Manitoba Workplaces Now Required to Provide Free Menstrual Products
As of September 1, 2026, changes to Manitoba’s Workplace Safety and Health Regulation require provincially regulated employers to provide menstrual products, including tampons and menstrual pads, to workers at no cost.
The new requirements are part of broader changes to Manitoba’s workplace safety and health regulations following recommendations made through the five-year review of The Workplace Safety and Health Act. The review was completed by the Workplace Safety and Health Review Committee in January 2025.
With the requirements now in effect, Manitoba has become the first province in Canada to require free menstrual products to be made available in workplace washrooms for employees.
For Manitoba employers, the changes introduce several new responsibilities related to washroom facilities and access to menstrual products.
What Are Employers Required to Provide?
Manitoba’s workplace safety and health regulations already establish requirements for workplace washroom facilities.
Employers are responsible for providing an appropriate number of toilets based on the number of employees and ensuring washroom facilities are maintained appropriately. This includes keeping facilities clean, sanitary and in working condition, as well as ensuring they have adequate lighting, ventilation and heating.
Washrooms must also have necessary supplies and features such as toilet tissue, waste containers and the ability to be locked.
Under the new requirements, employers must now also provide:
- A covered disposal container located near each toilet, regardless of gender; and
- Menstrual products at no cost to workers, including clean and hygienic tampons and menstrual pads.
For construction sites, the definition of an employer for these requirements also includes a prime contractor.
Businesses should therefore review their workplace washroom facilities to ensure both the required products and appropriate disposal containers are available.
Requirements Apply to Workers
An important distinction for businesses is that employers are required to provide menstrual products for their workers.
This means a business that maintains separate washrooms for employees and for customers or visitors is only required under these provisions to supply menstrual products in the facilities designated for workers.
For example, a business with a staff-only washroom and a separate public washroom would need to ensure the employee facility meets the new menstrual product requirements.
Businesses may still choose to make menstrual products available to customers and visitors, but the workplace requirement described here specifically relates to workers.
Requirements Apply to Workers
Not every Manitoba workplace has the same facilities.
Some businesses operate in older buildings, shared spaces or workplaces where available washroom space may make storing menstrual products difficult.
The new requirements recognize this by allowing employers to provide menstrual products somewhere else in the workplace when supplying them directly in a washroom is not reasonably practicable.
However, employers cannot simply place the products anywhere.
An alternative location must remain accessible to workers at all times and provide workers with a reasonable degree of privacy when obtaining the products.
Employers considering an alternative location should therefore think carefully about accessibility, convenience and privacy rather than simply choosing the nearest available storage space.
Choosing an Appropriate Alternative Location
Federally regulated workplaces are already subject to similar menstrual product requirements.
Federal guidance related to those requirements may provide Manitoba businesses with useful ideas when determining how products could be provided outside a washroom.
The federal approach encourages employers to consider whether menstrual products:
- Remain readily accessible to workers;
- Can be obtained discreetly and with appropriate privacy;
- Remain available if a washroom is temporarily closed; and
- Are accompanied by information about safe use where appropriate.
Potential alternative locations could include staff supply cabinets, closets or other areas that employees can access without having to request the products from another person.
This may be particularly useful in workplaces where washrooms are small or shared with customers and members of the public.
Different arrangements may also be necessary for employees who do not spend most of their working day at one traditional workplace.
For employees who regularly work outdoors, drive for work or travel between different job sites, locations such as an employer’s main office, dispatch area or primary workplace facility may potentially provide a practical place for supplies.
Employers should remember, however, that federal guidance applies to federally regulated workplaces. While it may provide useful examples for Manitoba businesses, it does not replace Manitoba’s own regulatory requirements.
Creating Accessible and Respectful Workplaces
With the new requirements now in effect, provincially regulated Manitoba employers should review their workplace facilities and confirm that they are compliant.
Employers should consider taking the following steps:
- Review employee washrooms to determine where menstrual products need to be supplied.
- Ensure tampons and menstrual pads are available at no cost to workers.
- Check every toilet area for an appropriate covered disposal container, including washrooms regardless of gender.
- Establish a process for regularly checking and restocking supplies so products remain available.
- Determine whether supplying products inside the washroom is reasonably practicable.
- Identify an appropriate alternative location where necessary, ensuring workers have consistent access and reasonable privacy.
- Communicate the availability and location of menstrual products to employees, particularly where products are stored outside washroom facilities.
Businesses with multiple locations should also consider whether each workplace has been reviewed individually. A solution that works at a traditional office may not necessarily work at a construction site, warehouse or workplace with employees regularly working away from the primary location.
Creating Accessible and Respectful Workplaces
While these requirements create new responsibilities for employers, they also form part of the broader responsibility businesses have to provide safe, sanitary and accessible workplace facilities.
Having a clear system for stocking menstrual products, maintaining appropriate disposal containers and ensuring workers know where supplies are available can help businesses integrate the new requirements into their existing workplace procedures.
Employers should also consider privacy when implementing these changes. Workers should be able to access required products in a practical and respectful manner without unnecessary barriers.
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