Cost of hiring U.S. firm for Manitoba doctor hunt is 'minimal': health minister

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara is pictured during a news conference on digital health cards on Jan. 12, 2025. (Jamie Dowsett/CTV News Winnipeg)

WINNIPEG — The Manitoba government is paying a U.S. firm to find emergency room physicians south of the border for temporary posts, largely in rural and northern communities.

Shared Health, the province's central health planning body, has teamed up with Utah-based Global Medical Staffing, which has put up five job postings as a start in recent days. The postings tout Manitoba's natural beauty, including polar bears, beluga whales and the northern lights.

"Discover Manitoba where wild beauty, unforgettable wildlife encounters, and vibrant cultural experiences come together in the heart of Canada," one ad says.

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara says the amount of overhead costs being paid to the American firm is "minimal." Shared Health declined to divulge the dollar amount or the number of jobs that will be posted.

"While contractual details cannot be specified, we can share that the agreement with G.M.S. was signed by Shared Health on March 13, 2026, for a one-year term recruitment agreement," spokesperson Anya Willis wrote in an email.

The temporary job posts — called locums — are aimed at filling vacancies and reinforcing emergency rooms. The new contracts are for six- to 12-month periods.

Asagwara said American doctors who come here temporarily could end up making their relocation permanent.

"Maybe they'll be in Russell, maybe they'll be in Brandon, and they'll fall in love with the community and they'll stay," Asagwara said at a news conference Wednesday in Brandon, where a previously announced critical care centre is set to open this spring.

The Manitoba government has promised a "Buy Canadian" policy to favour Canadian firms for contracts as a response to U.S.-imposed tariffs, but the policy allows for exceptions.

Doctors Manitoba, which represents physicians across the province, said it welcomes efforts to recruit and retain doctors, and emergency rooms are where help is needed.

Emergency room wait times in Manitoba are about 8.5 hours on average — well above the national rate — and the number of emergency rooms that have to close temporarily is also higher, the group said.

"When we go outside the city of Winnipeg, emergency services are not as persistent and reliable as they are elsewhere," Dr. Nichelle Desilets, the group's president said.

The NDP government announced in January it had attracted 13 U.S.-trained doctors in the previous eight months as part of a recruitment drive.

Desilets said Manitoba saw a record net gain in doctors last year, but most were family physicians in Winnipeg. Retaining doctors and preventing them from being lured elsewhere continues to be a challenge, she added

"So we are still seeing shortages in specialist areas as well as rural areas," Desilets said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2026.

Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press