ManitobaManitoba’s health minister is apologizing for the rollout of a new system meant to centralize scheduling for home-care workers in Winnipeg that led to cancellations and delays in service.Government addressing problems that led to visit delays, cancellationsArturo Chang · CBC News · Posted: Sep 29, 2025 3:57 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours agoHealth Minister Uzoma Asagwara said Friday the transition to a centralized home-care scheduling system in Winnipeg ‘did not go the way it should have.’ (Arturo Chang/CBC)Manitoba’s health minister is apologizing for the rollout of a new system meant to centralize scheduling for home-care workers in Winnipeg that led to cancellations and delays in service.Workers will be assigned to specific geographical areas starting Wednesday, a return to the way things were before the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) implemented the new system earlier this year.Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said Friday the transition “did not go the way it should have.””Too many families saw disruptions that caused frustrations and uncertainty, and for that I sincerely apologize,” the minister said. “We’ve taken steps to correct those problems.”The centralized system was implemented with the goal addressing gaps in service and short-staffing by moving all scheduling into a single site from three different locations. But workers and clients say it made service less reliable, with visits being delayed or cancelled.The province said staff will still work out of one central office, but will be split based on area of expertise and geography, rather than being part of a single pool of workers.The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 204 — which represents health-care aides and scheduling clerks — previously said the system prevented workers from maintaining routines, affecting the continuity of care for clients.The province said Friday scheduling clerk shifts will change to make service more predictable and improve coverage, adding there have also been changes to the call systems to make communications between aides and clients easier, it said.”The changes that we’re making are necessary,” Asagwara said. “These are concerns that have been raised for years, but were not listened to previously. We are a listening government. We take that very seriously.”The province said it’s added 230 net home-care aides since fall 2023. Thirty-two scheduling clerks have also been hired since July, it said.Asagwara said the government still has a lot of work to do to recruit more people.CUPE Local 204 president Margaret Schroeder said the system change will help the system retain workers.”Today isn’t a ‘mission accomplished’ sign,” she said. “However, with today’s announcement, the era of mass turnover is at an end. This means that there will be more stability and less cancelled appointments.”The province said WRHA is currently receiving more than 16,500 visits per day.With files from Josh Crabb
Manitoba health minister apologizes for flawed rollout of Winnipeg home-care delivery system
