Negotiations and payment reminders do not, by themselves, extend a statutory lien deadline.
The Builders' Liens Act
The prompt-payment provisions came into force on 1 April 2025. Check the contract transition provisions and confirm that the work falls within the Act before calculating.
Sections 90–94 deal with payment and non-payment in the chain. The owner’s 28-day payment and 14-day notice windows run from the proper invoice being given.
Read the governing sourceThe explanation below is a cross-province introduction. This jurisdiction note does not make every general example a rule for this province. Read the original lien rights guide for the shared explanation.
Separate rights can run at the same time
A construction lien is a distinct statutory remedy connected to qualifying work or materials. A payment claim, a prompt-payment notice and an adjudication are not interchangeable with a lien preservation step.
The governing law determines the land or funds affected, who can claim, the triggering event, the period for preservation and any later step required to continue the claim.
The triggering event is fact-sensitive
Completion, abandonment, termination, last supply, certification or other events can matter under different regimes. A date copied from an invoice is not automatically the correct trigger.
Special types of work and projects can change the rule. A generic Canada-wide day count is not a reliable basis for preserving a claim.
Escalate uncertainty early
Keep supply records, contract documents, completion evidence and payment history together. If a lien right may matter, ask a construction lawyer to identify the applicable preservation and follow-on steps while they remain available.
This site deliberately does not calculate lien expiry from a single last-work date. The necessary factual and legal assessment is more involved.
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These are general educational explanations, not advice on a specific contract. Check the version of the law that applies to your project. This edition has not been represented as independently reviewed by a lawyer.
ManitobaThe Builders' Liens ActSource register & editorial method