WINNIPEG — The Manitoba PCs this week outlined a comprehensive plan to nurture healthy communities across the province, addressing critical concerns for Manitobans, including the health-care workforce, access to primary care, addictions recovery, community projects, child care, and mental health services.

“We make our communities healthier and stronger by lifting up the organizations that serve us,” said Kelvin Goertzen, PC candidate for Steinbach. “Our plan will do this by recruiting more staff into our health-care system, improving access to primary care services, increasing child-care spaces, and treating the mental health and addictions challenges facing Manitoba families with the seriousness and the compassion they deserve.”

The Healthy Communities plan has six broad-based pillars, including:

Strengthening Our Frontlines: Building on the $400-million Health Human Resources Action Plan by investing an additional $120-million into a permanent recruitment fund to grow Manitoba’s health-care workforce, including $40-million targeted for rural communities and other cities outside Winnipeg.

Expanding Primary Care Services: Connecting Manitobans with more access to primary care by expanding the scopes of primary care at pharmacies, facilitating pharmacists to treat common conditions and manage chronic diseases to alleviate pressure throughout the health-care system.

Investing In Addictions Recovery: Helping more Manitobans recover from their addictions by doubling the number of treatment spaces across Manitoba to 3,200 over the next two years; supporting the Quest Health Recovery Centre, a long-term treatment program for First Nations run by First Nations; and creating a Military Affairs Secretariat which will help serve veterans struggling with addictions and homelessness.

Arts, Culture and Sport in Community: Helping families build vibrant communities by providing $100 million to support arts, culture, and amateur sport projects and programming being undertaken by community organizations throughout the province. This includes additional commitments of $10 million for the Waverley West Recreation Campus Aquatic Facility, and $10 million to support the Flin Flon Aquatic Centre.

Supporting Manitoba Parents: Addressing the need for affordable, quality daycare by opening over 640 new spaces for families in Winnipeg as part of our ongoing goal of opening 23,000 spaces by 2026, and expanding $10-a-day daycare to include in-service school days and summer holidays. We will also support families struggling to conceive by enhancing the Fertility Treatment Tax Credit.

Boosting Mental Health Services: Supporting children and youth struggling with their mental health by increasing annual funding for Manitoba mental health service providers, and increasing funding support for the Canadian Mental Health Association Service Navigation Hub.

“Our experienced PC Team has a clear and comprehensive vision to revitalize well-being in every neighbourhood in Manitoba,” said Goertzen.

You can see the PC Party of Manitoba’s economic development platform online at pcmanitoba.com/healthycommunities.

The provincial election will be held on October 3rd, 2023.

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