Closed Emergency Rooms Speak Louder Than Campaign Promises

Another summer. Another warning. And once again, rural Manitoba’s emergency rooms are on the verge of collapse.

Let’s stop pretending this is a surprise.

The numbers are clear. Of the 72 rural ERs across Manitoba, only 20 are expected to stay open 24/7 this summer. Twenty-four are already facing reduced hours or partial closures, and 28 are shut down entirely. This is not a minor inconvenience. It is a systemic failure. And the silence from those in power speaks volumes.

We see press conferences about affordable housing. We hear them talk about immigration goals, reconciliation initiatives, and new infrastructure projects. What we don’t see—what Manitobans deserve to see—are leaders standing at the podium explaining how they’re going to fix our failing emergency care system. Not a word on where the new doctors are coming from. Not a word on how we’ll train and keep medical professionals here. Not a word on what to do when the local ER is closed and you’re 45 minutes away from the next hospital.

That silence isn’t just frustrating. It’s dangerous.

Let’s be honest—this isn’t just about ERs being closed in some far-off corner of the province. It’s about how we value public health across Manitoba. If you live in Roblin, Swan River, or Glenboro, you already know what it’s like to check a schedule before you get hurt. You’ve likely driven more than an hour for care that should be ten minutes away. And if the trend continues, you’ll be driving even farther next year.

Meanwhile, we’re hearing about plans to grow Manitoba’s population. We’re talking about inviting more people to settle in a province where basic health care is unreliable outside the perimeter. That’s not leadership. That’s a gamble—one that puts lives at risk and ignores the foundation that every community needs: timely access to care.

So, let’s ask the obvious question: what is being done to attract doctors to Manitoba?

We don’t hear about recruitment missions. We don’t hear about expanded spots in local medical programs. We don’t hear proposals to pay for tuition for Manitoba youth in exchange for a service commitment to work here for five or ten years. If there is a plan, it’s not being shared with the people it affects most. If there’s a strategy, it’s buried beneath political priorities that seem to have nothing to do with the realities in our hospitals.

And this isn’t only a rural issue. The effects ripple throughout the entire health system. When rural ERs close, pressure builds in urban centres. Patients who can’t get care locally are redirected to Winnipeg or Brandon, overloading those facilities and increasing wait times for everyone. It’s a lose-lose situation.

The staffing shortages aren’t just about doctors either. Diagnostic roles—lab techs, X-ray techs, other allied health professionals—are going unfilled. Many postings sit vacant for months. This is critical infrastructure. An ER without diagnostics is just a holding room. And again, nobody in office seems willing to admit that we have a recruitment crisis across the board, not just in the physician ranks.

We’ve reached a point where burnout among health professionals is no longer a concern—it’s an expectation. Recent surveys show nearly a third of ER doctors are ready to cut back their hours or walk away completely. They’re working in towns where they’re the only doctor on shift, overnight, with just two nurses to cover an entire hospital. It’s unsustainable.

So what do we do?

We start by being honest. This province needs to offer real incentives for doctors and health workers to move here, to stay here, and to serve in the communities that need them most. That includes competitive pay, housing allowances, and support for families—whatever it takes. Other provinces are doing it. Alberta and Saskatchewan aren’t shy about using financial tools to strengthen their workforce. Why are we?

Second, we need to build our own pipeline of medical talent. Manitoba students should be given priority access to medical training—right here at home. And if they commit to practicing in Manitoba for a set number of years, we should cover their tuition. Period. It’s a smart investment. One that pays dividends not just in dollars, but in healthier communities.

This crisis isn’t going to fix itself. It’s been building for years, and the longer we ignore it, the harder it becomes to reverse. The idea that “this is just how it is now” is not acceptable. We don’t accept it in education. We don’t accept it in public safety. And we shouldn’t accept it in health care.

We need a government that leads with action, not announcements. A government that doesn’t just hope ERs stay open, but works every day to make sure they are. That means addressing the staffing shortages head-on, funding practical training solutions, and building a system that puts care before politics.

We are not short on ideas. We are short on political will.

Any government that claims to be building the future must start by fixing the present. There is nothing forward-looking about closing emergency rooms. There’s nothing progressive about letting hospitals collapse while talking about population growth and economic development. You don’t grow a province by ignoring the systems that make it livable.

Health care is not a branding exercise. It’s not about press releases or photo ops. It’s about results. It’s about whether a child with a broken arm can be treated quickly. Whether a stroke victim in rural Manitoba can get help in time. Whether a single mom, a senior, or a new Canadian has a real shot at care—not just a number on a waitlist.

If government won’t fix the staffing shortages, it’s choosing to let them continue. If it won’t expand medical training, it’s choosing to cap our future. If it won’t be honest with Manitobans about ER closures, then it’s not leading—it’s hiding.

We can’t afford to keep pretending the system will hold. It’s already cracking. And ignoring a problem because it’s politically inconvenient is not strategy—it’s negligence.

The fix starts with common sense: Train more doctors. Incentivize them to stay. Support frontline staff. Be transparent with the public. None of this is complicated. It just requires the one thing we’re missing—leadership that prioritizes solutions over spin.

Manitobans are reasonable people. They don’t expect perfection. But they do expect access to health care—when they need it, where they live. That’s not a luxury. It’s the baseline for any functioning province.

If a government can’t meet that bar, it shouldn’t be setting the agenda.