Affiliated with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and responsible for all thoracic surgical care delivered under its auspices, the section provides its services at Health Sciences Centre and six other acute care hospitals. A large geographical area is serviced by the section, includng Manitoba, Nunavut, and a sizeable portion of Northwestern Ontario. 

There are currently three full-time and one part-time thoracic surgeons. Their areas of clinical interest comprise the full spectrum of conventional thoracic surgery, including lung cancer and lung transplantation surgery, esophageal cancer surgery, and minimally invasive surgery.

The section is closely allied with a large university-based respirology group. Additionally, section members have significant responsibilities with CancerCare Manitoba programs dealing with lung and esophageal carcinoma.

The Manitoba Lung Transplant Program, under the direction of Dr. Helmut Unruh, is an integral part of the Section of Thoracic Surgery. Since the program began in 1994, about 100 transplants have been performed.