders to remedy contraventions and updates the manner for giving notice of public hearings concerning development applications.

— Bill 37(International Child Support and Family Maintenance, Hague Convention, Act) allows for the international recovery of child support and other forms of family maintenance.

— Bill 41 (Child and Family Services Amendment Act) allows for information sharing between those who administer the act and the Indigenous governing bodies and Indigenous service providers who administer Indigenous laws respecting child and family services.

Five private member’s bills that proclaim special days and weeks also received royal assent.