UPDATED

The laws and regulations restricting non-essential uses of pesticides in Manitoba were changed with the adoption of legislation amending the provincial Environment Act on November 3, 2022. The amending bill received Royal Assent the same day, and is now law. These changes effectively repeal the provincial cosmetic pesticide ban that was previously in place.

Please consult the official statute, as amended, and any associated regulations for any legal guidance you may require. Pages on the web site of the Province of Manitoba explain their reasons for repealing the cosmetic pesticide ban. Note that CPBM does not share the Province’s confidence in Health Canada’s assessments of health and environmental risks associated with exposure to toxic pesticides. (Please see the Why ban cosmetic pesticides? section on this web site for details.) Since the new Government of Manitoba, elected in October 2023, has chosen not to reinstate the ban on cosmetic pesticides, the use of previously restricted toxic chemical pesticides is once again allowed for lawn care in Manitoba.

Unofficially then — any pesticide approved by Health Canada for the purpose may now be used in municipal, institutional and residential lawn care.  There are still prohibitions on using pesticides other than allowable pesticides on school grounds, hospital grounds, child care centres, municipal playgrounds, picnic areas, dog parks, and provincial parks.