11/19/2025
Today, the Manitoba government announced Primary Care Paramedic (P*P) training opportunities at RRC Polytech in the form of a new direct entry stream.
While this initiative has boosted enrolment, resulting in a full training cohort, MAHCP President Jason Linklater says it’s not enough.
“Today’s announcement about direct-entry paramedic training at RRC Polytech does not represent a significant solution to the paramedic staffing crisis. The magnitude of the crisis requires a proportionate response, and we’re not seeing it.”
Anything that reduces barriers to people entering paramedic training is a good thing, however, RRC only has training in Winnipeg, and many of their students end up working for the City of Winnipeg.
Right now, Shared Health is only posting a few positions in certain rural communities, meaning many paramedics are forced to work far from home. And Shared Health is not providing any incentives to fill those positions and shifts.
Manitoba needs more support to retain current paramedics, more incentives to fill hard-to-recruit positions, and more training opportunities outside of Winnipeg. And the government should be paying the way for those rural students – if they do, they’ll have a rural paramedic for life.
