Doctor training seats double in Brandon in hopes of boosting physician numbers in Manitoba

Ten new new doctor training seats are being created in Brandon at the University of Manitoba Max Rady College of Medicine satellite campus, part of a $56-million announcement by the province on Wednesday.

Doctor training seats are positions for medical students who are still completing their degrees, as opposed to a residency, which is the practicum done after graduation.

The students will complete their training at the Brandon Regional Health Centre, Premier Wab Kinew said at a news conference in Brandon.

"This is an important step in strengthening rural health care and keeping more physicians in the region [because] people from rural Manitoba are the most likely to stay and practise in rural Manitoba long-term," he said.

"Having a pathway for a kid to go from K-12, to Brandon University, to medical school and then to go back to practise in their hometown is part of the vision for how we're going to fix health care."

The 10 new seats, available in fall 2026, will bring the total in Brandon to 20. The partnership with the U of M will see the province spend $750,000 annually in operating funds.

"These are students who will be working directly with patients, gaining practical medical experience, building relationships with care teams in communities and putting down additional roots in this region," Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said.

"This is one piece of the puzzle of how we fix health care, not only across the province, but of course, specifically in rural Manitoba."

The province also announced capital funding for renovations at Brandon University's Brodie Science Centre and at the Brandon Regional Health Centre's library.

Asagwara said $3.3 million will be spent on the latter, with work to be done by fall 2026. The upgrades will provide dedicated and well-equipped learning spaces that support hands-on training, Asagwara said.

The Brodie Science Centre renovations are much broader and long in coming. Constructed in 1969, the 137,000-square- foot building no longer meets the needs of the faculty of science, nor the broader university community, according to Brandon University's website.

The province has dedicated $52 million toward that renewal project.

"There's a lot of work to do until we can say that we've fixed health care, but the good news is we're on the way," said Kinew.

The announcements were the latest of several in western Manitoba this month in advance of a byelection that must be held by mid-September in the Spruce Woods constituency.

Kinew denied reporters' questions about whether all of the announcements are part of election-style spending promises before the byelection is called.

Spruce Woods has been vacant since March 24, when former Progressive Conservative MLA Grant Jackson resigned his seat to run in the federal election.

"What's the rush?" Kinew responded to a reporter's question, suggesting it was prompted by the PC Party, which has expressed a desire to see the byelection called as soon as possible.

"Do you feel you don't have a voice? I'm your premier, what would you like me to do?"

When the reporter responded he should call the byelection, Kinew said the reporter was "taking a hard line opinion in terms of this news article you're going to be writing."

When other reporters piped up, telling Kinew to be nice, the premier said, "I am being nice. I'm smiling. I'm having fun."