WINNIPEG — Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, a day after his NDP government intervened to end a medical workers’ strike, called out their employer Wednesday and suggested he may de-privatize lab testing. “Dynacare sucks. Dynacare sucks,” Kinew repeated numerous times when asked by reporters about the one-day walkout by 350 Dynacare lab technicians and technologists. “The workers are frustrated. Absolutely they’re frustrated (and) rightfully so,” he added. “Dynacare, get back to the (bargaining) table and give these people a raise.” The staffers walked off the job early Tuesday morning, shuttering 22 Dynacare lab locations across the province and stopping the collection of thousands of tests, including blood work, urinalysis and prenatal checks. Hours later, Kinew’s government successfully argued to the Manitoba Labour Board that the Dynacare work was vital to the health system. By day’s end, the board ordered the workers back. The union, the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals, complied and the workers were back on the job Wednesday morning. The union and Dynacare did not have an essential workers agreement in place in case of a strike. Kinew lambasted Dynacare for “making a mess of the situation,” and said his government had no choice but to intervene because it has a higher responsibility to keep the health system running. “Nobody should be using the results of a cancer test as leverage in a negotiation. Nobody,” he said. He said the fault also lies with the former Progressive Conservative government contracting out to Dynacare — a private operator — all the non-hospital medical testing. He said he is considering de-privatizing the testing but acknowledged it’s a tall, very expensive, decision. “The PCs privatized this system,” he said. “Once you privatize something and it goes to the private sector, it becomes extraordinarily costly to bring it back into public hands.” Union president Jason Linklater said Kinew still has the power to fix the situation. “The premier could make this right today if he wanted to — instead he’s running for cover and making excuses,” Linklater said. “We need him to step up and make sure his contract with Dynacare includes protections and equal wages for these front line health-care professionals that he and all Manitobans depend on.” The union has said if Kinew’s government will sacrifice their bargaining rights, all workers should be leery. The strike centred around wages. The union says its workers earn as much as 20 to 50 per cent less than counterparts in the public system. Dynacare has said it’s determined to reach a deal that is fair to all sides. The company has also said it tried to reach an essential services agreement earlier this year, but the union rejected every suggestion. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2026. Ian Bickis, The Canadian Press
