Dauphin, Manitoba will host the first group of students in a new paramedic training program early next year, bringing a fresh approach to tackling the serious shortage of emergency care workers in the province. Premier Wab Kinew announced the $115,000 investment in Assiniboine College during his State of the Province address in Brandon on May 14, 2026. The money will launch a rotating rural training model for primary care paramedics, with the first 16 students starting at the college’s Parkland Campus in January 2027.
The new program is a one-year certificate that lets people study close to home instead of having to move to Winnipeg or another large centre. It’s based on an existing nursing training model at Assiniboine College where students rotate through different rural communities. Michele Sykes, chairperson for allied health programs at Assiniboine College, said over 100 people have already put their names on an interest list for the Dauphin location alone.
This comes as rural areas in western Manitoba face an ongoing shortage of paramedics. In December 2025, the region had a vacancy rate of about 43 percent for primary care paramedics, with 60 unfilled positions. That’s a drop of 25 full-time equivalent primary care paramedics since December 2023. Across the province, the vacancy rate hit 24.8 percent at the end of 2025, according to the union that represents paramedics.
Students who finish the Dauphin-based program will have return-of-service agreements, meaning they will go to work in their home communities after graduation. “Return-of-service agreements will also be in place for graduates to work in their communities, ensuring they have a job offer as soon as their training is completed,” the province said in a news release. A second group of 16 students will start at another Westman location later in 2027.
The new training connects with an emergency medical responder program already running at Assiniboine College, giving those graduates a way to earn the full primary care paramedic credential. The NDP government has a goal of hiring 200 net new paramedics, and by April 2026 it says it had added 41. More details about the program are available on the Assiniboine College website.
