Provincial Conservative critics are hounding the new NDP government about the creation, or lack of creation, of personal care homes (PCH) in Manitoba.
On Tuesday, Derek Johnson, the opposition cabinet’s shadow minister for seniors and long-term care, said six PCHs slated to be built under the Progressive Conservatives had been halted in a decision by the new government.
Uzoma Asagwara, Manitoba’s deputy premier, said there’s more to it than what meets the eye with a $1.6-billion deficit to work with, but did not confirm or deny whether projects had been postponed, saying, “I’m currently evaluating and assessing all projects to ensure that our response moving forward is one that strengthens health care, and is also financially responsible.”
Johnson said there is an urgency for more personal care homes. “Manitoba has an aging population, and we need to be building more care homes, not less. Any delays to these much-needed projects will only create longer wait lists,” he said.
In the time of the PCs, all projects went through the proper Treasury Board process for approval, Johnson said, and would have been built in Arborg, Lac du Bonnet, Oakbank, Stonewall, and Winnipeg, creating almost 700 beds.
He said the Interlake Eastern Regional Health Authority presents the highest PCH needs in southern Manitoba, and that within the region, Lac du Bonnet is most for want.
Asagwara said the government hears the frustrations of people in “not just Lac du Bonnet, but across the province who are dealing with a health-care system that is really challenged right now in many ways.”
The minister said the previous government promised Manitobans 1,200 PCH beds, but following its two terms ensued a net loss.
Right now, the government is focused on strengthening health care, “which is Manitoba’s top priority, and is certainly our government’s top priority also,” Asagwara said.