April 25, 2005
WINNIPEG – The historic Women’s Tribute Memorial Lodge on the grounds of the Deer Lodge Centre on Portage Avenue will have a new function as a Movement Disorders Clinic with funding of $370,000 under the Canada-Manitoba Economic Partnership Agreement.
Manitoba Health Minister Tim Sale, on behalf of Finance Minister Greg Selinger; and Raymond Simard, Member of Parliament for St. Boniface, on behalf of Stephen Owen, Minister of Western Economic Diversification and Minister of State (Sport); made the announcement today.
“It is important to bring government and non-government organizations together to help make Manitobans healthier,” said Sale. “Through this kind of investment, we bring enhanced health care to all Manitobans, including those dealing with movement disorders.”
“The Movement Disorders Clinic will mean improved health-care and economic spinoffs for Manitobans,” said Simard. “The important work done at the clinic will expand Winnipeg’s growing health and life sciences industry, attract new researchers and provide a better quality of life for movement disorder patients.”
The Movement Disorders Clinic will provide specialized interdisciplinary treatment and support for clients with movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease. The centre will also lever opportunities to attract medical research and clinical specialists to Winnipeg and build on the neurosciences industry.
The Women’s Tribute Memorial Lodge was constructed in 1931 with funds raised by the women of Manitoba as a memorial to veterans of World War I. The Women’s Tribute Building Committee was formed in 2001 with representatives from the Deer Lodge Centre, Manitoba Health, Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism, the City of Winnipeg and the general community to seek alternative uses for the facility while preserving the historic building.
The total cost of the project is estimated at $1.7 million. Funding support will also be provided by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, the Deer Lodge Centre Foundation and the City of Winnipeg.
In December 2003, the governments of Canada and Manitoba
entered into a
four-year, $50-million Canada-Manitoba Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). The
Movement Disorders Clinic project supports EPA’s strategic priority Building Our
Economy by encouraging innovative research and generating economic benefits for
related companies.
Together, and in partnership with community stakeholders, Canada and Manitoba are working to strengthen and diversify Manitoba's economy, build on existing economic strengths, enhance the skills of Manitoba's workforce and promote regional development. For more information on this and other projects funded under EPA, visit: http://www.epa.gov.mb.ca.
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