Town of Ste. Anne welcomes progress toward regional designation for local hospital The Town of Ste. Anne is celebrating a significant step forward in its long-standing effort to secure regional designation for Hôpital Sainte-Anne Hospital, a move that local leaders say could improve access to health care across southeastern Manitoba. Earlier this month, the Manitoba government announced the creation of a working group to explore the regionalization of the hospital. The initiative follows months of advocacy by municipal leaders, including Mayor Yvan St. Vincent, and partners across the region, who have pushed for enhanced services to meet the growing needs of the community. “This is very exciting news and probably happened faster than we even expected,” St. Vincent said in an interview. “It’s a very big step in the right direction to getting the hospital where we think it should be, both as a town and with our municipal partners.” The move comes after a September 4 visit by Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara and a letter from Premier Wab Kinew expressing support for advancing regional designation. Premier addresses health care needs In his letter to Mayor St. Vincent, Kinew wrote: “One of our core beliefs as a government is that health care is a right that every person in our province deserves access to, no matter where they live. We are going to keep working to make sure Manitobans in rural communities can access quality health care close to home, and in both official languages, whenever they need it. We believe in the idea you’re proposing, and we want to work in partnership with you and council, as well as with the Ste. Anne Hospital leadership, surrounding communities, and interested parties, to move the idea of designating the Ste. Anne Hospital as a regional facility forward. Working together, we can build up the health care services the Town of Ste. Anne and surrounding region needs to thrive.” The working group will include a variety of stakeholders tasked with developing a phased, realistic plan for expanding services, staffing, and hours of operation. St. Vincent stressed that regionalization will take time but called the creation of the working group a “giant first step.” “People are happy to see a step being taken,” St. Vincent said. “Residents know better than anyone the need for this, and they’re appreciative that the provincial government has noticed and put it high on their list of priorities.” Working together The effort has been a collaborative one, involving the Town of Ste. Anne, the R.M. of Ste. Anne, R.M. of Taché, R.M. of La Broquerie, the Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (AMBM) and the Eastman Regional Municipal Committee – Southern Sub-Committee. Together, they have advocated for a hospital that can serve a growing bilingual population, including Francophone, Métis, and Indigenous residents, with equitable and culturally appropriate care. AMBM President and La Broquerie Reeve Ivan Normandeau said the working group represents “a concrete opportunity to build a sustainable, bilingual health care system that reflects the realities of our region.” St. Vincent has long advocated for the hospital, highlighting the challenges residents face when seeking emergency care. In a July letter to the province, he cited high patient volumes despite reduced emergency hours and warned that delayed care can lead to preventable emergencies. “Ste. Anne Hospital has the infrastructure, a strong medical team, and a committed hospital fund board ready to take on any project,” St. Vincent said. “What we need now is a government partner willing to invest in what we already know works.” For now, the mayor and municipal partners remain cautiously optimistic as the working group begins its work, hoping it will lead to expanded services and improved access to health care in southeastern Manitoba. “This is super rewarding,” St. Vincent said. “It’s a gigantic first step, and with promises being made, now we’re just hopeful that people keep their promises.”