Nurse at Winnipeg’s HSC describes ‘absolutely chaotic’ week
Posted October 27, 2025 6:07 pm.
A recent report shows Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre has been operating at double capacity for more than a week.
A nurse at the hospital’s children’s emergency voiced her concerns late last week to the Manitoba Nurses’ Union (MNU).
“She said that it was probably the worst five shifts she’s ever worked. These were five shifts last week,” said MNU president Darlene Jackson.
Jackson says the nurse described it as “chaotic.”
“The waiting room was full,” Jackson said. “The patients were in the hallways, sitting on chairs. They were actually treating patients in the hallways, on chairs, with no privacy at all. It was absolutely chaotic.”
A statement from shared health reads: “It is important to note that the 120 patients referenced in today’s post by the Manitoba Nurses’ Union included individuals at various stages of care; those in the waiting room, under assessment, and already receiving treatment. It’s important to understand these numbers and not sensationalize them, so that people who need to seek emergency care do not hesitate in doing so.”
But Jackson says the reason for the extreme overload lies in understaffing and a distorted patient-to-nurse ratio.
With flu season approaching, she warns the situation could get worse.
“We haven’t even begun to peak with flu and RSV yet,” Jackson said. “So I would anticipate that it’s definitely going to be busier once that happens.”
Premier Wab Kinew says the province has already done a lot on the staffing side, and will “keep working.”
“We check the numbers each and every day,” the Manitoba premier said.
“People on the front lines do great work, and we are doing a lot on the safety side to support them.”
–With files from Sofia Frolova
