Manitoba’s Premier says he acknowledges ongoing health care issues in the Rural Municipality of Piney and says he wants to help.

As Brian Pallister explains, many people living in Piney rely on the nearest medical facilities in Warroad, Minnesota, to access timely medical care. That longstanding agreement between the two communities has been temporarily severed as the federal government has closed the border to protect Canadian citizens from COVID-19. He notes Piney is a far commute from other medical centres like those in Steinbach and Winnipeg so the issue this poses is of some significance.

“I raise this on the behalf of the people of southeastern Manitoba so they are aware we are thinking of them and are really fighting the federal government hard to make some decision on this issue,” stressed Pallister, in a tone of frustration. “Allowing those who need to go for health care across the Canada-US border to do so, to me, just makes sense and it would just show some compassion for the folks in that area. We would like to see that happen and we are working very hard to get answer from the feds.”

Pallister says he and the region’s MLAs are advocating for an exception to this closure in the belief that a global pandemic is not the time to be hampering health care services.

"We don't feel that is fair or right," states the Premier.