The President of the Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (AMBM) and Reeve of the Rural Municipality of La Broquerie, Ivan Normandeau, issued the following statement in response to the Province’s strategic investment of $219,691 over four years to the Université de Saint‑Boniface to expand enrolment in its nursing program:
The AMBM strongly welcomes the joint commitment from the Minister of Advanced Education and Training, the Honourable Renée Cable, and the Minister of Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care, the Honourable Uzoma Asagwara, to increase the number of nursing seats at the Université de Saint‑Boniface (USB). This initiative marks a concrete step toward equitable access to high-quality health services in both official languages across Manitoba.
This investment will have meaningful impacts for our bilingual municipalities. It will directly support the recruitment and retention of qualified professionals able to deliver care in patients’ official language of choice—an essential factor for quality, safety, and dignity in healthcare.
It will also help address growing needs, particularly in rural bilingual communities, where access to healthcare services remains a significant challenge.
Moreover, a recent survey conducted by Probe Research on behalf of the AMBM shows that 57% of respondents believe their community’s best days are still ahead. To turn this optimism into reality, continued investment in a skilled, bilingual workforce is essential—an approach that aligns with a key priority in the Prosperity Framework for Manitoba’s Bilingual Municipalities.
By supporting the training of bilingual healthcare professionals in Manitoba, this announcement makes a tangible contribution to the vitality and long-term prosperity of our regions.
It also strengthens our collective capacity to deliver high-quality healthcare services in both official languages across all facilities, particularly in rural settings, and is fully aligned with the principles of the Municipal Maturity Model (3M). The Ste. Anne Hospital is a strong example, as it continues to advance toward regional designation. Achieving this vision requires a workforce of well-trained, skilled, bilingual professionals who choose to live and work in the heart of our communities.
The AMBM also recognizes the invaluable contributions of its health sector partners, including Santé en français. The AMBM further thanks the Manitoba government—particularly the Minister of Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care, the Honourable Uzoma Asagwara—for the engagement and responsiveness shown toward Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities, as well as the Université de Saint‑Boniface for its essential role in training the next generation of professionals.
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 (OLMCs) and the province as a whole.
Information: Office of the Chief Executive Officer (O-CEO), 204-289-4077, bcdd-oceo@ambm.ca.
