Patients in western Manitoba will soon have access to more critical care close to home as the new Critical Care Centre at Brandon Regional Health Centre gears up to accept its first patients this May. The expanded unit adds six intensive care beds and 30 internal medicine beds, a major upgrade for a facility that has the only ICU between Winnipeg and Regina along the Trans-Canada Highway.
Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara announced on April 1 that the $120-million project is nearly complete, but due to ongoing nursing shortages, not all the new beds will open right away. The ICU will start with 12 of its 16 beds, while the 30-bed internal medicine unit will begin with 15 beds. The remaining beds will come online as more staff are hired and trained.
Patients and families will find a dramatically different environment inside the new centre. Every room is a private, single-occupancy space with large windows that let in natural light. A warm colour scheme is meant to make the unit feel more welcoming for everyone who steps inside.
Treena Slate, CEO of Prairie Mountain Health, said about 14 healthcare aides, 25 nurses, and two specialists are still needed to fully staff the units. The region has struggled with staffing, losing 23 nurses between April 2024 and May 2025. In a boost, six nurses from Manitoba’s record 45-person ICU training program that graduated in April 2026 are joining Brandon’s team.
The project also leaves room for future growth. The fourth level of the building is shell space set aside for a neonatal intensive care unit down the road. An Indigenous Blessing Ceremony led by Elder Deborah Tacan was held in November 2024 to honour the new building and the Treaty 1, 2, and 4 territories it sits on.
The BRHC Foundation helped support the expansion through its “A Foundation for Care” campaign. A $1-million donation from longtime Westman residents Gord and Diane Peters and a $115,000 gift from the Brandon Area Community Foundation assisted with construction and equipment costs.
