Manitoba government plans steps toward reducing nurse overtime, improving care
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.00 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.00 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
WINNIPEG – The Manitoba government is planning to set up two committees as part of its promise to improve health care.
A bill now before the legislature would set up one group to come up with appropriate nurse-to-patient ratios and recommend which areas of health care, such as intensive care units, would be subject to the numbers.
Another bill would allow the health minister to set staffing and other benchmarks for health providers, with the aim of ending mandatory overtime for nurses.
The bill would allow for a committee to advise the minister on how to proceed.
The NDP government has promised to bolster nursing ranks, and Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara says the bills set a framework to accomplish those goals.
The Opposition Progressive Conservatives say health-care unions have raised questions about whether there are enough workers to meet the government’s goals.
Asagwara said the NDP government has hired more nurses and other health care professionals, and the bills will help improve patient care.
“We’re saying very clearly to nurses and to health-care providers and the system as a whole that patient safety and the quality of care … must be a top priority,” Asagwara said.
The government has been examining similar moves undertaken in British Columbia, Asagwara said.
If the bill is passed into law and guidelines are set to eliminate mandatory overtime for nurses, overtime would still be allowed in certain circumstances, such as a scenario in which a patient’s life or health is at imminent risk, or in a major disaster.
Tory health critic Kathleen Cook said details of the government’s plan are still lacking.
“We need to make sure that these bills are more than symbolic,” she said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2026