Manitoba E-Scooter Laws: Bill 43 Has Passed But Is Not Yet in Force

Manitoba passed a law creating e-scooter rules on June 1, 2026, but that law is not yet in force, so today Manitoba still has no operative e-scooter framework at all, and at least one town has already written its own rules while the province waits.

Is it legal in Manitoba right now?

As of today, Manitoba has no operative statutory framework specifically governing e-scooters. The Highway Traffic Act (C.C.S.M. c. H60) does not classify an e-scooter as a bicycle, a motorcycle, or a motor vehicle. CBC News has described the resulting state as "largely unregulated."

That is not the same as nothing having been done. A bill exists, has passed the Legislature, and has received Royal Assent. It is simply not the law yet, because it has not been proclaimed into force. That distinction matters and is worth stating plainly, because it is easy to assume a bill that received Royal Assent is already the law.

Royal Assent is not the same as being in force

In Manitoba's legislative process, a bill goes through first reading, second reading, committee review, third reading, and then Royal Assent, at which point it becomes a fully passed Act. An Act can still specify that it does not take legal effect immediately. Bill 43, the Highway Traffic Amendment and Drivers and Vehicles Amendment Act, received Royal Assent on June 1, 2026. Its coming-into-force clause states only that it takes effect "on a day to be fixed by proclamation," with no automatic date and no confirmed section-by-section schedule.

The Legislative Assembly's own Status of Bills tracking document marks Bill 43's "In Effect" column with a "P," for by Proclamation, rather than a date. That is the definitive confirmation: as of the last tracked status, the government had not yet proclaimed it, meaning none of its e-scooter rules can be enforced. The government told CBC in writing that "further regulatory work is required to support the full implementation of Bill 43," and that it is "working through the necessary regulatory amendments that will accompany these legislative changes."

This is the single most time-sensitive fact on this page. Proclamation can happen at any time, with no fixed public timeline, and once it does, the rules described below become enforceable. Before relying on this page, check Manitoba's statute proclamation index directly for whether Bill 43 has since been proclaimed.

What Bill 43 will do, once it is in force

Bill 43 creates a new "personal electric vehicle" (PEV) category covering electric kick scooters, e-skateboards, self-balancing scooters, unicycles, or similar vehicles, alongside power-assisted bicycles. Under the bill as passed:

• Combined motor output is capped at 500 W
• The device itself cannot be capable of exceeding 32 km/h
• Riders are further capped at 25 km/h while operating on a highway or bicycle facility
• Maximum weight is 45 kg
• Minimum age is 16 (14 for power-assisted bicycles)
• Helmets are mandatory for riders of all ages, except on private property
• No towing, and no passengers on a PEV that is not a power-assisted bicycle
• PEVs are prohibited on highways posted above 50 km/h, except to cross at an intersection
• Sidewalk riding is banned by default across the province, though the bill allows municipalities to permit it locally once the provincial framework is actually in force

None of this can be enforced today. It describes the law Manitoba will have once Bill 43 is proclaimed, not the law that exists now.

The bill also amends The Drivers and Vehicles Act, The Off-Road Vehicles Act, and The Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation Act, which signals that MPI's insurance rules are expected to change alongside it, though no detail on what that will look like has been published. Penalties under the amended Highway Traffic Act have not been confirmed and are not stated here; they depend on the schedule that takes effect once the province proclaims the bill.

Morden legislated first; Winnipeg is waiting

While the province's own framework sits unproclaimed, at least one Manitoba municipality has already acted on its own authority. Morden, a city about 95 km southwest of Winnipeg, amended its traffic control bylaw to set its own rules for e-bikes, e-scooters, and e-skateboards, doing so ahead of and independent of Bill 43. Morden's bylaw sets a $50 fine, and repeated flagrant abuse can lead to impoundment. Police Chief Sean Aune framed the change as education-first, driven by concern about young riders, high speeds, and a lack of helmets in what had been an unregulated space.

Winnipeg has not passed anything. The city says it is still determining which bylaw changes might make sense and wants to see the provincial framework finalized first, including whether it will need to decide separately whether to permit sidewalk riding, since the province's bill otherwise bans it by default.

The Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM) wrote to the province in April 2026 seeking clarity, and flagged a real enforcement problem: in RCMP-serviced smaller communities, policing resources are "already stretched thin," and it remains unclear whether non-police Community Safety Officers will even have authority to enforce PEV rules. The AMM's own words:

"Without clear provincial guidance and support, there is a risk that enforcement will become largely complaint-driven, further straining already overstretched police and bylaw services."

Enforcement in practice

No Winnipeg-specific enforcement data exists, which is consistent with there being no operative provincial framework to enforce. In Morden, Chief Aune has said it is unlikely police cruisers will be pulling riders over right away, favouring an education-first approach, though no ticket counts have been published there either. No enforcement statements from Winnipeg Police or Manitoba RCMP specific to e-scooters have been reviewed for this article.

What the regulatory gap does not mean

A law that has not been proclaimed, and a lack of published enforcement, are not the same thing as there being no risk. A few consequences do not wait for Bill 43 to take effect:

• MPI (Autopac) has published no stated position on e-scooter coverage at all. Its own "What's Not Covered" page does not mention e-scooters or personal electric vehicles anywhere; the closest related exclusion covers motorized mobility aids, and only in specific circumstances. That silence is itself worth knowing: it means a rider cannot point to any stated Autopac coverage for an e-scooter today.
• Ordinary civil liability still applies. Riding without a licensing or insurance framework does not shield anyone from being sued after causing an injury or property damage; it simply means there is currently no e-scooter-specific insurance product standing behind that liability.
• A municipality that has already acted, like Morden, can fine or impound now, regardless of what the province eventually proclaims. Local bylaws do not need to wait for Bill 43.
• The regulatory gap will close, and it can close at any time. Once Bill 43 is proclaimed, the rules summarized above become enforceable, with no guarantee of advance public notice beyond the proclamation itself. Riding as though the current gap is permanent is a bet on a timeline nobody controls.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it legal to ride an e-scooter in Manitoba?

There is currently no provincial law that specifically permits or licenses e-scooters in Manitoba. The Highway Traffic Act does not classify them at all, and a bill that would create a full framework, Bill 43, received Royal Assent on June 1, 2026 but has not been proclaimed into force. Locally, Morden has passed its own bylaw regulating e-scooters; Winnipeg has not.

What is Bill 43 and is it in effect?

Bill 43 is the Highway Traffic Amendment and Drivers and Vehicles Amendment Act. It passed the Manitoba Legislature and received Royal Assent on June 1, 2026, but its own text says it only takes effect on a day to be fixed by proclamation. The Legislative Assembly's Status of Bills tracker confirms it had not been proclaimed as of its last tracked update. Check Manitoba's statute proclamation index for the current status before assuming it is now in force.

What rules will apply to e-scooters once Bill 43 is proclaimed?

As passed, Bill 43 creates a personal electric vehicle category with a 500 W motor limit, a 32 km/h device speed ceiling, a 25 km/h operating cap for riders, a 45 kg weight limit, a minimum age of 16, and mandatory helmets for riders of all ages. It bans sidewalk riding by default, though municipalities could permit it locally afterward. None of this is enforceable until the province proclaims the bill.

Has any Manitoba city already made its own e-scooter rules?

Yes. Morden amended its traffic control bylaw to regulate e-bikes, e-scooters, and e-skateboards on its own authority, ahead of and separate from the provincial bill, with a $50 fine and impoundment possible for repeated flagrant abuse. Winnipeg has not passed a bylaw and says it is waiting to see the province's finalized framework.

Is an e-scooter covered by MPI (Autopac) in Manitoba?

MPI has not published any stated position on e-scooter or personal electric vehicle coverage. Its published list of exclusions does not mention e-scooters at all. Bill 43 separately amends The Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation Act, which suggests insurance rules are expected to change once the bill is proclaimed, but no details have been published.

Can I still get in trouble riding an e-scooter in Manitoba today?

Yes. Even without a provincial licensing framework, ordinary civil liability for causing an injury or property damage still applies, and a municipality that has already passed its own bylaw, such as Morden, can fine or impound independently of the province. The lack of a finalized provincial law is not the same as no consequences.