Last Updated: September 10, 2026, 9:20 a.m.

Dynacare Locations Re-opened 

All Manitoba Dynacare workers have been ordered back to work by the Manitoba Labour Board until it decides whether Dynacare should sign an essential services agreement with its workers’ union, MAHCP. 

What this means for you: This week’s labour disruption is over, labs are reopened and fully operational. However, it is important to monitor as there could be further job action, even if an essential services agreement is put in place. 

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Previous Updates:

Physician Guidance

New lab-ordering advice from Shared Health is available for physicians on how to approach lab testing. 

Patients should not be directed to an ER or urgent care for bloodwork, but rather to community labs or outpatient hospital labs. See Shared Health’s list of locations here.

Continue time-sensitive testing but send to other community options or hospital outpatient labs. Time-sensitive testing includes:

• Cancer, dialysis, and transplant related testing 
• Pregnancy-related testing
• Anticoagulation or other high risk medication monitoring 
• Pre-operative testing for imminent procedures 
• Time-sensitive pathology or cytology 
• Communicable disease or public health investigations 
• Frail, palliative, homebound or PCH patients when testing cannot wait. 

Defer non-urgent, lower risk testing where clinically safe, initially for a period of two weeks or until the strike is over. Situations that may be safe to defer could include: 

• Routine screening and monitoring for complete physical exams 

• Stable chronic disease monitoring 

• Insurance and employment-related testing 

Physicians may still print and provide a Dynacare requisition to the patient with clear instructions to wait as the labs may be closed. You can advise patients to watch the news or Doctors Manitoba social media for updates on when the labs are open. 

➡️ Read the full guidance on lab-ordering from Shared Health.

Stay up to date: Please watch this page for updates and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @drmb.info, our social media account dedicated to physician-specific news. 

Concerns About Dynacare Strike 

In Manitoba, Dynacare runs nearly all community labs under a contract with the Manitoba government. The employer and the union declined to create an essential services plan that would have required a basic level of staffing during a strike. This means all lab workers will be off work through the strike – closing all 22 lab locations. 

Last week, Doctors Manitoba issued the following statement to news media:

Doctors are very concerned about a possible Dynacare lab strike. Lab testing is an essential part of medical care, helping to diagnose or rule out medical conditions as well as monitoring and finetuning treatments. A closure of all lab locations would cause a major disruption to patient care, resulting in patients either not getting necessary testing, or being sent to labs in hospitals which are already busy. 

In anticipation of a possible strike, we are working with Shared Health to understand the contingency plans, and will share any guidance with physicians about how to access lab testing during a closure.

Key Resources

• Dynacare Labour Disruption Information: A public resource for patients to learn more about where to go for testing during the strike. 

• Shared Health Memo to Physicians: View the Shared Health memo to physicians on September 2. 

• Diagnostic Service Locations: Shared Health’s public sector diagnostic services are offered in over 80 locations throughout the province and their hours of operation vary by site. For the most up-to-date listing of laboratory availability, including extended hours of operation, visit the Shared Health website: Locations — Diagnostic Services — Shared Health.

• Follow Doctors Manitoba on Social Media: Follow @drmb.info on Instagram and Facebook for updates.