The Minor Amendments and Corrections Act, 2026
Chamber
manitoba
Stage
Introduced
This Manitoba bill fixes typos, updates outdated language, and makes minor corrections across 87 provincial laws.
Key Changes
- Replaces the term 'child pornography' with 'child sexual abuse and exploitation material' in multiple Manitoba laws to align with updated federal and provincial language
- Renames the Manitoba Film and Music Corporation to the Manitoba Film and Sound Recording Development Corporation in law, and validates contracts already signed under that name
- Repeals five outdated private Acts: La Congrégation des Filles de la Croix, the Lutheran Council in Canada, the Missionary Oblate Sisters of St. Boniface, the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict, and the Thistle Curling Club
- Allows a justice to extend the 30-day deadline to challenge a default conviction under the Provincial Offences Act if the person had circumstances beyond their control
- Clarifies that child protection orders can last for any period, including until the child reaches the age of majority (18)
- Fixes French-language terminology across many professional regulatory laws to ensure the French and English versions say the same thing
Gotchas
- Section 52 (Municipal Assessment Act correction) is deemed to have come into force on January 12, 1990 — meaning it retroactively fixes a drafting error that has existed in law for over 35 years. The original French text said the opposite of what was intended regarding taxable property.
- Section 6 (Change of Name Amendment Act correction removing gendered pronouns) is backdated to November 5, 2025, meaning it is treated as if it was already in effect before this bill passed.
- Section 76 (Social Services Administration Act — definition of residential care facility) does not come into force automatically; it requires a separate proclamation, meaning the government controls when this change actually takes effect.
- The validation clause in section 30(6) retroactively legalizes contracts signed by the Manitoba Film and Sound Recording Development Corporation between June 3, 2025, and the bill's passage — meaning contracts were being signed under a name that was not yet legally recognized.
- The bill adds a new power under the Workplace Safety and Health Act allowing the government to create public registries of employers or individuals whose businesses may pose safety or health risks — a potentially significant new tool not highlighted in the bill's title or explanatory note.
Who's Affected
- Manitoba government departments and agencies whose enabling laws are being corrected
- Regulated health and professional bodies (dentists, nurses, pharmacists, engineers, etc.) whose disciplinary hearing rules are being clarified in French
- People who receive traffic or bylaw tickets and miss the deadline to challenge a default conviction
- Children involved in child protection proceedings
- The Manitoba film and music industry (name change affects tax credit eligibility references)
- Francophone Manitobans, as many corrections improve accuracy of French-language laws
Vibes
0 responses
Gotchas
- Section 52 (Municipal Assessment Act correction) is deemed to have come into force on January 12, 1990 — meaning it retroactively fixes a drafting error that has existed in law for over 35 years. The original French text said the opposite of what was intended regarding taxable property.
- Section 6 (Change of Name Amendment Act correction removing gendered pronouns) is backdated to November 5, 2025, meaning it is treated as if it was already in effect before this bill passed.
- Section 76 (Social Services Administration Act — definition of residential care facility) does not come into force automatically; it requires a separate proclamation, meaning the government controls when this change actually takes effect.
- The validation clause in section 30(6) retroactively legalizes contracts signed by the Manitoba Film and Sound Recording Development Corporation between June 3, 2025, and the bill's passage — meaning contracts were being signed under a name that was not yet legally recognized.
- The bill adds a new power under the Workplace Safety and Health Act allowing the government to create public registries of employers or individuals whose businesses may pose safety or health risks — a potentially significant new tool not highlighted in the bill's title or explanatory note.
Summary
This is a housekeeping bill — it does not create major new policies. Instead, it goes through dozens of Manitoba laws and fixes small errors like typos, wrong cross-references, outdated names, and mismatches between the English and French versions of laws. This kind of bill is introduced regularly to keep the province's laws accurate and consistent. Some of the changes are more than just typos. For example, the bill replaces the outdated term 'child pornography' with 'child sexual abuse and exploitation material' across several laws, updates the name of the Manitoba Film and Music Corporation to its correct legal name, and repeals five old private Acts for organizations that no longer need their own legislation (including a curling club and two religious orders). The bill also makes a few small but meaningful legal fixes — like allowing a judge to extend the deadline for someone to challenge a traffic or bylaw conviction if they missed the deadline for reasons beyond their control, and clarifying that child protection orders can last until a child turns 18.
Automatically generated from bill text using Claude
Vibes
0 responses