More training for paramedics in WestMan and more childcare spaces for healthcare workers were among the first things Premier Wab Kinew announced at the State of the City address in Brandon on Thursday, May 14.
Hosted by the Brandon Chamber of Commerce, the luncheon saw the Premier announce new spending of $115,000 at Assiniboine College to create a rotating rural training model, the first cohort of which will start in Dauphin. Assiniboine College will offer this new Primary Care Paramedic Program designed to increase access for rural and western Manitoba students, helping build a stronger pipeline of paramedics for communities across the region
“Paramedics are the first to arrive when your family needs emergency care and their work is valued by our government,” said Kinew. “We’ve made progress training and hiring more paramedics in Westman, but we know there is more to do. That’s why we are creating a new Primary Care Paramedic Program at Assiniboine College. Because child care is essential to growing the health workforce, we are also creating a new child-care centre at the Brandon hospital built to care for your children while you are caring for others. Together, these investments will help us recruit and retain more health-care workers in Westman.”
In addition, the Premier announced government is also creating 148 new child-care spaces at the Brandon Regional Health Centre, which will open in summer 2027. The centre is built to operate during extended hours to provide care during health-care workers’ shifts.
