The Manitoba government is spending $5.2 million to establish a new menopause clinic in south Winnipeg, with doors expected to open in early fall 2027. The province announced the Manitoba Menopause Clinic will operate as a standalone, community-based centre at 1333 Kenaston Blvd. It says the clinic will restore specialized care lost when the Mature Women’s Centre closed in 2017 under the former Progressive Conservative government. “Women deserve high-quality health care through every season of life,” said Premier Wab Kinew during a Monday news conference. “Manitoba once led the way when it came to delivering menopause services, and now we want to reclaim that spot.” The province said the facility will offer menopause and gynecological care, including minimally invasive procedures such as hysteroscopies and endometrial ablation, along with counselling, education and coordinated interdisciplinary support. It adds obstetricians and gynecologists will lead care, supported by nurses, dietitians, physiotherapists, and pharmacists, with specialty consultations available in psychiatry, cardiology, endocrinology, rheumatology and sleep medicine. Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara called the pledge “just the start” for the facility, which is intended to serve patients from across the province. “It means that people won’t have to search without care and go without it,” Asagwara said. “It means they’re going to be able to access care and keep accessing that care right here at home.” Dr. Rebecca Renkas, a physician who worked at the former Mature Women’s Centre, welcomed the announcement. “The demand (for services) never disappeared when the centre closed,” she said, adding that she spoke publicly against the move in 2017. “It was only hidden, pushed into family practices and gynecology offices that were already full, carried quietly by women who assumed that the exhaustion, the brain fog, the sleeplessness, the pain were just something they had to live with.” Renkas said the promise was that the need could be met elsewhere, adding that “the reality is that it could not.” Renkas noted that wait times for Manitoba Health-covered specialized menopause care can extend beyond six months and often over a year. A Winnipeg Regional Health Authority spokesperson said some services were moved to the Health Sciences Centre following the centre’s closure. Amanda Le Rougetel, a former patient at the Mature Women’s Centre, said she felt confused and alone until she received care at the facility. “There is no shame in what our bodies go through, but there is still too much silence, way too much misunderstanding,” she said. The facility will be designed with accessibility in mind, according to the province, featuring ground-level entry, nearby parking and transit access. In a statement, Kathleen Cook, health critic for the PCs, said the NDP need to explain how they plan to fully staff the new centre to ensure it opens on time. “Without a plan to train, recruit, and retain the needed staff, there is a risk that this will become another empty political promise from the NDP,” reads the statement in part. The centre is expected to operate five days a week with extended hours as needed, supporting both in-person and virtual visits.
