The Ninette Sanatorium was established in 1909 in Ninette, Manitoba. It was also known as the Manitoba Sanatorium. Ninette Sanatorium buildings were designed by architect W. H. Shillinglaw and built by contractor William Bell, and it was established on the shores of Pelican Lake, as prior to World War II, tuberculosis (TB) treatment generally consisted of “rest, good food, and fresh air.” Facilities included a large veranda where patients could lie in beds while sitting by the lake.
The first patient arrived in 1910. The Sanatorium officially opened with a capacity of sixty patients. By the 1920s, Ninette Sanatorium was serving 280 patients. Ninette Sanatorium became the largest TB hospital in Manitoba. Initially, it served primarily white patients.
Initially, the Ninette Sanatorium housed primarily white patients, but over time, especially after WWII, more and more Indigenous people were housed there. During the mid twentieth century, medical professionals, such as the Sanatorium’s own E. L. Ross, M.D. and A. L. Paine, M.D., believed that Indigenous communities were at higher risk for contracting TB. In 1963, over 80 Métis and Inuit men, women, and children were sent to there for treatment.
By the late 1960s, TB treatment advances lessened the need for an institutional Sanatorium. In 1965, Manitoba funded the transfer of facilities into the “Pembina House;” it provided education programs that promoted the integration of “social and academic upgrading;” and did not solely consist of TB patients. In 1972, Pembina House closed, and the remaining Sanatorium facilities did as well.
From 1973-2000, the Ninette Sanatorium buildings served as the Pelican Lake Training Centre, housing patients with special needs. In 2000, a Christian group used the grounds for retreats and conferences. Currently, the original Ninette Sanatorium grounds are privately owned.
- Manitoba Indigenous Tuberculous History Project. Ninette (Manitoba) Sanatorium. https://indigenoustbhistory.ca/history/ninette-sanatorium
- Manitoba Historical Society Archives. Historic Sites of Manitoba: Ninette Sanatorium. http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/sites/ninettesanatorium.shtml
- Ross, E L, and A L Paine. “A Tuberculosis Survey of Manitoba Indians.” Canadian Medical Association Journal 41, no. 2 (1939): 180–84.
Dr. Walter Thomas Momot has been a Professor of Ichthyology at Lakehead University since 1975 and was Chair of the Department of Biology, 1996-2003. He was born in 1938, Hamtramck, Michigan, USA. He graduated with an Honours Bachelors of Science from the Wayne State University of Detroit, Michigan in 1960, a Masters degree in 1961 and Doctoral degree in fisheries in 1964 from the University of Michigan, Flint Michigan in 1961. He began his career in fisheries at the Sandy Hook Marine Lab in New Jersey. Later he moved to a position of assistant professor of zoology at the University of Oklahoma in 1964. He advanced from instructor to Associate professor of Ohio State University from 1964-1975. He worked as a visiting professor at the Louisiana State University 1981-1982, University of Hawaii & Western Australian Marine research lab, 1990-1991 and the University of Alabama 1996-1997. Dr. Momot is known for his extensive knowledge of crayfish and passion for the biogeography of fish and invertebrates in the Boreal lakes and rivers. Dr. Walter Momot retired in 2003 but continues to lecture, biology of fishes, as a Professor Emeritus. Dr. Momot is an honourary member of the International Association of Astacology, American Fisheries Society; Canadian Society of Limnology, and the North American Benthological Society. He is a fellow of the American Institute of Fishery Research Biologists.
Research Interests: Fish Ecology. Production ecology, zoogeography, and population dynamics of fish and invertebrates in boreal lakes.