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WINNIPEG — Manitoba has declared a public health emergency over HIV rates that it says are three times higher than the rest of Canada.
“This emergency, it’s not about creating fear, Dr. Brent Roussin, the chief provincial public health officer, said Thursday.
“It’s about acknowledging the reality that individuals and communities are facing right now and to address that with a level of urgency.”
The province said new cases have been increasing over the last six years, with 328 detected last year compared with 90 in 2019.
Numbers for 2026, so far, are comparable to this time last year, Roussin added.
Women account for more than half the new cases, he said, and most are between ages 20 and 40.
Rates are highest in the southwest and northern parts of the province, with the largest number of cases diagnosed in Winnipeg.
In 2024, Manitoba reported a rate of 19.5 cases per 100,000, while the national rate was 5.5 cases per 100,000.
HIV, short for human immunodeficiency virus, attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can weaken the body’s defences and progress to AIDS, which can be life-threatening.
By declaring the issue a public health emergency, Manitoba said it can support a more co-ordinated response with other health organizations and community groups.
Uzoma Asagwara, the province’s health minister, said the declaration also creates greater awareness and education.
“We’re also hoping it helps to reduce the stigma that can often be a barrier to people accessing the care that they need,” Asagwara said.
The government said it plans to focus its attention on reducing new infections, improving access to care and supporting people living with HIV.
It said it’s seeing the virus most commonly spread in Manitoba through intravenous drug use and unprotected heterosexual sex. In 2024, about 70 per cent of transmission happened through injection drug use.
A plan to open a supervised consumption site in Winnipeg is on hold while the government works with a local service provider to determine how users will be connected to treatment, recovery or other social service options.
Addictions Minister Bernadette Smith said the province is working to get the site up and running to address the growing number of overdose deaths as well as to also provide health-care services, including testing for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections to people who use drugs.
Advocates say access to harm reduction supplies, including clean needles, can help to prevent transmission of HIV.
The province is also calling on more help from Ottawa to address the sharp rise in cases.
“We need Canada to be a full partner and provide greater resources in Manitoba,” Asagwara said.
In Manitoba, Indigenous Peoples are disproportionately affected by the virus, which relates to the ongoing effects of colonization, said Roussin.
A health entity that services First Nations in northern Manitoba welcomed the public health emergency declaration.
Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin said ongoing jurisdictional issues between the federal and provincial governments have led to funding and service gaps.
“When governments evade responsibility, people fall through the cracks,” said Michelle Monkman, the organization’s interim CEO.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2026.
— With files from Steve Lambert
Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press
