Services for Business

Companies Office

• Provides information on corporations and business names in Manitoba.
• Registers business names or incorporates corporations.
• Reviews names of new companies.

Consumers' Bureau

• Licences/registers/grants certifications or authorizations to vendors and individual sellers engaged in direct selling; collection agencies and collectors; hearing aid dealers; charities fundraising in Manitoba; and manufacturers or renovators of stuffed articles.
• Informs and educates businesses of their rights and responsibilities as well as potential risks in the marketplace.

Financial Institutions Regulation Branch

• Administers legislation governing insurance companies, trust and loan corporations, credit unions, caisse populaires and cooperatives operating in Manitoba.
• Reviews and approves legal documents for credit unions, caisse populaires and cooperatives and maintains a registry open to the public.
• Licences accident and baggage insurance agents, hail insurance agents and hail insurance adjusters.

Manitoba Securities Commission

• Establishes rules and provides information to businesses looking to raise capital by selling securities.
• Licenses individuals in the securities and real estate industry.

The Property Registry

• Provides a registry where ownership and interests in land (such as a mortgage or caveat) may be recorded and where records are maintained of all personal property registered as security for a loan, or collateral in Manitoba.

The Public Utilities Board

• Regulation of certain prices charged by MPI and public utilities.
• Licensing authority for cemeteries and funeral directors selling pre-arranged funeral plots.

The Residential Tenancies Branch

• Offers mediation and adjudication services on Claims and Applications for Orders of Possession.
• Provides clients with information on the Orders the Branch has issued since 1999.
• Provides Rent Status reports to individuals or businesses considering the purchase of residential housing complexes.
• Investigates possible breaches of the Residential Tenancies Act and the Life Lease Act and provides background information to resolve disputes.

The Residential Tenancies Commission

• Hears appeals by landlords and tenants on orders and decisions issued by the Residential Tenancies Branch.

Tax Assistance Office

• Informs and assists residents of Manitoba on the Manitoba income tax and tax credit programs.
• Monitors all claims to ensure accuracy, corrects inaccurate claims and recovers ineligible amounts previously claimed by taxpayers.

Taxation Division

• Provides information on retail sales, payroll, corporation capital, tobacco, motive, gasoline, mining and revenue taxes.