Manitoba compensates two men switched at birth in 1955

The Manitoba government has awarded $250,000 each to Edward Ambrose and Richard Beauvais, two men who were switched at birth at a rural hospital in 1955.

The error was discovered after a DNA test revealed that the two men were not biologically related. The switch resulted in the men being raised by families of different ethnic backgrounds than their own. Ambrose, who is Métis, was raised by a Ukrainian family, while Beauvais grew up believing he was Métis despite having Ukrainian, Jewish, and Polish ancestry.

Provincial Justice Minister Matt Wiebe described the incident as a “miscarriage of justice,” noting that while the settlement cannot return lost years, it is intended to provide closure.