Letter to the Editor: Manitoba's Electrology Moratorium Is Driving Workers Away

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Re: Manitoba Closing Doors to Workers

As the owner of a permanent hair removal clinic in Winnipeg for the past 45 years, I applaud and thank John Winthrop for his recent article highlighting the state of electrolysis in Manitoba.

For many people, unwanted hair is far more than a cosmetic concern. Excess facial or body hair can be distressing, socially isolating, and deeply damaging to self-esteem because of its defeminizing effects. Electrolysis remains the only permanent hair removal method approved for all hair colours and skin types.

Electrolysis has been practiced since the early 1900s. Originally performed by physicians, it eventually became the domain of specialized practitioners because of the time and skill required. When I entered the profession in 1978, the industry was unregulated. Private schools were certified through the Department of Education and operated under Health Department standards like tattoo parlours. In 1983, I opened a training school and taught electrolysis for 11 years.

In 1996, Manitoba designated electrolysis as a compulsory trade requiring 500 hours of theory and 1,000 hours of apprenticeship. Prior to that, most training programs consisted of 120 hours. While increased oversight and training standards were understandable given the invasive nature of the procedure, the apprenticeship requirement created an obstacle that the industry was simply unable to support.

At the time, there were perhaps a dozen practising electrologists in Winnipeg, most operating small or home-based businesses. There was no practical way to provide sufficient apprenticeship opportunities for those wishing to enter the profession.

Unfortunately, the long-term consequences were not fully considered. Manitoba became the only province to impose such stringent requirements. Other provinces continued to regulate electrolysis through private training programs without mandatory apprenticeships.

As a result, new practitioners became increasingly rare. For more than two decades, the profession struggled to attract and certify replacements for an aging workforce.

Then, in 2019, because of the failure of the model, the provincial government imposed a moratorium on new certifications. This effectively froze the profession and ensured that no new practitioners could legally enter the field.

The result has been frustration for the many Manitobans who cannot access certification pathways or obtain timely treatment.

Successive governments have been unresponsive to requests for action. They have shown little interest in resolving a problem largely created by government policy itself.

Today, electrolysis programs elsewhere in Canada typically range from 200 to 500 hours of training, with no apprenticeship requirement. Schools are free to develop curricula that align with standards recommended by national electrolysis associations.

If Manitoba wishes to preserve access to this vital service, it must remove barriers to entry and bring its regulatory framework into line with the rest of Canada. Otherwise, electrolysis in this province may disappear altogether.

J. Hiebert