-Some Westman residents say they have been waiting years to find a family doctor. The Family Doctor Finder program, matches patients with a doctor within 30 days. The Brandon Sun says right now, patients are forced to rely on walk-in clinics, and remain on long waitlists. The Health Minister says its family doctorfinder.ca is 80 per cent successful.
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-Red tape is delaying doctors from treating patients. Doctors Manitoba says this province could have “the equivalent of 326 more doctors” if not for the endless paperwork. Doctors are spending about 9.7 hours a week on administrative tasks. Right now, the province is already short-246 doctors per capita, of the national average. The Health Minister says they have made real progress.
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-The Manitoba Nurses Union wants to designate St. Boniface Hospital as an unsafe workplace. Right now, the union is planning to hold a vote, following an incident where a nurse was sexually assaulted leaving her vehicle in the St. Boniface hospital parking lot at night. This vote was announced Monday, no date set yet.
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-Only a handful of people voiced their opinion on this years 2026 City Hall budget. The Brandon Sun says the local Chamber of Commerce is reporting that businesses and residents are facing multiple cost increases besides municipal tax, like hydro rates and water increases. Right now, we could see an 8.6 per cent property tax increase.
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-It’s too early for a victory lap in the provinces competition from Manitoba’s New Jobs Agreement Framework. This, from Premier Wab Kinew. He points to 6 contracts awarded, proof that the deals don’t shut out competition. The construction of 4-schools the province would be the first projects under the Manitoba Jobs Agreements. Kinew said about 11 companies made bids. The schools are scheduled to open in the fall of 2027.
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-Premier Wab Kinew says there are “encouraging signs” in the landfill search for the remains of Ashlee Shingoose at Winnipeg’s Brady Road Landfill. He says while there are no guarantees of success, material uncovered so far aligns with the date ranges and trucking routes of her disappearance. Shingoose was 1 of 4 First Nations women killed by Jeremy Skibicki, sentenced to life in prison in 2024.
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-Prime Minster Mark Carney started Parliament’s winter session with a 25 per cent boost to the GST credit, under a new “Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit” Carney says the plan will help lower income families with grocery prices, as he says they have been “too high for too long”. This, as food inflation hit 6.2 per cent in December. PC opposition says the proposal is a “Band-Aid solution”, but will allow it to pass, continuing to push for broader changes to lower food costs.
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-Prime Minister Mark Carney is not walking back statements he made at the World Economic Forum, despite claims that he is. Carney told reporters today “To be absolutely clear, I meant what I said in Davos”, which was also said to President Donald Trump during a phone call. The claim comes from the US treasury Secretary, that Carney is “very aggressively walking back some of the unfortunate remarks he made at Davos.”
