Manitoba announces more spaces for physician training in western region

BRANDON — The Manitoba government announced Wednesday an increase in doctor training in the western part of the province — the latest in a series of spending announcements in an area where a byelection is looming.

The government is adding 10 doctor training seats at the Max Rady College in Brandon, part of the University of Manitoba, bringing the total to 20. The government is also renovating the school’s science centre and putting up money to help renovate a library at the city’s hospital.

Premier Wab Kinew said training more medical students in rural areas will boost health care.

“People from rural Manitoba are the most likely to stay and practice in rural Manitoba long-term,” he said.

The announcement is the latest of several in western Manitoba this month in advance of a byelection that must be held by mid-September in the Spruce Woods constituency, which includes part of Brandon and much of the surrounding area.

The NDP government has also announced money for highways, housing and dam rehabilitation in the area since the start of the month, as well as money to improve water quality in Oak Lake.

The government also recently announced it was dropping a proposal to redesign a highway intersection in the adjacent constituency of Agassiz after it had been met with strong resistance from residents.

Asked about the timing of the spending announcements in relation to the byelection, Kinew said the government is investing in health care and jobs in all parts of the province.

The Spruce Woods seat has been vacant since March, when Progressive Conservative Grant Jackson resigned to run federally. The seat is a longtime Tory stronghold, and the government must hold byelections within 180 days of a vacancy under provincial law.

Kinew gave no indication as to how soon he would call the vote. His weekly cabinet meeting, normally held in Winnipeg, took place Wednesday in Brandon, and several cabinet colleagues joined him for the announcement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 16, 2025.

— By Steve Lambert in Winnipeg

The Canadian Press