Manitoba has officially proclaimed May 13 as Indigenous Nurses Day, marking the first time a province has established this recognition. The announcement was made on May 13, 2026, during International Nurses Week to celebrate the essential contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis nurses to the healthcare system.
For residents of St. Theresa Point, the proclamation highlights the vital role nurses play in remote communities that often face significant healthcare challenges. The Four Arrows Regional Health Authority, which serves St. Theresa Point and three other Island Lake First Nations, issued a statement celebrating the new day. The authority noted that Indigenous nurses’ knowledge, leadership, and cultural teachings “are essential to improving health outcomes and strengthening our systems of care.”
The St. Theresa Point community, which relies on a local nursing station staffed by four nurses for its on-reserve population of approximately 3,800, faces specific hurdles including a lack of a local hospital and limited treatment options that require travel by air or seasonal winter road to reach facilities in Norway House or Thompson.
The recognition of Indigenous Nurses Day coincided with a formal apology from the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba. On May 13, 2026, the regulator apologized for its role in systemic discrimination against First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people within the healthcare system. The college acknowledged that while Manitoba was the first province to recognize nursing as a profession in 1913, that early framework “privileged colonial Western perspectives with devastating impacts” on Indigenous nurses and patients.
In its statement, the college expressed deep sorrow for historical harms and intergenerational effects, committing to the need for ongoing work to foster meaningful change in the profession.
