He came for a job and found his calling in Manitoba.

Dr. Alon Altman is the new President of Doctors Manitoba. He knows firsthand what keeps physicians in Manitoba — and he’s making retention the mission of his term.

When Dr. Alon Altman reflects on the path that brought him to Manitoba, he often begins long before medical school and back to his parents’ decision to immigrate to Canada in 1982. 

“That decision shaped everything that followed for me,” he said. ​“It was about opportunity, and that idea has stayed with me throughout my career.” 

Raised in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Dr. Altman completed his undergraduate studies and medical degree at the University of British Columbia. ​“The plan was simple,” he recalled. ​“Stay in B.C. and never leave.” 

But even early on, there were hints that his path might take a different direction. In medical school, on the day students received backpacks from the Canadian Medical Association, they ran out of those with Doctors of B.C. patches. A replacement was found with a different logo on it: The Manitoba Medical Association, which would soon change its name to Doctors Manitoba. 

“I was the only one in my class who got a Manitoba bag,” he said. ​“At the time, it felt like a random mistake. Looking back… maybe it wasn’t.”

It’s a good story. But the real story is more deliberate. It’s about a physician who discovered something unexpected in a province he hadn’t planned on and chose to stay. And it’s about what Dr. Altman, now president of Doctors Manitoba for the 2026 – 2027 term, wants to build for every physician who makes that same choice. 

Each spring, a new physician takes on a one-year term as President while continuing their clinical practice. 

Altman’s focus for his term as President is clear: physician retention. Manitoba currently loses more physicians to other jurisdictions than nearly every other province in the country. It’s a challenge he sees as both urgent and personal. 

An unexpected introduction 

Dr. Altman’s first visit to Manitoba came during residency interviews. While he arrived without strong expectations, he quickly found something that stood out. 

“The obstetrics program here was incredibly strong and incredibly welcoming,” he said. ​“Winnipeg shot up my rank list.” 

He ultimately matched to Halifax, completing five years of residency there, then a two-year gynecologic oncology fellowship in Calgary. Along the way, he repeatedly encountered colleagues who had trained or worked in Winnipeg. 

“There was a consistent message,” he said. ​“People spoke highly of the clinical work and the collegial environment here.” 

When a position opened in Winnipeg in 2011, he applied. What he found during that process was what those colleagues had been telling him for years. 

“It was a strong, supportive, lively, warm group,” he said. ​“This was where I wanted to work.” 

From opportunity to belonging 

Dr. Altman moved to Winnipeg with his wife Cheryl and their one-year-old son, Elijah. What began as a career move soon became something more lasting. 

“I came here for a job,” he said. ​“But I stayed because it became home.” 

Over the past decade and a half, that sense of home has deepened. His family has grown, with two more children, Yaelle and Ardon, both born in Manitoba. 

Why physicians stay 

Altman is clear that his decision to put down roots wasn’t accidental… but it also wasn’t inevitable. Three things made the difference: community, career opportunity, and affordability. 

Moving to a city with no extended family nearby, the supports around him mattered enormously. Hospital daycare. A network that grew, and a community that welcomed his family. That connection extends into his professional life as well. 

“I work with some of my favourite people in the world,” he said. ​“We’ve become a family. We support each other not just clinically, but personally.” 

Manitoba also provided a breadth of professional opportunities. 

“I’ve had leadership roles, educational roles, research opportunities,” he said. ​“I’ve been able to travel north and work in rural clinics. I’ve had access to the equipment and teams needed to practice high-quality, modern medicine.” 

He emphasizes the importance of team-based care in supporting physicians and improving patient outcomes. 

“I’m privileged to work alongside nurses, physician assistants, and other health professionals,” he said. ​“That team approach makes a real difference.” 

Dr. Altman also points to a factor that is sometimes overlooked in recruitment conversations: cost of living. 

“Housing, activities for kids, travel, it all adds up, and Winnipeg delivers,” he said. ​“The opportunities available here are accessible and affordable in ways that simply aren’t possible in many other cities.” 

Despite these advantages, Dr. Altman notes that many of the factors that influenced his decision to stay were not fully apparent before he arrived. 

“Everything that made Winnipeg home for me I didn’t know about before I came,” he said. 

He describes a system in which recruitment efforts are strong, but integration into the community is often left to chance. ​“Community groups helped us connect, but they weren’t formally linked to the health system. There were recruitment programs we didn’t even know existed.” 

Today, he sees the same gap playing out for new recruits. 

Physicians arriving in Manitoba struggle to find family doctors, daycare, dentists, accountants, and community supports. A sense of belonging takes years to build — if it gets built at all. 

A critical moment for retention 

Manitoba has recently seen record gains in physician recruitment. Manitoba’s medical workforce strategy rests on three pillars: develop, recruit, retain. Altman is direct about where the work needs to go next. 

“We have expanded medical school spots. We are developing talent. There is a major push to recruit out of province and out of country. In fact, Manitoba is home to physicians who have trained in more than 100 countries. All of that is critical. But training and recruiting only to lose doctors to other provinces doesn’t make sense. Retention is the third leg of the stool. Keeping the physicians we train and recruit: that’s the bullseye.” 

“My goal this year is to strengthen retention,” he said. ​“That includes negotiating a new agreement to keep physician funding competitive, but it’s about much more than that.” 

Several key priorities will help get us there, including investing in modern equipment and technology, advancing team-based care, addressing longstanding administrative burdens, and improving physician consultation about changes in the health system. 

“Let’s invest in the tools physicians need to deliver the best care. Let’s move beyond outdated systems and ​‘axe the fax’ in favour of truly interoperable patient records.” 

Just as importantly, ​“we need to build personal and professional networks early. When physicians feel supported and connected, we can reduce burnout and improve satisfaction.” 

Building a sense of home 

At its core, Dr. Altman’s message is about belonging. 

“If we want people to stay, we have to help them feel that they belong.” 

His own experience offers a clear example of what is possible when that happens. ​“I came here for a job. I stayed because it became home.” 

That, he believes, is the opportunity ahead for Manitoba’s medical community. 

“And that is what we must build for every physician who chooses Manitoba. When we focus on retention, we’re improving work environments and equipping doctors with the right systems, technology, and teams they need to do their jobs,” he said. ​“But ultimately, and most importantly, all of that leads to better care for the patients of Manitoba.”