Minister Lesa Semmler reflects on progress in Health and Social Services in 2025

Press Release

December 18, 2025

Minister of Health and Social Services Lesa Semmler issued the following statement today:

“In December 2023, I accepted the role of Minister of Health and Social Services because I had spent 15 years working as a frontline nurse in our health and social services system. I understood the challenges we were and still are facing: staff burnout, service reductions, and growing frustration from residents and healthcare professionals. I also knew that meaningful change would require a clear understanding of what was working, what was not, and where change was most needed to fulfill our commitment of healthy people and communities.

Throughout 2024, I focused on listening. I met with staff, Indigenous leaders, patients, and families. I heard about fragmented care in small communities, the stress and confusion of medical travel, and the racism Indigenous residents continue to face when accessing care. I also saw the dedication of our staff and the strength of community-led solutions. While much of the work in 2024 happened behind the scenes, it was essential. It helped us determine the path forward.

I was taught that before you act, you must first look at the whole picture—because everything is connected. Through this work of examining our system in its entirety, it has become clear that many of the challenges we face are deeply interconnected. Changes made in one area, without careful consideration of their broader impacts, can create unintended harm or new challenges elsewhere in the system.

This interconnectedness is evident across staffing, access to care, medical travel, cultural safety, and public trust. Over the past year, I have gained a much clearer understanding of how our system functions, and during that time our team has been working diligently toward three clear missions:

• Redesign care in small communities: Residents told us they want care that starts where they live and continues smoothly through the system. We are building a model that includes expanded roles for nurses and paramedics, and better use of virtual care. A working group has reviewed current services, explored promising models, and has developed recommendations to guide next steps. Our goal is continuous, community-based care that people can rely on.
• Fix medical travel: Medical travel should help residents get the care they need, not add stress. We have developed a full workplan and are reviewing how to make the medical travel system easier to navigate and be more supportive. This includes updating policies, improving communications, and reviewing escort decisions to ensure they are appropriate, supportive and culturally safe. A dedicated project team is leading this work, with changes expected to take effect by fall 2026.
• Embed cultural safety and anti-racism: Indigenous residents continue to experience racism in our system. This must change. We are delivering a made-in-the-North curriculum, co-designing care models with Indigenous partners, and making health equity a system-wide priority. This work is guided by Indigenous professionals and supported by the Indigenous Advisory Body. We are piloting a new equity tool, auditing policies for colonial bias, and offering training to staff across the GNWT. Other jurisdictions are now looking to our approach as a model to follow.

These missions reflect what Northerners have told me matters most. They also align with this government’s mandate and the priorities I was given as Minister.

Progress in 2025

• Released the 2024–2025 Annual Report of the Director of Child and Family Services. In 2025, 75 percent of children and youth receiving services remained in their family home, and 55 percent of Indigenous children placed outside their homes were supported by Indigenous caregivers.
• Launched the Territorial Housing and Addictions Recovery Program (THARP), providing safe, sober housing and tailored supports for residents in recovery.
• Introduced new physician incentives, including premium night pay and long-term locum options.
• Reduced reliance on agency nurses and invested in mentorship through Clinical Nurse Educators.
• Improved flexibility in contracts and began interest-based negotiations with the Northwest Territories Medical Association.
• Rolled out Our Healthbox machines in Behchokǫ̀, Hay River, Yellowknife, and Inuvik to provide free, anonymous access to health and harm reduction supplies.
• Introduced 52 in 52 staff and practitioner-led innovations, including improvements in patient comfort and supply management.
• Improved access to care. The median wait time for community counselling services was four days, among the lowest in Canada. For inpatient addictions treatment, 151 residents applied, with an average wait time of 22 days.
• Renewed contracts with six specialized treatment centres across Canada. Secured approximately $145 million in federal funding to support key priorities. These include medical travel, mental wellness, addictions recovery, cultural safety, and health system sustainability.
• Strengthened partnerships with Alberta Health Services through new Master Service Agreements.
• Advanced diagnostic imaging technology to improve real-time care coordination.
• Participated in national health minister meetings to advocate for sustainable federal funding and share best practices.
• Launched Patient Journey Mapping in the Dehcho Region, following patients from health cabins to hospitals to identify gaps and improve care. This work has led to a 24-week training program for health cabin workers, deployment of nurse practitioners, connectivity upgrades, and other improvements now being applied across all regions.
• Introduced a scheduled bus service in Inuvik to improve medical travel, providing reliable weekday transportation between the airport and the boarding home for clients.
• Released the Equitable Access Methodology Report, a key milestone in our Primary Health Care Reform work.”

For media requests, please contact:
Cabinet Communications
Government of the Northwest Territories
PressSecretary@gov.nt.ca

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