The Dauphin Regional Health Centre in Dauphin, Manitoba is closed indefinitely after catastrophic flooding on July 1-2, 2026 caused extensive damage to the building’s basement, forcing the evacuation of 54 patients and putting a planned expansion of nine new beds on hold.
Heavy rains between June 28 and July 1 brought 115 millimetres of precipitation that overwhelmed the hospital’s lower level, destroying the electrical distribution system and heating and ventilation equipment. Fifty-four patients were moved to other health centres across Manitoba, with 24 sent to the Brandon Regional Health Centre.
Treena Slate, CEO of Prairie Mountain Health, confirmed the damage is severe. “A lot of the electrical distribution system was damaged and will need to be replaced. Our air-handling systems were also submerged and damaged, and so there’s infection control concerns around that,” Slate said. The hospital is expected to stay closed for nine months to one year while repairs are completed.
Before the flood, the hospital served about 50,000 people across the Parkland region. It was also in the middle of a $7.8-million renovation project. The first phase, finished in early 2024, created a larger cancer care unit — which began seeing patients in January 2024 — and a new endoscopy suite on the first floor that was set to open soon after. The second phase, announced as underway in January 2024, was supposed to add nine inpatient beds and convert old cancer care space into a physiotherapy and occupational therapy unit by late summer 2024. Those plans are now delayed as flood recovery takes priority.
Residents and healthcare workers are feeling the strain as patients are redirected to other communities. Some are calling for a temporary field hospital to fill the gap. Premier Wab Kinew said the province is committed to speeding up repairs while maintaining safety. “We’re starting to get the preliminary estimates of how big an undertaking this is, and we are going to throw a ton of resources and time and energy towards accelerating that as much as possible,” Kinew said.
