Health recruitment, disaster costs and Dempster Highway closures

The Health Recruitment Unit, formed in the summer of 2020, is exceeding its target goals in the ongoing effort to attract much-needed health professionals to the Northwest Territories, says Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek.

In the NWT Assembly on Tuesday, the minister said 728 indeterminate staff have been hired since the unit’s inception, including 66 registered nurse graduates from the Aurora College Bachelor of Science in nursing degree program in the last five years.

A further 215 term employees were hired during this same period, as of December 31st.

Also, as of the end of last year, the health recruitment unit found: 60 registered nurses and three nurse practitioners; 11 licensed practical nurses; 14 social service workers; and 16 allied health professionals (including audiologists, occupational therapy, medical lab technicians and more).

The health recruitment unit also manages a growing database of over 700 registered nurses interested in casual employment and, during this fiscal year, has hired 239 casual registered nurses.

“We know that there are persistent workforce challenges facing northern and remote jurisdictions,” said Wawzonek. “Across Canada, shortages of health and social service professionals continue to place pressure on health systems, driven by demographic change, and increased service demand.

“In the North, these pressures sometimes result in greater reliance on locum and other short-term staffing arrangements.”

Inuvik Boot Lake MLA Denny Rodgers said the Dempster Highway – vital for supplies ranging from groceries, building supplies and fuel – was closed for 18 days in January.

Furthermore, as of February 20th, the Dempster Highway was closed for an additional nine days, delaying shipments in the 15 to 20 semi-trailer trucks that use the route daily.

“Once again, trucking companies that serviced the needs of my community could not deliver,” said Rodgers. “Product was being spoiled, product sat on the highway, sat at the (Yukon) border, and on and on.

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“Not only does this cause a major disruption in the supply chain where grocery store shelves are empty, building projects can be delayed, and the community runs the risk of vital fuel shortages in the coldest months of the year … (also) it can cause serious safety issues.”

Rodgers said he spoke with trucking companies that service the region and was told that most drivers work on a contract basis, and if the road is closed, there are no trips to make.

The experienced drivers, then, go elsewhere.

“We have seen this year significantly more incidents of transport truck accidents on the Dempster Highway than we’ve seen in many, many years,” said Rodgers. “The maintenance on the vehicles have increased significantly due to the condition of the highway.

“If this continues, we run the risk of companies having to increase trucking fees which, of course, inevitably will be passed on to the customer, or even worse, choosing not to run the highway at all.”

Rodgers noted on the Northwest Territories side, “our model of maintaining the road by local contractors seems to be working.”

However, “someone has to be the voice for trucking companies and the customers they serve. We must work with our sister territory to ensure these costly closures are dealt with in a timely manner.

“We have to ensure when winter storms happen, and we know they will, that action to reopen the road is dealt with in a much more timely manner.

In early January, propane trucks had to be escorted through Dempster Highway closures to help ease a fuel crisis in Inuvik.

This after Inuvik Gas Ltd. issued an energy conservation advisory for the Beaufort Delta Community.

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Of course, adds Rodgers, a completed Mackenzie Valley Highway, would help solve this problem, as the NWT wouldn’t have to rely on another territory to help with our cargo shipments.

Municipal and Community Affairs Minister Vince McKay acknowledged the hard work of the NWT contractors, and his department has been in communication with their Yukon counterparts.

“And they are doing a bunch of work to the Dempster Highway, and there are plans being developed on exactly what they’re going to do,” he said. “Unfortunately, I don’t have details on what their action plans are for maintaining the road during winter events and when there is winter storms or anything like that on the Yukon side.

“So, I will reach out to the Government of Yukon to see if there’s an opportunity on how we can work together, and maybe some better communication on helping keep the Dempster Highway open.”

Also in the Assembly, Minister McKay presented the first annual report on the Northwest Territories Emergency Management System covering the period of April 2024 to December 2025.

The report gives residents, community governments, Indigenous governments, and Assembly members a “clear and transparent account” of how the emergency management system is functioning, what improvements have been made, and where further work is needed,” he said.

The major floods of 2021 and 2022, followed by the wildfire seasons of 2023, 2024, and 2025, resulted in costs exceeding $354 million.

This includes the following major events:

• May 2006 Aklavik Flooding.
• June 2012 Nahanni Butte flooding.
• Summer 2014 Wildfires (multiple communities).
• March 2020 – March 2022 Covid-19 Pandemic (all of NWT).
• May 2021 Spring Breakup flooding (multiple communities).
• May 2022 Hay River and Kátł’odeeche First Nation flooding.
• Summer 2023 wildfires (multiple communities).
• 2024 Fort Good Hope wildfire.
• 2025 Fort Providence and Whatì wildfires.

McKay noted the GNWT expanded the Incident Command System, which provides a common language and structure for emergency response and is “essential for coordinating efforts during complex events.”

Emergency staff and frontline responders receive the training, which will also be offered to elected officials, including MLAs, is also planned for this Spring.

“Improving public communication during emergencies is also a key focus,” said Minister McKay. “Residents can expect timely, transparent updates, using plain language so residents better understand the risks they face and know what to do.”

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Also on Tuesday, Dehcho MLA Sheryl Yakeleya underscored the need for strong early intervention and “thoughtful support” for children through junior kindergarten to Grade 9 years to lessen the need for social passing, also known as peer group placement.

“Advancing students before they have developed essential foundational skills can create long-term challenges,” she said. “Students who move ahead without the necessary competencies often begin the next school year at a disadvantage.

“If these gaps are not addressed, they can widen over time, affecting academic progress, confidence, and overall engagement. Students who repeatedly feel unprepared may withdraw, experience frustration, or lose trust in their own abilities.

“This loss of confidence can follow them into post-secondary education, where expectations are higher and greater independence is required.”

Those challenges can also extend into the workplace, limiting the careers improperly prepared young adults feel prepared to pursue.”