Manitoba Public Insurance abruptly cancels technology improvement effort

After years of promising a replacement of front-end systems used by brokers, the introduction of online services, streamlined services and the replacement of legacy systems, the Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) Corporation abruptly cancelled those plans, announcing the closure of Project Nova on June 5, 2025. MPI Corporation is a non-profit, crown corporation which provides basic, compulsory automobile coverage in Manitoba. 

Described as a transformational, long-term, multi-year project to replace outdated and unsupported legacy technology systems, MPI, until early June 2025, called Nova the largest digital business transformation in the corporation’s 50-year history.

“The technologies that comprise MPI’s core systems range in age from 20 to 40-plus years and were built using system architecture principles that are now antiquated, are no longer adequate and don’t offer the agility to provide online service capabilities,” the company stated in its 2020 annual report. The same report describes Nova as being the corporation’s largest ongoing project. 

The program was not structured for success and we have done the work to understand why. – Satvir Jatana 

In 2022 the corporation’s annual report warns that if the MPI’s systems are not modernized, it will eventually be unable to sustain basic business operations. Nova promised to deliver a stable platform that was cost-effective, reducing the cost of upkeep, agile to meet future business needs and able to protect customer information from security threats. As late as the release of the corporation’s 2023 annual report, the project is referred to as the largest and most complex business transformation in MPI’s history.

“The overall goal of Nova is to replace critical end-of-life platforms with new technology, creating a more stable and secure foundation for Manitoba’s public insurance system. This will reduce the cost of upkeep and repair for outdated technology, keep customer data safe and create opportunities to serve Manitobans in new ways,” they wrote.

The corporation announced the decision to terminate the project in 2025 after “a thorough review of past learnings,” alongside an evaluation of the remaining work to be done and an in-depth assessment of the corporation’s overall IT requirements, MPI states.

“The program was not structured for success and we have done the work to understand why,” MPI’s current president and CEO, Satvir Jatana said in the June 5 statement about the project’s closure. The announcement does not elaborate on why the project ultimately failed, nor what it cost. The MPI did not respond to the Insurance Portal’s multiple requests for comment in time for the publication of this article.

“The need to replace the aging technology that supports Manitoba’s public auto insurance model still exists,” Jatana continues. “We are taking a more pragmatic approach to this work, modelled after industry best practice.” (The statement does not elaborate on what best practice they might be referring to.) The statement adds that focus going forward will be on ensuring that each project has reasonable timelines of 12 to 24 months.

Project Nova: A plagued timeline  

Project Nova is first mentioned in MPI’s annual reports in 2019. At the time, it referred to the project as being “well underway.” 

Since that time, as well, the corporation has seen a revolving door in its C-suite, with the position of president and CEO being held by four different people. In the 2023 annual report, Jatana calls the prior year challenging. The report also discusses the company’s plans to invest in culture and leadership “to address immediate needs of restoring a trusting workplace.”

In 2022 the board warned there would be work ahead to narrow MPI’s attention on its priorities, Nova being one of them, through tighter board oversight and governance processes. In 2023, the company reported that it was undertaking a formal request for proposal process to select a new governance and advisory services vendor.

In the June 5, 2025 announcement regarding the closure of Project Nova, the organization says “to decrease risk and build additional transparency moving forward, MPI is taking a renewed focus toward the governance structures that oversee this critical work.” They add, “We continue to work with an independent third party to provide external governance. This will lead to clearer decision-making accountabilities with more assigned responsibility to ensure the work stays on track.” 

MPI says it plans to break down its legacy systems’ replacement needs into stand-alone projects that will allow the corporation to plan, cost and deliver each initiative with clear timelines. 

“Project Nova was not working and I commend the leadership team at MPI for digging in to understand why (the announcement does not elaborate) and for developing a new way forward,” said Carmen Nedohhin, chair of the organization’s board of directors. “This new approach is realistic, aligns with industry standards and is fully supported by the board.”