Victoria Hospital needs more than an ER, doc tells town hall

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This article was published 06/05/2025 (193 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A doctor at Victoria General Hospital told the government Tuesday the reopening of the emergency room must include the return of an intensive care unit, if it is to be successful.

“We need to make sure we have an intensive care unit in the building,” he said. “We used to have one before consolidation in 2017… and we’re not sure where you’re going to put one,” Dr. Kurt Penner told a town hall meeting attended by 50 people, including members of the public.

The event was hosted by Premier Wab Kinew, Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara, and Dr. Jose Francois, the provincial chief medical officer of Shared Health. After a presentation about early design plans and a question-and-answer session, attendees broke out into smaller groups for in-depth discussion.

Penner told officials the plan is destined to fail unless a robust intensive care unit is included.

He said staff remain in the dark about the details of the plan and emphasized that critically ill patients need care at the hospital.

“I need to know there’s a commitment that we’re going to have an ICU in the building, because critically ill people who come to emergency rooms need critical care in the building,” he said. “They shouldn’t be shipped out.”

Penner also called for the return of a surgical department and internal medicine unit — services stripped from the hospital during restructuring under the former government of Tory premier Brian Pallister.

Manitoba Nurses’ Union president Darlene Jackson echoed his concerns.

“I would really like to know what they hope to gain by this,” Jackson said earlier Tuesday. “Are they hoping to see more patients? Are they looking to take the pressure off St. Boniface, the Grace and HSC?

“I’d also like to know what the plan is for staffing it, because an ER will require more nurses, and generally, you don’t have an ER in a facility unless you have an up-and-operating ICU.”

Jackson added that both Victoria and Seven Oaks are already handling more emergencies than expected and stressed the need for input from front-line staff.

“(They) can give them the best advice on what needs to happen,” she said.

The province earmarked $3.5 million in the 2025-26 budget to begin design work for the ER and a mature women’s health centre, both of which were closed under the Pallister government.

Rena, a Whyte Ridge resident who had her first child at Victoria, told the town hall planners must ensure cultural sensitivity in shaping the women’s health centre.

“Women of different cultures will open up or not say things, and we really need to be sensitive to that and make sure it is open and welcoming to everybody,” she said.

Asagwara said community feedback is helping to shape the plan.

“What we heard loud and clear tonight is they want a emergency department,” they said. “We heard from folks, including Dr. Penner, that they want an ICU. We heard very clear that folks want more psychiatric care, and that they’re thrilled the mature women’s centre is reopening.

“What we heard tonight is that folks want to see these services that were closed reopen and they also want to see us be more innovative and reach more people, and that’s exactly what we’re planning to do.”

Both Asagwara and Kinew emphasized staffing as key to reopening.

“Staffing needs to come first,” Kinew said. “Here we are, a little over 18 months into government, and staffing has move to a place where we can safely and responsibly move ahead with reopening an ER.

He said the government has added 1,500 net new healthcare workers, including 100 doctors and 400 nurses.

“It will take a lot more work to get the health staffing to where we want it to be, but we’ve made enough progress that we can move ahead with the Victoria ER.”

The ER reopening, expected in 2027, is phase one of a two-phase redevelopment, Kinew said.

Phase two, slated for 2032, includes a new bed tower, surgical and geriatric services, and expanded parking. Construction tenders are expected to be issued later this year, with work beginning in early 2026.

A public survey on the ER design will be on the WRHA website (wfp.to/WSF) until Saturday.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca