The Manitoba government is expanding hospital capacity across the province with 10 additional intensive care unit (ICU) beds, helping to lower emergency wait times and ensuring the health-care system is better prepared to meet seasonal demand.
“After years of cuts it was critical we staff up Manitoba’s health-care system. With 3,400 more people working in health care, we’ve been able to open beds and boost capacity across the province,” said Premier Wab Kinew. “More beds in wards means less access block and lower wait times in the emergency room.”
Since April 2025, the Manitoba government has opened and staffed 10 new ICU beds across the system – six at the Health Sciences Centre Children’s Hospital, two at St. Boniface Hospital and two at Grace Hospital – along with hundreds of additional medicine, surgical and transitional-care beds in hospitals in Winnipeg, Brandon, Selkirk, Dauphin and Steinbach. These beds have been added steadily over the last two years to restore health-care capacity, the premier noted.
“Every fall and winter, we see how hard respiratory virus season hits our hospitals and in turn, the patients and staff who rely on them,” said Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara. “When we came into office, the system was under real strain. But every year, we’re entering this season stronger – with more staffed beds, more nurses on the floor and a co-ordinated plan to keep care moving when demand peaks. These investments are about protecting people, supporting the care teams who show up every day and making sure patients get the care they need when they need it.”
In addition to hospital beds the Manitoba government has staffed and funded 141 personal care home beds since taking office, with more under construction, the minister said. These investments help improve patient flow by ensuring individuals who no longer need acute care have safe, appropriate places to transition to, freeing up hospital beds for those who need them most, the minister noted.
The additional capacity builds on last year’s expansion of more than 100 acute-care beds ahead of the 2024 respiratory virus season, as well as continued progress to build new personal care homes to improve patient flow and ensure people ready for discharge have safe, appropriate places to transition to.
Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer, said the Manitoba government’s preparation aligns with public-health efforts to minimize the impact of seasonal viruses.
“Respiratory virus season is always a difficult time for hospitals, families and communities,” said Dr. Roussin, “The planning and investments made by the province strengthen our ability to respond Manitobans can help reduce the spread of illness by staying home when sick, washing hands often and getting vaccinated against influenza and COVID-19. These are simple, effective ways to protect yourself, your loved ones and our health-care system.”
Flu and COVID-19 vaccines are available at medical clinics, ACCESS Centres, pharmacies, nursing stations and public-health sites across Manitoba. The province is also providing respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines free of charge to seniors aged 60 and older living in long-term care homes and has launched a provincewide ad campaign encouraging all Manitobans to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
For a list of vaccination locations, visit manitoba.ca.
