‘When they arrive, the distressing reality is there’s nowhere to stay’

If you’ve tried finding somewhere to stay in Yellowknife lately, it was probably hard work. Now imagine doing it for important medical travel.

Yellowknife is a hub for patients from smaller northern communities who need medical procedures or dental work that they can’t access at home.

Boarding homes like Keskorie, a 31-room building operated by the economic arm of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, are designed to provide places to stay while people are in the city on medical travel.

However, Inuvik Boot Lake MLA Denny Rodgers said on Wednesday, Keskorie is at capacity – and so are the city’s hotels.

March is peak tourism season in parts of the Northwest Territories. In Yellowknife, this is the month that even residents invariably say is the best for visitors: the aurora can be seen on a regular basis, the temperatures are generally a little warmer than frigid January and February, and the Snowcastle is open.

The result, said Rodgers, is residents coming from Inuvik to Yellowknife for medical or dental services are presented with “a serious challenge.”

“When they arrive, they’re faced with the distressing reality that there is nowhere for them to stay,” he told the legislature.

“We need immediate and long-term solutions to this issue. NWT residents deserve a safe and comfortable place to stay when they are traveling for medical care.”

This isn’t the first time medical boarding homes in Yellowknife have been so full that the health minister has faced questions on the issue, but the city’s ongoing shortage of accommodation and the March tourism surge appear to have made the current situation exceptionally difficult.

Responding to Rodgers, health minister Lesa Semmler directly attributed the problem to “a rise in tourism … putting additional pressure on an already strained system.”

The territory’s health authority is trying to reserve hotel rooms where it can, she said, and staff are being told to delay non-urgent appointments until later, when availability might be better.

She gave NWT residents the same advice, telling Beaufort Delta residents who simply need a dental check-up that they should think creatively to avoid a Yellowknife trip.

“We know there’s a big hockey tournament coming up in Whitehorse. Many Beaufort Delta residents head down there. Try getting a dental appointment in there,” she said, “because there may be a risk that you may not have accommodation when you arrive here [in Yellowknife], or it might be not up to the standard that you would like.”

Below, read a transcript of the minister’s exchange with Rodgers.

This exchange took place in the House on March 5, 2025.

Denny Rodgers: Can the minister provide us with an update whether she’s aware of the lack of accommodations in Yellowknife and how this impacts people if they have medical travel?

Lesa Semmler: Yes, I’ve been recently briefed. It seems that Yellowknife is experiencing a rise in tourism right now, which is putting additional pressure on an already strained system. NTHSSA is working with its partners right now to identify solutions on this issue.

Denny Rodgers: I’m glad the minister is aware of that. I’m glad they’re working on something. But is there a contingency plan? … And how is the minister informing residents so they can make informed decisions?

Lesa Semmler: NTHSSA is working to secure alternative accommodations at this time, including securing hotel rooms to hold every day for unexpected patient arrivals or discharges at the hospital.

NTHSSA is also trying to use other contingency services to accommodate the overflow. … There’s some work that’s going on in asking for practitioners and staff to be considerate of booking non-urgent medical appointments to Yellowknife right now – working with Indigenous Services Canada to advise NIHB patients travelling for dental to consider booking non-urgent appointments and travel at another date, preferably in the summer when there’s no northern lights.

Work is also under way to develop some public communication to support residents to make decisions about booking non-urgent dental appointments. One of the things that I will say is, as the minister right now … we have many people that are getting on a plane, arriving here, and they may not have accommodations.

So if you have dental appointments that are non-urgent – a checkup – I would suggest, you know, it’s spring break. If you’re travelling, maybe rebook your appointments in places where you’re traveling to. We know there’s a big hockey tournament coming up in Whitehorse. Many Beaufort Delta residents head down there. Try getting a dental appointment in there, because there may be a risk that you may not have accommodation when you arrive here, or it might be not up to the standard that you would like.

Denny Rodgers: The minister mentioned a communications plan. Is there any detail on how that will roll out? How we’re going to let people know in Inuvik that this is certainly happening and that they may want to consider doing – as the minister stated – booking the non-urgent appointments at another time? In a little more detail, what will that communication plan be?

Lesa Semmler: Right now it’s actually just in the works. The teams are working on it. What I’m hoping to have is to something to share to all MLAs, because dental is not just in our region, it’s people travelling from all regions and they will need accommodations. So it will go out to all MLAs. It will go out on my social media and I encourage MLAs to do that as well. And as the plan comes up, I will share it with the with the MLAs.