Rural health care was front and center as the Manitoba NDP unveiled its plan to repair any problems should the party form government in this fall’s general election.

NDP leader Wab Kinew unveiled the five-point plan at a news conference in Virden, last week, saying the platform, “delivers better health care and a brighter future to rural Manitoba.”

“The biggest challenge facing rural communities right now is health care,” Kinew said. “Brian Pallister and Heather Stefanson eroded rural health care for seven years, leaving rural families cut off from care and rural communities struggling to build a future. Our team is ready to fix that with common sense solutions that will deliver better health care and a brighter future for rural families and communities.”

The NDP plan would double the rural doctor recruitment fund Brian Pallister cut and bring more doctors, nurses and health care workers to rural communities, Kinew added, by addressing the closures of rural ERs and health care centres, health care staffing shortages, and dangerous wait times for emergency care.

More doctors in rural communities

The NDP plans to reinstate the rural physician recruitment fund cut by the Conservative government and then double it. More doctors in rural Manitoba will keep families healthier with better primary and emergency care, Kinew said. Restoring this fund will help recruit more doctors in rural areas, while taking the pressure off smaller communities that have been forced to fundraise for their health care, he added.

“We need to relook at the finances of the department and I think Shared Health was another layer of bureaucracy that was brought in and so let’s revisit that opportunity,” said Ron Kostyshyn, who is running for the NDP in the Dauphin constituency and attended last week’s announcement. “That’s not saying that Shared Health doesn’t have a spot, but according to my sources or what I’ve read in the paper $85 million has been allocated to Shared Health and I think we can definitely trim off some of the financial dollars and put it towards doctor recruitment.”

Shorter wait times for ambulances and better cell service

Kinew said the NDP will fill the paramedic staffing vacancies that grew under the current government by giving rural paramedics a new contract, paying them the same as Winnipeg paramedics and allowing Advanced Care Paramedics to work to their full scope of practice. Work will also be undertaken to improve cell service in rural communities so emergency calls do not get dropped.

More staff to keep rural health centres open

The NDP plans to keep ERs open by recruiting and retaining more diagnostic imaging and lab technologists by giving them a competitive deal, Kinew said, along with offering incentives to allied health professionals, nurses and nurse practitioners to work in rural communities.

“We’ve gone through some pretty big challenges, not only in Manitoba, but across Canada. But let’s move forward because with the status quo we’re moving backwards instead of forward. So what do you need? You need your doctors, you need your nurses, you need your paramedics, you need your medical experts to get this done,” Kostyshyn said.

Health technology to connect families with the best specialists

The NDP plan calls for equipping rural health care centres with technology to reduce patient transfers and connect rural families with the best specialists in the province. Kinew said the party will improve rural broadband to support this.

The care seniors need to stay healthy at home

The NDP plans to reimburse homecare workers properly for their mileage to help seniors age in place. The party will build more personal care home beds to keep seniors in their home communities and increase access to primary care in rural communities to keep seniors healthy.

The Manitoba NDP’s rural health care commitments are one part of their comprehensive plan to fix health care across the province, the local candidate said.

“We’ve all witnessed what’s transpired in the last number of years and I think the rural health care probably is the biggest sufferer in our health care system. And when we think about smaller communities such as the Grandview Hospital and the Roblin hospital and the Dauphin hospital, they all experienced some challenges,” Kostyshyn said. “So I think we need a serious, I guess, retake of what’s happened in our health care in the last number of years and I think Wab and our party have the right ideas.”

Kostyshyn added problems in the health care system are not going to be solved in the short term, but the time to start a rebuild is now.

“Definitely we need to have a revisit because we can’t continue on the path we’re on right now,” he said.

Colleen Talbot, Martijn van Luijn and Lana Davidson put some smiles on cookies baked at the local Tim Horton’s as the annual Smile Cookie campaign took place last week.

At last report, Dauphin was the number one seller of the special delicacies across Canada.

Proceeds of the campaign will go to the Parkland Crisis Centre and Women’s Shelter.

Hillman Dance Studio held its 10th annual year end showcase Sunday afternoon April 30 at the Community Centre.

The audience was treated to 25 numbers in all featuring 50 plus dancers ranging in age from three  year olds to high schoolers as well as a guest appearances by dancers from Giny Hillman’s studio in Churchbridge.

For a look at a few of the numbers, check out the picture page in this week's Review.

March was a very busy month at Roblin’s LEARN Centre including the launch of a beginner computer class and a new babysitting course.

Nine youth took part and all obtained their certificate. T

Find out what else has kept the centre busy in this issue.

The 30,000 or so members of Fusion Credit Union heard plenty of good news about their financial institution at its annual general meeting, April 19.

“We had another fantastic year in 2022 with results ranging from outstanding loan growth numbers and ongoing profitability sharing with our members, to continued community involvement whereby we give of both people and monetary resources,” noted Fusion board chair Richard Dereniwski in his message to the members.

Find out more in this week’s Review.

An event to celebrate and commemorate missing and murdered Indigenous people will be held in the tri-community this week. The event is open to all and will include a sacred fire in the Kinsmen Park, some entertainment and snacks.
“KB Memorial in partnership with MKO MMIWG Liaison Unit is hosting a Celebrate and Commemorate Vigil on May 5, for family and friends to respectfully celebrate and remember the lives of their missing and murdered loved ones around the sacred fire,” said Gloria Ballantyne-Packo. “It will be a candlelight vigil and we will provide the candles and red glow sticks for children.”

The Pas Health Complex Foundation has been busy raising funds again to improve health services for the community. The organization was started back in the late 90s and has been raising and managing donations give to improve medical equipment and services for patients and the healthcare facilities in The Pas.
“The Pas Health Complex Foundation is a registered charity dedicated to the provision of equipment and services that will provide care and comfort for patients in the health facilities in The Pas,” said The Pas Health Complex Foundation Chair Sue Lambert. “It was instituted and incorporated in 1999, when the RHA took over the St. Anthony’s Hospital Board and attached all the assets. The endowment fund, which consists of donations from people in The Pas, was moved to another bank and was retained for use in The Pas only.

A group of Grade 8 students from the ESRSS organized a pizza lunch fundraiser in their school, with the intent of raising money for the Community Cancer Program in the Swan Valley Health Centre. While the sale of 185 pizzas raised a significant amount of money, word of their efforts got around town and businesses and individuals made their own donations towards the cause, more than doubling their initial goal and allowing the students to deliver $2,000 to the Community Cancer Program. ESRSS students Danica TerHorst, Emma Henkelman and Calli Goethe presented the cheque to RN Kristie Poole, RNBN Kelly Burick and RNBN Alyssa Kines.

International circus outfit Cirque Luz Dalia performed two shows Thursday evening (April 27) at the Swan River Community Centre, as part of their Canadian debut tour this spring...

After a month of indoor practices, the Dauphin Clippers baseball team finally got some outdoor workouts in before starting the season later this week.

Clippers coach Don Sheldon said training sessions began in early April, with about 12 players showing up.

Although he would have liked to see more players tryout for the team, Sheldon feels the Clippers will be a committed squad once the season begins.

“I think it will be a good team in terms of commitment level once we get going,” he said, adding there are a lot of returning players from last year’s squad. “And there’s a few new up and comers that I’m excited to see what they can do,” he said.

Sheldon feels the team will be competitive in the Prairie West High School Baseball League and will have a good chance to win their zone and advance to provincials.

Dauphin’s season begins, Wednesday in Brandon against the Neelin Spartans, followed by a doubleheader on Sunday, with game one in Roblin at noon, and the night cap at 4 p.m. in Swan River.

The schedule will see the Clippers play seven games in 14 days, with the first four games on the road, followed by three home dates.

“We’re kind of stuck to just pretty much Monday practices and then playing on Wednesdays and Sundays. We’ve got seven games in 14 days, so it’s going to be a stretch where we’ll be asking a lot from our pitchers,” he said. “But that’s the nature of high school baseball. It’s a quick season. They want everything wrapped up by the start of June.”

Starting with four games on the road will benefit the Clippers, Sheldon said.

“That will actually serve our team pretty well, I think. It will give us a chance to practice on our diamond a little bit before we have to play a game on it,” he said. adding last season the Clippers weren’t able to get on the diamond until their first game of the season. “So this year, hopefully, we’ll have a few practices under our belt and know the field a little bit better so home field advantage will actually feel like home field advantage.”

Dauphin’s first home game is, May 14, against Russell at noon.