Last Update: September 3, 2026

Prepare for Possible Dynacare Strike Tuesday

All Dynacare labs may close starting this Tuesday, September 8, due to a potential strike by lab workers. We are monitoring this situation closely and will post updates over the weekend on this page and on social media. 

Physician Guidance

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

Effective immediately: Shared Health asks all physicians to follow these guidelines with the expectation that Dynacare labs may be closed beginning Tuesday. 

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

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

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 if a strike goes ahead – closing all 22 lab locations. 

Earlier this week, Doctors Manitoba issued a statement about the possible Dynacare strike: 

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

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

• Diagnostic services 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.