Federal government invests in renovations for Winnipeg Women’s Health Clinic

Press Release

From: Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada

Winnipeg, Manitoba, February 27, 2025 — Women’s Health Clinic (WHC) in Winnipeg will be safer, more accessible, and energy-efficient after an investment of $10 million from the federal government.

This was announced by the Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, and Kemlin Nembhard, Executive Director of Women’s Health Clinic.

Women’s Health Clinic provides inclusive, accessible health and wellness services, with a focus on supporting those who identify as women, girls, Two-Spirit, LGBTTQIA, racialized and Indigenous people, newcomers, and those living in poverty. Its services include reproductive health care, mental health support, and gender-affirming care.

Funding will support critical upgrades to the clinic’s aging mechanical, electrical, and elevator systems, as well as deep retrofits to enhance resilience and reduce carbon emissions. These improvements will ensure the clinic can continue delivering essential services in a safer, more sustainable environment, and can fully meet accessibility needs for anyone WHC may serve in the future.

Quotes

“For women and gender diverse people to have the power to take control of their wellbeing, careers, and family planning, they must have accessible resources and supports. By investing in this clinic, we are not only enhancing its infrastructure; we are investing in the future of communities in Manitoba and reinforcing our dedication to universal access to sexual and reproductive health care.”

The Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth

“We have known for many years that the Graham Ave Women’s Health Clinic building and building infrastructure was aging. With this funding announcement, we are now close to half the way to our capital campaign goal.

The timing couldn’t be better, WHC staff have worked to serve our community around the conditions of the deteriorating building. They have worked in sweltering heat when the air conditioning units failed last Summer. Just last week, the boiler failed over the long weekend and caused significant service disruption as the building had no heat – later, a steam pipe burst overnight causing flooding.

At times, to maintain operations, we have had to ask for the support of our amazing community to replace critical equipment when facilities started to fail. All the while, we’ve been working on a campaign to fully redevelop the entire building, including its systems.

Thanks to this funding, we are thrilled WHC will remain on Graham Ave. And looking forward to welcoming clients to an updated space where they can access essential health care in a modern, comfortable, accessible, energy-efficient facility. This truly means the world to us and more.

A heartfelt thank you to all those who have supported us in community to get us to this point. Enthusiastic thank you to the Honourable Minister Erskine-Smith and the Honourable Minister Ien. Lastly, we want to say a special thank you to MP Leah Gazan. Her unwavering support for this project from the very beginning, has been instrumental.”

Kemlin Nembhard, Executive Director, Women’s Health Clinic

Quick facts

• The federal government is investing $10 million in this project through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (GICB) program.
• These enhancements are expected to reduce the facility’s energy consumption by an estimated 76.4% and greenhouse gas emissions by 72.9 tonnes annually.
• The GICB program was created in support of Canada’s Strengthened Climate Plan: A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy. It is supporting the Plan’s first pillar by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing energy efficiency, and helping develop higher resilience to climate change.
• The program launched in 2021 with an initial investment of $1.5 billion over five years towards green and accessible retrofits, repairs or upgrades.
• Budget 2024 announced an additional $500 million to support more projects through GICB until 2029.
• At least 10% of funding is allocated to projects serving First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities, including Indigenous populations in urban centres.
• For more information, please visit the Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada website at: Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada – Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program.
• As the world moves towards a net-zero economy, people living and working on the Prairies are taking action and are leading to take advantage of growing economic development opportunities.
• On December 18, 2023, the federal government launched the Framework to Build a Green Prairie Economy, which highlights the need for a collaborative, region-specific approach to sustainability, focusing on strengthening the coordination of federal programs, and initiatives with significant investments. This Framework is a first step in a journey that will bring together multiple stakeholders. PrairiesCan, the federal department that diversifies the economy across the Canadian prairies, has dedicated $100 million over three years to support projects aligned with priority areas identified by Prairie stakeholders to build a stronger, more sustainable, and inclusive economy for the Prairie provinces and Canada.
• Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada is supporting the Framework to Build a Green Prairie Economy to encourage greater collaboration on investment opportunities, leverage additional funding, and attract new investments across the Prairies that better meet their needs.
• Federal funding is conditional on the signing of the contribution agreement.

Associated links

• Green and Inclusive Community Buildings
• Strengthened Climate Plan
• Housing and Infrastructure Project Map
• Building a Green Prairie Economy Act
• Building a Green Prairie Economy

Contacts
For more information (media only), please contact:

Sofia Ouslis
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
Sofia.Ouslis@infc.gc.ca

Media Relations
Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada
613-960-9251
Toll free: 1-877-250-7154
Email: media-medias@infc.gc.ca
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Web: Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada

Tanea Brown
Communications Lead Specialist
Winnipeg’s Women Health Clinic
204-761-2139
tbrown24@womenshealthclinic.org

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