How to Start a Bakery in Winnipeg
Open a bakery in Winnipeg: no City business licence is needed, so the work is zoning, an occupancy permit, and the Manitoba Health permit.
Starting out in Winnipeg
How to Start Things in Winnipeg
Everything below is about Winnipeg itself: which businesses the City actually licenses, and the food businesses covered here. Manitoba-wide guides live on the Manitoba hub instead. Start with the three Winnipeg rules that trip up new businesses, then browse the guides.
Starting out in Winnipeg: three rules worth knowing
Most Winnipeg businesses need no City licence at all
Winnipeg licenses only the business activities named in its Community Safety Business Licensing By-law — eleven of them, including bicycle dealers, flea markets, precious metals and used goods dealers, converted residential dwellings, and short-term rental accommodations. If your activity isn't one of the eleven, the City doesn't license it; the municipal layer for most businesses is zoning and building permits instead.
Source: City of Winnipeg: Business Licences (winnipeg.ca)
A licence can still pull in zoning and other departments
Each licensed activity requires one or more permits or approvals from other City departments, and zoning restrictions may apply to where the activity can run. The City tells applicants to contact the Zoning Branch of the Planning, Property & Development Department about land use before applying for the licence.
Source: City of Winnipeg: Business Licences (winnipeg.ca)
Trade contractors are licensed as individuals
Winnipeg's contractor licences work differently from its business licences: a mechanical or electrical contractor licence is issued to a qualified individual, never to a company, and holding one is what lets that person obtain mechanical or electrical permits under the Winnipeg Building By-law and the Manitoba Electrical Code.
Source: City of Winnipeg: Mechanical licensed contractor information (winnipeg.ca)
Free tools
No tools built for this city yet. The guides below cover the ground.
Guides that apply in Winnipeg
The guides and tools below are about Winnipeg itself: its own licences, permits, and programs. Province-wide and Canada-wide guides live on their own hubs.
How to Start a Coffee Shop in Winnipeg
Open a coffee shop in Winnipeg: no City of Winnipeg licence is required for a food handling establishment, but you must register with Manitoba Health, submit your menu and floor plan, and get a health permit before operating.
How to Start a Food Truck in Winnipeg
Winnipeg has required no City licence for food handling establishments since April 1, 2015. A food truck runs on a Manitoba health permit, Winnipeg's certified food handler rule, a fire safety inspection, and a Winnipeg Parking Authority mobile vendor permit for City lots and streets.
How to Start a Restaurant in Winnipeg
Start a restaurant in Winnipeg: zoning and building permits from the City, the food handling establishment permit from the public health inspector, certified food handlers under the City food services by-law, and the LGCA liquor service licence.