Mercer making visit to Winnipeg

Executive exodus continues at Shared Health with three recent departures

Manitoba’s provincial health authority is looking for its fourth chief financial officer since 2023 and additional replacements after the recent departures of three executives.

ER wait times have hit all-time highs in Winnipeg and are impacting nearly all aspects of hospital operations

On most days at Health Sciences Centre’s adult emergency department, all 58 treatment beds are filled with sick patients. Another dozen or so brought in by ambulance line the hallways on stretchers, with only one nurse to look after them.

Out in the waiting room, about 30 or 40 people — sometimes more — are slouched in chairs in pain or discomfort, waiting hours to see a doctor. Most have been assessed by a triage nurse, but many will have to wait 10 to 20 hours to be examined by a physician because there’s no room for them in the treatment area.

Some patients leave because they can no longer tolerate the excruciating wait, only to return days later, sicker than they were before.

Welcome to the emergency department at Manitoba’s largest hospital, where some of the highest-acuity patients seek medical care but now face delays that were unimaginable a few years ago.

Kinew’s message for PM: don’t back down

Let it be known that when Canada’s provinces and alcohol industries needed a defender, Canada’s first First Nations provincial premier was their greatest warrior.

This is, admittedly, a provocative opening line — referencing historical and cultural intersections and relying on a stereotype or two.

It’s impossible, however, not to see how important the nearly Canada-wide provincial-led ban on the sale of U.S. alcohol is to Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew.

It’s due to his stand on national matters like these that he’s become very popular — according to polls, the most popular premier in Canada — and has been empowered to take on the mantle of one of the captains of “Team Canada” on economic, political and domestic issues.

Mercer making visit to Winnipeg

Rick Mercer may not be spending his time ranting while walking (and talking) down Toronto’s Graffiti Alley anymore, but he still has plenty on his mind.

The Newfoundland-born, Toronto-based Mercer, 49, became a household name and face in Canada thanks to his time at the CBC television show This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Mercer left the show in 2001 and for 15 seasons, beginning in 2003, hosted The Mercer Report; thanks to both shows his weekly rants, set in the Toronto alley, became a national phenomenon.

“I never manufactured outrage — not once did I ever say, ‘Well, I’m just going to have to pretend I’m upset about something or pretend something’s on my mind,’” Mercer says by phone from Toronto. “As time went on, I realized I didn’t always have to rant about politics — it could be something as simple as people not understanding how to use elevators or escalators anymore,” he adds, laughing.

Mercer will be in Winnipeg Saturday at noon at the Walmart Winnipeg South Supercentre (1665 Kenaston Blvd.) signing copies of Final Report, his third book. Mercer curated the best of 15 seasons’ worth of his rants for Final Report, interspersed with reflections and stories written by Mercer about his time on the show. The new material details the strong bond created between the show’s core members as well as chronicling memorable behind-the-scenes scenarios.

Five Things: PM Carney explains why Canada left the U.S. negotiating table

OTTAWA - Canada is preparing to hit the U.S. with dollar-for-dollar tariffs in response to new 50 per cent duties on $28 billion worth of Canadian products that took effect when talks between the two nations collapsed as negotiations neared the finish line. 

Prime Minister Mark Carney was quiet publicly during the final days of negotiations, but now has now explained his rationale for telling the Canadian negotiating team, led by Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and chief negotiator Janice Charette, to leave the table.

Restrictions on further trade deals

"The U.S. Introduced at the last hours, in the last hours, efforts to restrict our ability to have other trade deals. You heard me say a moment ago, what we've accomplished in the past year, 20 new deals, economic and security partnerships, the prospect of doubling our market access because we believe in free trade. We're the partner of choice in many respects for countries around the world and the Americans wanted to restrict that. They had language that what they wanted to restrict that, unacceptable," Carney said during a press conference on Parliament Hill.

Today’s horoscope

Moon Alert: Until 11 p.m. PDT tonight there are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Moon is in Capricorn.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

Steer clear of confrontation with authority figures this morning. Instead, get yourself ready for a productive four weeks ahead because you intend to work and get better organized. Oh yeah – you’re going to pull your act together so you can take it on the road.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)