Province backtracks on private nurse deadline

The Manitoba government has backpedalled on a move to sever ties with all but four private nursing agencies by Jan. 15, while some rural hospitals struggle to fill vacant shifts during the transition.

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara confirmed Tuesday health regions can continue to use agencies to fill gaps in the interim, shortly after telling the Free Press the deadline was not extended, in response to reports from front-line staff.

“The direction to move forward with the transition remains unchanged. As this work continues, regions are being supported to manage patient safety in real time,” Asagwara said in an emailed statement. “That includes allowing regions with unique challenges the flexibility to temporarily work with agencies, as needed, to ensure safe and reliable care.”

That includes for-profit agencies that are not among the four the NDP government selected.

The Manitoba Nurses Union, which advocated for a shift away from private nurses, and the opposition Tories criticized the transition to using only four for-profit agencies as flawed.

Prior to Jan. 15, the union warned critical staff shortages at Dauphin, Pine Falls and other hospitals could be exacerbated.

“There was not enough groundwork laid for this to happen when it did, and as a result facilities are in crisis,” nurses union president Darlene Jackson said.

She said a nurse in a rural region was informed by their employer that regions can return to using the agencies they used prior to Jan. 15 until the end of the month.

“The nurse I heard from told me they feel it is a Band-Aid on a hemorrhage, that it is not going to ensure that they are ready for this,” Jackson said.

“There was not enough groundwork laid for this to happen when it did, and as a result facilities are in crisis.”

A spokeswoman for Asagwara said the province is working with regions to determine the “most appropriate timeline” to complete the transition to four agencies.

“The government has blinked,” Jackson said. “Despite what we were saying and what nurses were saying, the minister of health was very clear on the 15th and 16th that they were not going back, they were not going to use those agencies. They’ve changed their mind.”

Progressive Conservative health critic Kathleen Cook said it’s not clear how the extension of time will resolve the issue.

“The NDP is now backpedalling and trying to undo the damage they’ve caused,” Cook said in a statement. “(An) extension isn’t enough time for Prairie Mountain Health to fill the 50 per cent of nursing positions that were vacant as of last Thursday and Friday when the agency nursing changes took effect.”

Shortly before the statement was emailed to the Free Press, Asagwara said health-care sites with more significant staffing challenges will require more support during the transition.

“Our focus is on making sure that all sites are transitioning to the new model of utilizing agencies in this province, and supporting the regions and the sites that have historically had the greatest need and greatest challenge on doing that transition responsibly, and prioritizing patient care and safety,” Asagwara said by phone.

The government is cutting ties with more than 70 other agencies. Jackson said the union warned the government it would run into this situation if the province’s travel nurse team, a float pool, didn’t have enough nurses for the transition.

The pool has risen to 630 nurses from 555 since Dec. 31. More are expected to join from private agencies. The province launched the pool to help reduce the reliance and spending on agencies.

Manitoba spent $80 million on private nursing agencies in the 2024-25 fiscal year, up from $26.9 million in 2020-21, according to Shared Health data. The total for 2025-26 was $34 million as of Oct. 31.

Following a request for proposal, the four private agencies that will be permitted to fill vacant nursing shifts at public health facilities are Elite Intellicare Staffing, Integra Health, Bayshore HealthCare and Augury Healthcare. Nurses may work for only one private agency under the new contracts.

“The nurse I heard from told me they feel it is a Band-Aid on a hemorrhage.”

The Manitoba Nurses Union and the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals said Tuesday the system is still plagued by high vacancy rates.

Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals president Jason Linklater said respiratory therapist vacancy rates at Grace Hospital (42 per cent), St. Boniface Hospital (36 per cent) and Health Sciences Centre (25 per cent) are at dangerous levels for staff and patients. The union estimated 50 positions are vacant at the hospitals.

“It became very clear in recent months that unless something is done, (Manitoba) is not going to be able to catch up in terms of dealing with this problem,” Linklater said.

He said respiratory therapists’ stress levels and workloads aren’t tenable.

Employers are trying to fill gaps with overtime, but many shifts still do not meet baseline staffing requirements, the union said.

Some training seats are empty. Linklater said 12 graduates are expected in the University of Manitoba’s three-year bachelor of respiratory therapy program this spring, and 23 students are enrolled in the first year out of 40 seats.

The former Progressive Conservative government announced a combined $1.7 million in funding in 2022 and 2023 to boost the number of training seats from 16 to 40 for the 2024-25 school year.

The Manitoba Association of Registered Respiratory Therapists’ latest annual reports show zero growth from 2019 (when 347 members were registered) to 2024 (when it had 346 members), Linklater said.

To help retain and recruit, the union called on the province to introduce an incentive for full-time respiratory therapists, and a premium for allied health professionals who work in intensive care, emergency or urgent care departments.

The premium has not been implemented despite being negotiated in 2025, the union said.

“It became very clear in recent months that unless something is done, (Manitoba) is not going to be able to catch up in terms of dealing with this problem.”

The union also called for night shift incentives, and scholarships or bursaries with return of service agreements to boost enrolment in the U of M’s program and keep graduates in Manitoba.

Asagwara said overall vacancy rates have improved under the NDP, pointing to the addition of 3,500 net new health-care workers, including more than 1,200 nurses.

“Our goal as a government is to fill all those vacancies and then start creating new positions,” the minister said.

Asagwara said the last contract introduced a number of incentives for respiratory therapists, including rural factor adjustments and weekend and night shift premiums.

Manitoba has added 16 respiratory therapists in the last year, and it is working with the U of M to encourage people to apply for training seats, Asagwara said.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca