Manitoba NDP promises to replace emergency departments closed by Tories in 2017

Manitoba’s Opposition New Democrats are promising to build three new emergency departments at Winnipeg hospitals, to replace ones closed by the Progressive Conservative government.

NDP Leader Wab Kinew says if his party wins the election set for Oct. 3, it will ensure emergency departments are available at the Victoria, Seven Oaks and Concordia hospitals.

The Progressive Conservative government announced a plan in 2017 to downgrade those facilities to urgent care centres, which are not aimed at dealing with life-threatening cases such as heart attacks.

The goal was to increase capacity at the remaining emergency rooms and divert less-serious cases to urgent care centres.

But wait times remained high and critics said the government failed to properly expand the remaining emergency departments.

Kinew says his plan is a multi-year commitment that can be paid for in part by increased transfer payments from the federal government.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 28, 2023