April 7, 2026
Manitoba’s Budget 2026 includes a new, five million dollar commitment that will allow St.Amant to support more autistic Manitobans and their families. That is the biggest new investment in capacity in at least fifteen years. Details are still being worked out but the government has expressed strong confidence that St.Amant will put those new resources where they are most needed. We are determined to support people to achieve the goals that matter to them.
April marks the beginning of year three of our current strategic planning cycle. The entire plan is focused on evolving alongside our constantly changing province. A commitment to meeting unmet needs means we must always be flexible and ready to adapt. I am excited to share information soon about our priorities for the year ahead.
There is a lot to be proud of when looking back over the last two years. We are supporting more people in more parts of the province than ever before. We successfully transitioned over twenty people from Health & Transition Services (HTS) and Manitoba Developmental Centre into community homes. HTS, together with community partners, has taken important steps to support children with medical complexity. We introduced dementia screenings at key milestone ages for people living in community so that we can provide the right supports at every stage. We launched new policies on restraint use and rights restrictions, with more important work on rights protection and promotion ahead of us. Teams from across the organization are working closely together to do the right thing and to make the biggest impact possible.
We all know the world is a very uncertain place right now. And yet, every day, every member of the St.Amant community chooses to show up with compassion and kindness for the people we support and for each other. For most of you, that choice is probably so effortless and natural, it may not feel like a choice at all. Even still, it is a reminder that kindness is always an option. We can always choose to make the world a better place.