Manitoba government says apprentice work hours exceeding target

WINNIPEG — The Manitoba government says apprentice hours are well above target on several major construction projects in the province.

Jobs Minister Jamie Moses says early data shows apprentices worked 21 per cent of hours on four school construction projects and the Victoria Hospital emergency room build in Winnipeg — roughly double the minimum.

He says the province has also seen the highest number of new certified skilled trades members in five years, as well the highest number of apprentices in five years who are women, Indigenous or have disabilities.

Tanya Palson, who leads an umbrella group of unionized construction workers, says the 2025 Manitoba Jobs Agreement provided the numbers to better understand what’s happening on construction sites.

Palson, executive director of the Manitoba Building Trades Council, says the group originally negotiated a 10 per cent minimum for apprentice hours because there was no data on how many hours they had been working.

Industry associations have raised numerous concerns about the jobs agreement, including increased administrative and compliance burdens such as detailed workforce reporting.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2026.

Ian Bickis, The Canadian Press