Manitoba Minute: Ethics Concerns, Manufacturing Grant, and Midwifery Services Suspended

Manitoba Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Manitoba politics.

This Week In Manitoba:

• The Manitoba Institute is working toward our spring fundraising goal. We don't often explicitly ask for donations in these emails, but as we approach the end of the month, we need your help to reach our $5,000 goal. With the election heating up, your contribution ensures our voice remains strong, no matter the outcome. If you appreciate our work, please consider donating today. Thank you for your ongoing support!
  
  
• Manitoba is actively recruiting American nurses as part of a push to address healthcare staffing shortages. Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara emphasized the Province's openness to US nurses, offering expedited pathways to practice in Manitoba. While the government has successfully recruited some US nurses, Darlene Jackson of the Manitoba Nurses Union expressed concerns, arguing that this strategy might be a short-term fix and questioning its long-term sustainability. Jackson believes the focus should be on retaining local nurses who have left the province, suggesting the introduction of a magnet system and nurse-patient ratio legislation to improve working conditions and bring nurses back.
  
  
• Premier Wab Kinew is facing calls for an ethics investigation after it was revealed he accepted private charter flights to attend two Grey Cup games with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2023 and 2024. Kinew did not initially disclose the trips, which were paid for personally, but later informed the Province’s Ethics Commissioner after the Opposition Progressive Conservatives filed a complaint. The complaint argues the trips may violate the Conflict of Interest Act, which restricts members of the legislature from accepting non-commercial travel related to their official duties. Kinew apologized for the oversight and clarified that he believed personal payment for the flights exempted him from disclosure.

Last Week In Manitoba:

• The Manitoba government has introduced a $1.5 million grant to help local manufacturers impacted by potential tariffs from the US. Premier Wab Kinew says the funding will support businesses by offering tariff training, market diversification, and building business connections. The initiative also includes planning consultations to help manufacturers respond to the uncertainty surrounding tariffs. The Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters group praised the funding, stating it would help businesses adapt and protect local jobs.
  
  
• Midwifery services in western Manitoba have been temporarily suspended due to a staffing shortage, with Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) announcing the suspension of all birth and on-call midwifery services from April 1st to September 30th, 2025. Expecting mothers who planned home births will now need to go to the hospital. While birthing services are paused, PMH will continue offering prenatal, postpartum, and newborn care. Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara confirmed that the service changes are temporary, caused by a midwife's leave, and plans are in place to ensure continued care through alternative facilities in Brandon, Dauphin, and Neepawa.
  
  
• Premier Wab Kinew confirmed that the victim previously known as Buffalo Woman was Ashlee Christine Shingoose, a 30-year-old Indigenous woman from St. Theresa Point Anisininew Nation, who was murdered by a serial killer. Following new information from the killer’s prison interview, it was revealed that Shingoose's remains were likely disposed of at the Brady landfill in Winnipeg. Kinew promised her family a search of the landfill. The case has also sparked calls for a broader inquiry into the investigation of missing and murdered Indigenous women.