ManitobaManitoba is updating its regulations governing the handling of asbestos to protect workers from dangerous exposure to the material, the leading cause of work-place related deaths in the province, the government says. ‘Stronger, clearer rules were needed to protect workers’: labour minister saysCBC News · Posted: Dec 04, 2025 12:21 PM EST | Last Updated: 1 hour agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.A file picture of asbestos. Manitoba’s NDP government is updating its rules governing the safe handling of the material that can cause several health conditions, including cancer. (CBC)Manitoba is updating its regulations governing the handling of asbestos to protect workers from dangerous exposure to the material, the leading cause of work-place related deaths in the province, the government says. “Stronger, clearer rules were needed to protect workers. At the end of the day, this work is about prevention. It’s about making sure that people who repair and maintain our buildings can go home safe to their families,” Labour and Immigration Minister Malaya Marcelino told reporters at a news conference on Thursday.Under the new rules, workers who handle asbestos will need to be trained and certified. Employers who use the material will need to register with the province, while building owners will take on greater responsibility to ensure workers are not put at risk, the province says. The government is giving workers until June 2027 to either pass an exam conducted by the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba on the safe handling of asbestos or be trained and take the test to be certified, Marcelino said.Companies with employees handling asbestos will also need to be registered with the province by June 2027, or they won’t be authorized to work with the material. Asbestos was commonly used in roofing materials, insulation and other building products for decades in Canada. It was not fully banned in Canada until 2018, although its use was largely phased out around 1990.During demolition and construction projects, microscopic asbestos fibres can be released and trapped in people’s lungs. It’s known to cause several health conditions, including cancer.The government initially announced regulations governing asbestos were expected to come in October. Manitoba’s regulations follow a model for asbestos exposure prevention that has been in place in British Columbia since 2024. It requires workers in that province to get special training before doing asbestos abatement in buildings.
Manitoba updates asbestos regulations, including workers’ certification, employer registration
