Manitoba men switched at birth receiving $250K settlement from province

Manitoba premier Wab Kinew, left, welcomes Richard Beauvais, centre, and Edward Ambrose, right, to his office in the Manitoba Legislature in Winnipeg, Manitoba on March 21, 2024. Edward Ambrose and Richard Beauvais were born in a municipally run hospital in Arborg, Man., in 1955 and were sent home with each other's parents. Kinew is slated to offer the apology in the legislature chamber. (John Woods/The Canadian Press)

Two Manitoba men who learned decades later they were switched at birth have received a settlement from the Manitoba government.

Edward Ambrose and Richard Beauvais were each paid $250,000 by the province, according to a recent financial information disclosure for the 2025-26 fiscal year released by the province.

Ambrose and Beauvais were born on the same day in 1955 in Arborg, Man., but went home with different parents.

“What happened was a miscarriage of justice. No one can give them back the years that were lost but we hope the settlement brings some closure,” Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said in a statement.

Beauvais, who was raised Metis, took a test with an at-home ancestry kit he got as a gift in 2022. The results came back saying he was Ukrainian and Jewish. That same year, Ambrose’s sister also did an at-home ancestry kit and found she had a brother living in British Columbia, who turned out to be Beauvais.

Ambrose was raised Ukrainian throughout his life but became a member of the Manitoba Metis Federation in 2024 after learning of his heritage.

The pair received a formal apology from Premier Wab Kinew in the Manitoba legislature in 2024.

-With files from CTV’s Jon Hendricks and The Canadian Press