Manitoba

With tonight’s victory, Winnipeg has officially knocked the Saskatchewan Rattlers out of contention, and now have a spot in the Western Conference play-in game.

Manitobans will no longer need two medical referrals in order to access gender-affirming health-care specialists, Uzoma Asagwara said at a Wednesday news conference.

The province will also boost the number of primary care providers who are able to refer Manitobans to get gender-affirming care, such as nurse practitioners, the health minister said.

The previous provider list was a sort of "mystical entity" that nobody knew how to get on, said Asagwara, and it's important to eliminate the barrier of having to have one in the first place.

The changes announced Wednesday align with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health's latest clinical guidelines, and are informed by people with lived experience, said Asagwara.

They also bring Manitoba in line with regions such as British Columbia, Ontario and Yukon when it comes to gender-affirming care, Wilcox said.