A St. Boniface man launched a petition to save a QuickCare Clinic he says provides important medical services to French-speakers in the community.

Last week, the province said it plans to shut down the QuickCare Clinic on St. Mary's Road by Jan. 27.

Patrick Fortier said he, his wife, and their three children have used the bilingual health care clinic multiple times.

“We’ve always had some very good service from the clinic, so when I heard that it was going to close, I was definitely concerned,” he said. “It’s an important medical service offered here in St. Boniface. And it’s also that they offer services in French, is also very important for me.”

Fortier launched a Facebook page Thursday to raise concerns about the move. On Friday, he decided to start a petition to keep the clinic open.

By Sunday, Fortier’s petition had close to 300 signatures.

He said many community residents either don’t speak English or feel more comfortable receiving medical services in French.

“That’s something that’s very personal and sometimes, if you don’t have the exact words to explain how you’re feeling to a doctor, or to a nurse practitioner, or to a health care professional, it can be very difficult,” he said.

READ MORE: St. Mary’s Road QuickCare Clinic closing

If the clinic closes, Fortier said he and his family will have to travel farther to get things like ear infections and sore throats looked at by a medical professional, and they might not be able to get service in French.

Fortier hasn't been in touch with the province yet, but he plans to send a copy of the petition to Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen and Francophone Affairs Minister Rochelle Squires.

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority previously said it decided not to renew the lease, so staff could fill QuickCare Clinics in other locations.

"It has been clear for some time that a change needed to be made in order to best serve Winnipeggers accessing QuickCare Clinics," Jeanette Edwards, regional director of primary health care for the WRHA, told CTV News at the time of the announcement.

"It has been challenging to recruit sufficient numbers of nurse practitioners to staff six clinics which has resulted in closures and inconsistency of access."

The move was approved by Manitoba's health minister. It will save the province $80,000 a year.