The mayor of Ste. Anne is again urging the Manitoba government to act on rural health care needs, warning that cuts to emergency department hours at Ste. Anne Hospital are placing an unsustainable burden on staff and putting patients at risk.
Mayor Yvan St. Vincent says the hospital is still seeing the same number of patients each year, despite the emergency room being open for fewer hours.
“All we’ve really done is condense the same amount of work into less time,” he said. “That has created a high-stress environment for staff and makes it harder to recruit and retain doctors.”
St. Vincent says the hospital is being asked to do 24 hours' worth of emergency care in an eight- to 12-hour window. That strain, he says, is leading to burnout and worsening delays in care for residents throughout the region.
Long wait times causing sicker patients
According to St. Vincent, many residents are waiting for Ste. Anne’s ER to reopen rather than seeking care elsewhere, particularly if they have existing relationships with doctors or nurses at the hospital. But those delays are coming at a cost.
“We’re hearing more and more stories about people who delayed care and became much sicker than they would have been with earlier treatment,” he said. “Some are avoiding Steinbach because of wait times, and others simply don’t have a way to get there.”
In December, Southern Health-Santé Sud confirmed that Ste. Anne Hospital had operated over capacity for stretches since summer, with 23 patients admitted at one point in the 21-bed facility. Additional patients were placed in observation beds to accommodate the overflow.
The mayor says it’s no longer enough to suggest patients can just drive to Bethesda Regional Health Centre in Steinbach, which is also experiencing long wait times and growing demand.
“We need collaboration, not competition,” said St. Vincent. “Both hospitals need to be properly resourced so residents across the region can access care when they need it.”
Regional designation seen as key to recruitment
St. Vincent is among a growing number of municipal leaders calling on the province to grant Ste. Anne Hospital official regional status. He says this change would allow for improved compensation, better recruitment tools, and expanded hours.
The Town of Ste. Anne is working alongside the RMs of Ste. Anne, Tache, and La Broquerie, as well as the Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (AMBM), to lobby for the change.
Tache Mayor Armand Poirier and AMBM president Ivan Normandeau have both said the designation would allow Ste. Anne to function at its full potential, alleviating pressure on Bethesda and improving health outcomes across southeastern Manitoba.
Mayor frustrated by lack of provincial response
St. Vincent says he and other leaders have invited both Premier Wab Kinew and Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara to visit Ste. Anne Hospital, but those requests have gone unanswered. While he has had productive discussions with Municipal Relations Minister Glen Simard, he says conversations with the province’s top health officials have stalled.
“At first, we were careful not to rock the boat,” said St. Vincent. “But we’ve knocked on that door many times now, and no one’s coming to the table. It’s frustrating.”
He says the issue affects not only Ste. Anne but the broader region, which includes a large Francophone, Métis, and Indigenous population. The hospital offers French-language services, has a helipad, and is equipped with a fully air-conditioned operating room—features that remain underutilized due to staffing shortages.
A call for partnership
“We’re not asking for everything overnight,” said St. Vincent. “We have the infrastructure, we have a committed team, and we have a hospital fund board ready to help. All we need now is a provincial partner who sees the value in what we already have.”
St. Vincent is renewing his call for the province to develop a phased plan to restore 24/7 emergency services at Ste. Anne Hospital, increase staffing, and officially recognize the facility as a regional health centre.