The planned opening of the new Portage Regional Health Centre in Portage la Prairie has been postponed from November 2026 to next spring. Officials cite the need for additional staff training and equipment implementation.
The new facility, promised in 2021, will replace the existing hospital and is nearly double its size, offering more acute care beds. Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara attributed the delay to insufficient capacity-building support from the previous Progressive Conservative government. In response, Tory MLA Jeff Bereza argued that the building is ready and staffing is sufficient, placing blame on current government planning failures and noting that initial training and scheduling efforts are now disrupted.