Manitoba worker dead after fall from roof

The province is investigating after a worker died on the job after falling off a roof last month.

The worker, who was employed by Winnipeg-based Pristine Roofing & Siding, was critically injured on Sept. 22 after falling from a roof during a residential re-roofing project in the Rural Municipality of St. Andrews, a provincial spokesperson said in an email.

The man later died.

The investigation is ongoing, and no other information will be provided, the spokesperson said Thursday.

The company is a registered with the Manitoba Exterior Contractors Association, which requires its members to be accredited with a certificate of recognition. Those standards include heights training, harness protocols and fall risk instruction. The association didn’t immediately respond to an interview request.

A spokesperson with the Roofing Contractors Association of Manitoba offered condolences to the worker’s family.

“Any loss of life on a job site is tragic, and our thoughts are with the worker’s family, friends, and colleagues,” Amy Frank said in an email, noting Pristine Roofing & Siding isn’t a member of the association as it primarily does residential work. “Above all, we want everyone to go home safe every day.”

Last year, there were 15 work-related deaths in the province, down from 22 in 2024, according to data from the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba.

Earlier this week, the Manitoba Federation of Labour called for an independent review of the Workers Compensation Board, after statistics showed Manitoba leads the country in workplace injury rates.

Last year, 2.5 employees out of every 100 reported a workplace injury serious enough to take time off, WCB tracking shows. The number is higher than any other province, which continues a three-year trend, the labour association said. British Columbia had the next highest time loss injury rate in 2025: 2.04 people for every 100.

Kevin Rebeck, president of the Manitoba Federation of Labour, said many workplace deaths are preventable and more funding for more safety programs is needed. He also said safety and injury records for companies covered by the WCB should be made publicly available.

“Any time I see a workplace death or a workplace injury occur, I just wonder what are we not doing right to protect those workers? Have we put in the best prevention and safety systems we can?” he said.

“I fear if we have the highest injury rate in the country, we’re not doing as best as we can for those workers.”

Pristine Roofing & Siding did not respond to a request for comment.

matthew.frank@winnipegfreepress.com