Kinew hosting public meeting in Brandon on health-care concerns

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Those with insights or concerns related to health care in Manitoba are being encouraged to attend Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew’s listening tour, which is stopping in Brandon on Wednesday night.

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This article was published 16/01/2018 (2263 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Those with insights or concerns related to health care in Manitoba are being encouraged to attend Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew’s listening tour, which is stopping in Brandon on Wednesday night.

The public meeting will take place at Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 3 (560 13th St. East) beginning at 7 p.m.

As part of the tour, Kinew also hosted a meeting in Boissevain on Tuesday night.

Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun
Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew is bringing his listening tour to the Brandon branch of the Royal Canadian Legion on Wednesday night.
Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew is bringing his listening tour to the Brandon branch of the Royal Canadian Legion on Wednesday night.

Citing health care as the top issue he has been hearing about from people throughout the province since being elected leader last year, Kinew said it was an easy go-to topic for a consultation tour.

Although most health care-related headlines have been driven by changes in Winnipeg, such as the closure of emergency rooms, Kinew said that Westman is also a “hot spot.”

Top of mind for Westman is the proposed Emergency Services Station overhaul, which would find 23 low call-volume EMS stations close and be replaced by 24-7 staffed sites, including new sites in Alonsa, Cowan, Miniota, Eriksdale and Manigotagan and enhanced versions of the existing stations in Virden and Glenboro.

Included in the proposal is a $1.7-million investment in hiring 29 full-time paramedics.

Although the provincial government has promoted the effort as a way to cut wait times, Kinew has remained skeptical, particularly in areas such as Boissevain, which is losing its EMS station.

Last year also found the provincial government task Prairie Mountain Health with a “savings target” of $17.5 million in the 2017-18 budget year.

“Do people see a difference, and what is the impact for the average person trying to go to a clinic or the hospital?” Kinew asked.

Those are questions he hopes to find answered on Wednesday night.

While he plans on focusing on the impacts of these cuts, Kinew said he also wants to keep tonight’s meeting open-ended in order to receive broader insights about people’s health-care needs and concerns, during which anyone interested in weighing in or listening is encouraged to attend.

Kinew said he plans on hosting more public meetings such as this throughout the province but has yet to firm up the details.

» tclarke@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB

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