Katie May

Manitoba task force to target doctors’ paperwork burden

A new provincial task force on cutting unnecessary paperwork for physicians is expected to make a public report on its progress later this year.

Hospital staff will ask Manitobans to self-identify race in effort to reduce health-system discrimination

Starting in April, Manitoba will become the first province to ask hospital patients to identify their race.

The collection of racial data is aimed at tackling systemic discrimination of patients and health-care workers and could lead to changes in triage and worker retention, Dr. Marcia Anderson hopes.

Anderson, executive director of Indigenous affairs at Ongomiizwin, the Institute of Health and Healing within the University of Manitoba’s faculty of Health Sciences, has been working on the idea for years as an extension of the Truth And Reconciliation Commission’s call to action for the health-care system.

Flu, RSV numbers down at Children’s Hospital

Respiratory viruses are no longer causing a surge of hospitalizations among children in Manitoba after a prolonged and severe flu season.

Manitobans fighting COVID fines lose in court

Dozens of Manitobans are still fighting hefty federal fines for violating pandemic protocols, four months after Ottawa lifted COVID-19 travel restrictions at Canada’s border crossings.

Thompson resident headed back to Winnipeg for rescheduled hip surgery

A Thompson man who flew to Winnipeg and waited five hours in a hospital gown for an urgent hip replacement that didn’t happen is cautiously optimistic he won’t be disappointed a second time.

Physicians drowning in ‘soul-sucking’ paperwork, Doctors Manitoba president says

A provincial task force to save doctors from “drowning in paperwork” has yet to get off the ground.

Southern chiefs want voice in national health-care funding talks

Southern Manitoba First Nations leaders are calling out the erosion of the health system for Indigenous patients and are asking for a seat at the table when Canada’s premiers discuss health-care funding.

Health official answers sex assault nurse program critics, says fixes on the way

Manitoba health officials are again promising improvements to the province’s sexual-assault nurse examiner program after glaring deficiencies were publicly highlighted earlier this week.

Threats temporarily close three Manitoba schools

Multiple threats led to temporary closures at Manitoba schools this week.

Holy Family care home misses CUPE workers’ retroactive pay deadline

Retroactive wage increases were expected to be fully paid out to roughly 18,000 health-care support workers in Manitoba by the beginning of this week, but some personal-care home staff are still waiting.

Morale teetering at Manitoba Clinic

A doctor who works at the Manitoba Clinic says staff are trying to keep things business as usual for patients, while the site’s uncertain future weighs heavily on them.

Manitoba Clinic losing more docs, deal critical

Doctors are fleeing Manitoba’s largest private medical clinic as the desperate facility continues to seek provincial help to avoid financial collapse.

Bail denied for co-accused in library homicide

Two teen boys co-accused in the slaying of a Winnipeg man at the Millennium Library have been denied bail.

Store owner seeks social media assist to snap break-in string

A downtown storefront owner has appealed to social media after his business was targeted three times within the past month by what appears to be the same thief.

HSC replaces access screeners with private security

Local health-care facilities have been phasing out COVID-19 screeners at their entrances over the past few months. At Health Sciences Centre, the move means 32 term employees will be out of work next week.

Boosters promoted as subvariant Kraken rears head

In the face of the most contagious COVID-19 subvariant yet, Manitobans need to get up-to-date on booster shots and wear masks to protect young children from respiratory viruses, the president of Doctors Manitoba says.

Second Alberta lawyer charged after Manitoba judge followed

A second Alberta lawyer has been charged after admitting he knew about a plan to spy on a Manitoba judge while he presided over a legal challenge to provincial public health restrictions that had been launched by a group of churches.

Korbin ‘just had a big heart’; dad raises funds to buy game systems for Children’s Hospital

When his son was hospitalized for weeks at a time, Joey Halldorsson brought his video-game console from home, bought a TV and set everything up to give Korbin a virtual escape.

Home care workers file grievance over perceived contract delays

The union representing Manitoba home care workers is questioning a delay in improving working conditions, after a new contract for health support employees was agreed to in September.

Highly contagious COVID strain yet to appear in Manitoba

Manitoba health officials have not yet recorded any cases of an emerging, highly contagious COVID-19 variant that is taking over in other countries.