Kirkfield Park byelection candidates Klein and Nichol make promises about health care, Grace Hospital

Two candidates vying for the right to become the next representative of a west Winnipeg provincial riding have laid out their respective health-care plans.

Progressive Conservative nominee Kevin Klein and Liberal nominee Rhonda Nichol both spoke Friday about the past and current state of Manitoba's health-care system, especially as it relates to the Grace Hospital.

Klein, a former city councillor for Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood who ran for mayor of Winnipeg in October's civic election, lamented the former NDP government's handling of Winnipeg emergency departments.

In 2014, the Canadian Institute for Health Information identified the city as having four of the five slowest emergency rooms in Canada.

He says the PC government, which came to power in 2016, has been working toward improving care at the Grace Hospital, pointing to over $77 million in investments to update diagnostic equipment. 

Klein also pointed to the premier's announced support for a new intensive care unit at the hospital, which is in the Kirkfield Park riding.

Nichol, a research nurse for clinical trials at CancerCare Manitoba who worked for 29 years as a nurse at Grace Hospital, says the current PC government needs to shoulder the blame for its handling of the health system.

She says the reason she chose to run for public office was she had exhausted all of her options of advocating through the system.

"I've worked in a system where great people are doing their best to provide care with minimal support from this government," Nichol said in a news release.

If elected, she says she intends to organize a town hall at the hospital, and set up a hotline for front-line workers so they can reach her directly and in confidence.

Klein would like to see more community paramedics, which he says will improve health services to all residents in Kirkfield Park, and beyond.

He said in talking to paramedics, he's heard "we are having a lot of visits to hospital because we're not utilizing our advanced-care paramedics with the community paramedic units that could be expanded upon."

"That's one thing I would like to advocate for that I think will drastically reduce visits to the hospital."

He also believes the PC government's plan to spend $200 million to attract and retain medical personnel is a step toward addressing low staffing numbers in health care.

In a statement emailed to CBC Saturday, NDP candidate Logan Oxenham, a correctional officer whose campaign is focused on addressing wait times at Grace Hospital, said while on city council, Klein "did nothing to help paramedics or secure a deal with the province on EMS services."

He accused the PCs of making "life worse for paramedics by refusing to let them work to their full scope of practice."

The fourth candidate in the Kirkfield Park byelection is the Green Party's Dennis Bayomi, an advocate for basic income who ran in the riding in the 2019 general provincial election.

Kirkfield Park has been held by a PC member since it was created in 1979, with the exception of Scott Fielding's predecessor, Sharon Blady, who held the seat for the NDP from 2007 until 2016.

Fielding, a former cabinet minister, resigned his Manitoba Legislature seat in June.

Advance voting opens Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., at two locations: the Kirkfield Park returning office at 2645 Portage Ave. and Westwood Community Church at 401 Westwood Dr.

Polls at both locations will be open Sunday from noon to 6 p.m., and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. next Monday through to Dec. 10.

The byelection is Dec. 13.

Anyone voting on that day is expected to go to the assigned stations found on their voter registration card.

Voters must have either one piece of government-issued photo ID (such as a driver's licence) or two other pieces of ID, which can include the voter information card. A complete list of acceptable ID is available at the Elections Manitoba website.