Operation Excellence: A community campaign for surgical innovation at HSC

| With donors stepping forward to support Operation Excellence, HSC is purchasing and deploying new, state-of-the-art surgical and diagnostic equipment, and is developing new spaces for surgery and patient care.

With the goal to reduce diagnostic and surgical wait lists, your continued support will make a difference for generations of Manitobans.

Learn more and donate at OperationExcellence.ca or call 204-515-5612 or toll-free at 1-800-679-8493.

Protecting participants: Why your voice belongs on research ethics boards

Imagine living with a health condition and being invited to take part in a research study that could change the future of treatment for you and countless others.

Would you fully understand what you are agreeing to? Would the risks be clearly explained? Would you feel pressured to participate, or confident in your rights? These questions sit at the heart of research ethics, and they are exactly why community members play a critical role on research ethics boards.

Across Manitoba, hundreds of research studies each year are reviewed for ethical and privacy concerns, before research can begin. These reviews are not carried out only by scientists or health system professionals. They also rely on everyday Manitobans who bring lived experience, and public accountability into the process. For many health research projects, these reviews are carried out by committee members of the Manitoba provincial research ethics board called CHIPER (Committee for Harmonized Health Impact, Privacy and Ethics Reviews).

Community members ensure that research is examined not only through technical and scientific standards, but also through the lens of the patients, participants, and impacted communities. Their presence helps safeguard dignity, privacy and informed consent, strengthening public trust in the research system.

“There’s a Growth Inside Your Head”

Max Erenberg will never forget when his excruciating head pain began. It was in April 2021, the same weekend as the Masters Tournament, and the National Hockey League was amid a COVID-1g-induced “bubble season.”

Working as the Manager of Research and Data Analysis for the Winnipeg Jets, Erenberg remembers that weekend being filled with three things: watching golf, working, and a killer headache.

Erenberg assumed the headache was stress-related. Work was busy, and with the pandemic hitting the world, a lot of life was still uncertain. So, he decided to push through.

Over a week later, Erenberg couldn't handle the constant pain. His family had a history of migraines, so Erenberg's doctor thought it might just be a particularly bad migraine. After that week of constant pain, and a bout of throwing up, Erenberg was sent for a CT scan. “I was on the bathroom floor at home when they called me with the results. The doctor's exact words were: ‘It doesn't look like a tumour, and no one is particularly alarmed yet, but there is a growth inside your head,”’ says Erenberg.

Operation Excellence: A community campaign for surgical innovation at HSC

| With donors stepping forward to support Operation Excellence, HSC is purchasing and deploying new, state-of-the-art surgical and diagnostic equipment, and is developing new spaces for surgery and patient care.

With the goal to reduce diagnostic and surgical wait lists, your continued support will make a difference for generations of Manitobans.

Learn more and donate at OperationExcellence.ca or call 204-515-5612 or toll-free at 1-800-679-8493.

I belong.

Claire is an energetic and determined eight-year-old who radiates joy and resilience. Her life was forever altered in 2021 with a diagnosis of Acute Flaccid Myelitis, secondary to West Nile virus. This rare condition resulted in nerve damage and partial paralysis. Despite ongoing challenges, Claire faces each day with courage and a contagious spirit.

Thanks to donor generosity, Claire is able to access expert and life-changing support from the Rehabilitation Centre for Children. She is cared for by dedicated professionals who support her mobility through wheelchair and walker adjustments, orthotic leg supports and monitoring her condition regularly. The specialized help she receives ensures Claire remains active, stays healthy and as independent as possible.

Your support of the Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation is integral to the Centre continuing to be a national leader in pediatric rehabilitation. Donor contributions fuel advancements in leading edge equipment and technology, vital programs, clinical services and research.

Your generosity helps Claire THRIVE. Thanks to donor funding, Claire and her peers are able to overcome barriers and connect more fully with their families, classmates, friends and communities.

Why it’s important to read your water meter

If you call the City’s Utility Billing Centre right now, you might be waiting longer than you want to. Our call takers are working to respond to a higher number of requests than usual.

“We are receiving more customer calls now than we have in the past,” says Lisa Marquardson, spokesperson for the Water and Waste Department of the City of Winnipeg. “Unfortunately, we can’t guarantee that we’ll be able to respond to residents’ concerns in a timely manner.”

You might be able to avoid calling us, simply by providing regular meter readings.

The problem with estimated bills

Thank you for helping kids in 2025

A new year brings a fresh feeling of excitement for what will come. It also gives opportunity to reflect on meaningful moments that made 2025 so special.

Thanks to our generous community the past year the Foundation launched new campaigns, celebrated incredible achievements and continued to raise critical funds for patient care, research and hospital upgrades. The support from you – our donors, volunteers and partners – made it all possible.

To start, the past Better Futures Campaign cabinet received the Outstanding Philanthropic Group award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals Manitoba for their incredible work helping our Foundation staff raise an unprecedented $112 M for pediatric research, critical infrastructure and innovative programs for kids who rely on Manitoba’s only children’s hospital. The Indigenous Community Healing Space – a first for a Canadian children’s hospital – is under development. Planning is also underway for reconstruction of the day surgery unit and a new nephrology clinic.

To keep this momentum going in transforming child health care, the Foundation launched a new $2.5 M childhood cancer, blood disorders and transplants campaign that will help rebuild and reimagine the CK5 ward. Funds will help bring comfort, colour and care to kids when they need it most. It will also support breakthroughs in childhood cancer at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba.

The Advantage of Continued Care

Instrumental to Zach Schnitzer's mental health recovery has been the ongoing psychiatric care he has received from HSC since he was first admitted in 2022. “The continuity was a gamechanger,” says Schnitzer, who has been an HSC psychiatry inpatient twice in recent years.

“I've always had a familial predisposition to anxiety and depression,” he explains. After his job changed significantly to something he felt ill-suited for, plus the stress of a second child, family, and COVID, “I couldn't cope with the extra demands, I fell apart. I was overwhelmed, anxious, having suicidal thoughts. I couldn't make decisions, couldn't sleep.”

In June 2022, Schnitzer was admitted to HSC under the care of Dr. Cesar Rona, a psychiatrist he still sees today as an outpatient. “He diagnosed me with ADHD pretty much on the spot,” says Schnitzer, who was already taking antidepressants, which had likely outlived their efficacy. The HSC psychiatry team did a comprehensive review of his medications, prescribing a new antidepressant, an ADHD stimulant, and sleep medication. He says that process felt collaborative. “I couldn't think straight and had a lot of anxiety,” so they included Schnitzer's wife in appointments. “They always explained things, solicited our opinion. That was really helpful.”

He spent two weeks at HSC, where he slowly stabilized, meeting Dr. Rona for daily therapy. “He really got me,” says Schnitzer, who made good use of the gym on the ward and met with other mental health professionals available for counselling. “There was always someone I could talk to,” he says.

Operation Excellence: A community campaign for surgical innovation at HSC

| With donors stepping forward to support Operation Excellence, HSC is purchasing and deploying new, state-of-the-art surgical and diagnostic equipment, and is developing new spaces for surgery and patient care.

With the goal to reduce diagnostic and surgical wait lists, your continued support will make a difference for generations of Manitobans.

Learn more and donate at OperationExcellence.ca or call 204-515-5612 or toll-free at 1-800-679-8493.

Double your impact for kids like Ella

At the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba we’re inspired by families who share their stories and health care journeys with us. It gives hope to other families who need Manitoba’s only children’s hospital.

Here’s a story about Ella who will be with her family this holiday season.

What started with a rash and fever escalated to fatigue, bruising, weight loss, and the inability to walk. Bloodwork confirmed Ella’s parents worst fear – she was diagnosed with leukemia when she was only three years old.

Ella’s treatment brought the family to many areas of HSC Children’s. They spent the most time, hundreds of hours, in CK5. That’s the childhood cancer and blood disorders ward where children and their families face the most challenging time of their lives.

Small class, big future: FPDI helps transform a dream into a career path

One of Ayden Dyck’s most enduring childhood memories is of watching his dad Rob perform odd jobs around the family’s home in Riverton.

“Growing up, it was always a hassle with the pipes and other stuff going on in the house: the toilet not working, the hot water not running. My dad was a single dad so he was always fixing everything himself,” Dyck recalls.

“Seeing that, I always wanted to do something with plumbing when I grew up.”

Dyck, now 21, is a step closer to realizing that career dream thanks to First People’s Development Inc. FPDI is a non-profit organization that facilitates partnerships aimed at developing and delivering training-to-employment programs in partnership with 28 Manitoba First Nations communities.

Give Hope This Giving Tuesday

For many, home is where you feel safe and supported. For Jenelle, growing up in foster care meant learning early to rely on herself – to navigate a world that didn’t always have a safety net. Seeking purpose and belonging, she joined the Canadian Armed Forces at nineteen, embracing structure and a chance to be part of something bigger.

But years of service left deep wounds. Her body healed, but her mind did not. Chronic pain, sleepless nights, and memories she couldn’t escape made everyday life overwhelming. Navigating support programs alone felt impossible, and eventually, Jenelle lost her housing.

When she came to Siloam Mission, a warm meal reminded her she wasn’t alone. At Siloam’s Saul Sair Health Centre, she received medical care to safely manage her pain. Through the Building Futures program – Siloam Mission’s supportive employment initiative – Jenelle found steady work with the MOST crew, a rhythm and purpose helping her regain stability.

Today, Jenelle is slowly rebuilding her life. She still carries her past, but she no longer carries it alone. Every meal, every night in shelter, every person housed, and every step toward healing is made possible because of supporters like you.

Stronger together: businesses for health care innovation

"With Wawanesa's 129-year history in Manitoba, and Western Financial Group's long-term presence here, we understand how important HSC is to our province. We all know someone who has relied on HSC's care, and we're proud to support the Operation Excellence campaign to ensure that Manitobans continue to benefit from leading health care. We stand together in support of HSC and the frontline teams who make excellence in care possible."

- Evan Johnston, President & Chief Executive Officer, Wawanesa Insurance; Grant Ostir, Chief Executive Officer, Western Financial Group

Learn more about our Corporate Challenge at OperationExcellence.ca or call 204-515-5612 or toll-free at 1-800-679-8493.

Upgrades will provide ‘extraordinary enhancements’ to patient care at the Grace

It’s no secret that many people experience some level of anxiety prior to undergoing a surgical procedure.

A planned $2 million upgrade to Grace Hospital’s minimally invasive operating room suite could go a long way in helping to reduce some of that anxiousness patients may be feeling in the days leading up to surgery.

Work to upgrade and expand capacity in the Winnipeg hospital’s minimally invasive operating room area is expected to begin this spring.

That work will include completely re-outfitting the hospital’s existing minimally invasive operating room used for general surgeries with the very latest high-tech instrumentation including new lighting, scopes and monitoring equipment. In addition, an existing general operating room will be transformed into a second minimally invasive suite that will double Grace’s capacity for minimally invasive general surgeries.

Make Your Holiday Haul a Fargo Getaway

If you’re looking to make the most of your holiday shopping this year, there’s no better place for a festive cross-border escape than Fargo. If you haven’t been here in a while, the city is excited to showcase the new stores, refreshed experiences, and friendly charm that has made Fargo a longtime go-to destination for shopping trips.

Start your trip with Fargo’s biggest retail draws. West Acres Mall remains the centerpiece, with new additions such as Von Maur, an upscale department store renowned for its exceptional service and gift-friendly selection. Of course, you can also stop by Costco, Target, and Scheels.

Beyond the mall, Fargo’s local boutiques shine during the holidays. Downtown Fargo offers a walkable stretch of independent shops, artisan makers, and locally owned treasures you won’t find anywhere else. Vintage Point showcases a wide array of gifts and locally produced items, and will be offering 10% off this season with a Canadian ID. Plus, if you haven’t yet, stop at Brewhalla, a unique indoor market featuring food stalls, craft beer, and local vendors.

No Fargo getaway is complete without a few festive traditions. Christkindlmarkt transforms the Civic Center into a holiday village filled with local makers, warm drinks, live music, and European-inspired cheer. The Red River Valley Fairgrounds puts on the largest Holiday Lights display in the valley. And Bonanzaville, with its annual Christmas on the Prairie event.