On December 11th, 2025, leaders from Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities met with the Honourable Uzoma Asagwara, Deputy Premier of Manitoba and Minister of Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care, to discuss strategic health care priorities. This meeting was a valuable opportunity to connect, share realities and needs from each community, and listen to diverse perspectives. Above all, it highlighted the importance of proactive collaboration between the provincial government and municipalities to develop tailored, sustainable, and effective solutions.
During the roundtable, representatives of Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities outlined shared concerns around access to care, workforce recruitment, and regional coordination, while also emphasizing unique local challenges. These municipalities, which saw an average growth rate of over 8% between 2016 and 2021—well above the provincial average of 5%—reflect significant dynamism. They also benefit from a strong health network, with ten hospitals, including five in rural areas, serving the needs of their communities.
Urgent Staffing Needs
Participants stressed the need to strengthen emergency services in rural areas, particularly along strategic corridors such as Highway 6, Highway 75, and the Trans-Canada Highway. Several ambulance station projects were mentioned, including in the Rural Municipality of Lorne. Training and availability of paramedics were identified as critical issues, with a need to optimize deployment in the field.
For some municipalities, the pressure is even greater. For example, the Rural Municipality of Alexander sees its population triple in summer, making health care staffing essential to ensure adequate services. Leaders from Alexander and the Town of Powerview-Pine Falls also noted that the Pine Falls Health Complex plays a key role in the region and that a mobile CT scanner would help relieve pressure on the hospital and improve access to care for all.
Municipal representatives emphasized the importance of proactive plans to attract and retain staff, including fast-track pathways for professionals trained in Canada and abroad, and promoting health careers starting at the high school level to meet future needs.
In Winnipeg, the opening of the new emergency department at Hôpital St. Boniface Hospital demonstrates the provincial government’s commitment to reducing wait times and ensuring patient dignity. This modernized space will better serve the community while providing optimal working conditions for medical staff, thereby improving the quality and efficiency of emergency care in the region.
Care for Seniors
Participants also raised concerns about seniors’ care, with urgent needs for housing and services in several municipalities, including Saint-Laurent, Montcalm, and Piney.
The Rural Municipality of Taché stressed the importance of enabling seniors to remain in their communities rather than being forced to relocate to urban centers. Staying close to their familiar environment helps preserve their connections and fosters essential intergenerational contact.
Regional coordination and planning were central themes. Creating regional coordinator positions, as proposed by the Rural Municipality of Ritchot and supported by the Village of Saint-Pierre-Jolys, would help guide patients, reduce service duplication, and improve system efficiency. Both municipalities are served by the De Salaberry District Hospital, a cornerstone of the region’s health system, providing residents with quality care close to home—a necessity for seniors, families, and vulnerable populations.
Municipalities stressed the importance of working directly with Shared Health and regional health authorities to ensure decisions reflect local realities. They also highlighted the need for Francophone and bilingual municipal representation in health governance, both at Shared Health and within regional authorities, to ensure linguistic and cultural needs are fully considered.
Hôpital Ste. Anne Hospital
A critical issue was raised regarding Hôpital Ste. Anne Hospital. The operating room and surgical services have been closed for a month due to a shortage of trained nurses and maternity leaves, forcing patients to travel to Steinbach for surgical care. This situation severely compromises safety and accessibility. While the hospital’s regional designation was revisited in discussion, the matter remains unresolved. Residents and municipalities await a realistic, phased plan to restore full emergency and surgical services through the working group. The Minister reaffirmed a strong commitment to addressing this issue.
A Concrete Commitment to Collaboration
Minister Uzoma Asagwara reiterated a commitment to support bilingual municipalities by working in partnership with them. Emphasis was placed on training and attracting staff, including fast-track pathways for professionals trained elsewhere in Canada and abroad, as well as parallel planning for infrastructure and human resources.
Municipalities were encouraged to identify needs directly from the ground while continuing collaboration with Shared Health and regional health authorities to ensure decisions align with local realities. Finally, the Minister reaffirmed the intention to support the bilingual health care ecosystem and ensure initiatives meet the needs of Francophone and bilingual communities.
Municipal elected officials reiterated their willingness to work closely with the provincial government so that commitments announced in the 2025 Throne Speech also benefit rural communities. Municipalities aim to be active partners on the ground, contributing to the implementation of provincial priorities and ensuring solutions effectively meet community needs, providing equitable and sustainable access to health care for all.
About the AMBM
The AMBM is the voice of bilingual municipal leadership in the province of Manitoba. It represents 16 municipal governments committed to offering services in both official languages to their residents. Together, these municipalities represent the majority of Manitoba’s population. Manitoba’s bilingual municipal leadership also leads the AMBM Group, a consortium of three organizations with complementary mandates: the AMBM, the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (Conseil de développement économique des municipalités bilingues du Manitoba, or CDEM) and Eco-West Canada (EWC), which specializes in the green economy. Complementing each other, these three organizations actively contribute to the development, vitality and sustainability of the province’s Official Language Minority Communities (OLMC) and the province as a whole.
Information: Office of the Chief Executive Officer (O-CEO), 204-289-4077, bcdd-oceo@ambm.ca.
