Deadline for sprinkler systems in health facilities delayed by years

WINNIPEG — Sprinkler systems won’t be in place in all of Manitoba’s personal care homes until the end of 2028 — 13 years after legislation was passed requiring them for all care homes, hospitals and health-care facilities.

The provincial government said Tuesday the Jan. 1, 2026 deadline for completion has come and gone and sprinkler systems are still required at fewer than half of the sites.

Sue Vovchuk, executive director of the Long Term and Continuing Care Association of Manitoba, said the group is concerned the important work hasn’t been completed.

“Fire safety in personal care homes is critical, and timely completion is necessary to protect residents, staff and first responders,” Vovchuk said. “We urge continued focus to ensure these installations are completed without further delay.”

The sprinkler installation requirement was established in 2015 legislation to enhance safety in personal care homes, hospitals and health-care facilities. It follows provincial building and fire code changes recommended after fire swept through the Résidence du Havre seniors home in L’Isle-Verte, Que., killing 32 people. Manitoba set the Jan. 1, 2026 deadline for system-wide completion.

In 2020, the province established a $286-million fire-and-life safety fund to support the work, although the regulatory framework was not updated at that time to reflect the revised construction schedule.

To date, 117 of 194 hospitals, care homes and health centres have full sprinkler coverage, the province said Tuesday. Based on the current construction schedule, another 41 sites are expected to be in compliance by the end of fiscal 2026-27, bringing the total to 158. The remaining 36 sites are scheduled for completion by Dec. 31, 2028.

The facilities awaiting upgrades are required to enhance fire safety measures, including regular inspections, staff training, response planning and ongoing co-ordination with local fire services, to protect patients, residents and staff until construction has been completed, the province said.

The Brandon Sun asked the province how many of the facilities awaiting upgrades are in the Prairie Mountain Health region, but a spokesperson did not respond on Tuesday.

The Manitoba government has updated fire safety regulations to align with the phased construction schedule for retrofitting health-care facilities, Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara said in Tuesday’s news release.

The updated regulatory framework reflects the scale and complexity of installing sprinkler systems in 194 active facilities, many of which are older buildings that must remain fully operational during construction, the government said.

Work is phased to accommodate residents, patients, staff and existing infrastructure, with site-specific compliance schedules based on the scope of work required.

The news release noted that since the fall of 2023 when the NDP formed government, construction activity has accelerated. To date, $73 million has been invested in the fire and life-safety initiative, with approximately $2 million spent before the NDP took office and more than $71 million spent afterwards, it said.

“It’s work that absolutely needs to get done to ensure the safety of residents and of (care homes) and patients and other health-care facilities,” said Progressive Conservative health critic Kathleen Cook, who called the tone of the news release “Trumpian.”

“I don’t see the need for the partisan potshots in the news release from the minister,” Cook said.

“This work was started by the previous PC government. The NDP came into office with a quarter-billion dollars in funding already allocated and the work started,” she said. “I think it’s been clear for years that there would be delays in this project primarily due to a global pandemic that had a serious impact on personal care homes.”

» Winnipeg Free Press, with files from The Brandon Sun