Manitoba Government Invests in Westman Health-Care Workforce with New Paramedic Training Seats, New Child-Care Spaces at the Brandon Regional Health-Care Centre

The Manitoba government is investing in the health-care workforce in the Westman region with new paramedic training seats and new child-care spaces for health-care workers, Premier Kinew announced here today at the Brandon Chamber of Commerce’s State of the Province address.

“Paramedics are the first to arrive when your family needs emergency care and their work is valued by our government,” said Kinew. “We’ve made progress training and hiring more paramedics in Westman, but we know there is more to do. That’s why we are creating a new Primary Care Paramedic Program at Assiniboine College. Because child care is essential to growing the health workforce, we are also creating a new child-care centre at the Brandon hospital built to care for your children while you are caring for others. Together, these investments will help us recruit and retain more health-care workers in Westman.”

An investment of $115,000 to Assiniboine College will create a new rotating rural training model, with the first cohort starting in Dauphin. Assiniboine College will offer this new Primary Care Paramedic Program designed to increase access for rural and western Manitoba students, helping build a stronger pipeline of paramedics for communities across the region, the premier noted. The initiative will support more students moving through the emergency medical responder to primary care paramedic pathway while allowing them to train closer to where they live.

As part of the largest capital child-care project the province has started to date, the Manitoba government is also creating 148 new child-care spaces at the Brandon Regional Health Centre, which will open in summer 2027. The centre is built to operate during extended hours to provide care during health-care workers’ shifts.

“We know Brandon and Westman play a major role in Manitoba’s growth and success,” said Jennifer Ludwig, president, Brandon Chamber of Commerce. “We welcome investments that strengthen health care, support local communities, create opportunities for businesses and workers, and help build a strong economy across western Manitoba.”

The premier also highlighted several recent and ongoing Manitoba government investments benefiting Brandon and the Westman region including:

• providing $9.7 million to rebuild and repave 18th Street, which was voted CAA Manitoba’s worst road in 2024;
• investing in the Park Community Centre, with construction expected to begin this year;
• opening the Brandon Minor Injury and Illness Clinic, which saw more than 10,000 patient visits in 2025;
• undertaking action to challenge restrictive property controls held by Sobeys, including controls connected to an empty grocery store property in Brandon, to help increase competition and improve affordability;
• advancing nearly $3 billion in energy projects in western Manitoba including a new 750-megawatt dual-fuel turbine project to support growing energy needs and economic development opportunities; and
• creating a new critical care unit at the Brandon Regional Health Centre as part of a $120-million expansion project, allowing more patients to receive advanced care closer to home, which will include new, modern private intensive care unit rooms.