Manitoba boosts funding to wheelchair program

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This article was published 23/02/2024 (603 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The provincial government has announced it will bolster the number of wheelchair repair technicians at Manitoba Possible.

“Today is a really good first step,” said Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine, who made the announcement Friday with Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara, along with Manitoba Possible staff and clients at the non-profit organization’s Notre Dame Avenue wheelchair warehouse.

The government has earmarked $288,000 from the health and families budgets toward improving access to mobility for people with disabilities.

Manitoba Possible’s wheelchair program had gone without a provincial funding increase for more than a decade.

The additional technicians are expected to reduce wait times for repairs from the current four to six weeks down to one to two weeks. Manitoba Possible receives public funding to provide wheelchairs to Manitobans, but demand has outpaced resources.

“Both Minister Asagwara and I have heard loud and clear that rising costs without increased supports for Manitoba Possible has resulted in a service that currently does not meet the needs of Manitobans,” Fontaine said.

“We know the importance of making sure that Manitobans have uninterrupted access to their wheelchairs,” she said.

The funding will bring the wheelchair program back to its baseline staffing. Budget constraints had meant one field technician job vacancy went unfilled earlier this year.

The two additional positions, one full-time and one part-time, will include an in-house power wheelchair repair technician and a Winnipeg-based field technician who will serve the city and surrounding communities.

No plans were announced to expand technician services into rural and northern Manitoba.

“However, we do have a commitment from government about working together toward providing more equitable service to all Manitobans,” said Manitoba Possible CEO Lindsey Cooke, who suggested rural expansion is on the radar.

There are five technicians at Manitoba Possible. One of them, Norman Moreno, is among three Winnipeg-based field technicians. He is currently the only field technician who travels outside the city to deliver wheelchairs or conduct repairs. He typically stays within a two-hour road trip radius of Winnipeg.

The hiring of additional technicians will help balance the workload, he said.

“Our wait times are close to a month, where before we could get them (done) in a week, two weeks at most.”

The Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union has 119 members who work at Manitoba Possible.

In a statement, president Kyle Ross said lifting the longstanding funding freeze is an important step forward, particularly for wheelchair users in rural and remote areas.

“Our members working at Manitoba Possible work hard with the resources they have been given, but additional resources are sorely needed to ensure timely service for the 14,000 Manitobans who count on this program,” Ross said.

Winnipegosis resident Alex Lytwyn participated in the announcement with Janelle-Marie Edmond. Both use wheelchairs and spoke about the positive impact the program has had on their lives.

Edmond said she was bedridden for 2.5 years before she found out about Manitoba Possible’s program and was able to get a wheelchair through it.

“This service is so important to Manitobans, as you never know when you’re going to get sick or get injured or when you’re going to need a wheelchair. I certainly didn’t,” Edmond said.

Tom Landy and Joy Gardner, who’ve spoken publicly about the long delays to get their power wheelchairs modified, said more funding is important, but it’s not enough.

“I think it will help, but how much remains to be seen,” Landy wrote in an email.

He said he hopes the ministers will talk to wheelchair users “to gather more information on what is broken and how it can be fixed from our point of view.”

He pointed to the months-long process, involving occupational therapist appointments, referrals and paperwork, to get approved for a wheelchair, followed by the need for more custom-seating vendors in Manitoba.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca