Suzette Montreuil’s medical bed finds new home at Avens

Suzette Montreuil’s advocacy for seniors in the NWT is being remembered as her medical bed finds a new home at Avens.

Kevin O’Reilly recently donated the bed to Yellowknife’s seniors’ community in memory of his late wife.

“I think it’s what Suzette would have wanted as well, to continue to give back to the community,” he said. “So we’re happy to honour that and that’s why we’ve done that, so her legacy of giving to the community continues on.”

Suzette passed away on July 20 at the age of 63 after a battle with brain and lung cancer.

She was known as a champion for seniors and equality as one of the co-creators of Alternatives North and former executive director of the NWT Seniors’ Society. She also spent decades working as an occupational therapist at Stanton Territorial Hospital.

O’Reilly said he and his family donated other pieces of medical equipment, including a wheelchair and a sit-to-stand lift, to the occupational therapy department at the Yellowknife hospital.

“We hope they will help support other families that want to bring a loved one home,” he said.

O’Reilly said his family got the equipment to allow Suzette to return home following surgery in Edmonton in April 2025. He said they hired a contractor to build a ramp outside their home alongside interior renovations to make it more accessible.

“What I’ve discovered is that for families that want to bring their loved ones home, if they have any kind of disabilities it’s a huge challenge,” he said.

O’Reilly, a former MLA, said there is no system in place to store and loan out medical equipment in the NWT so people can stay at home rather than in long-term care. Currently, he said, families have to go through a complicated process with insurance companies to purchase such equipment.

He added that people with disabilities are impacted by the long-standing lack of accessible transportation at all hours in Yellowknife. The city is currently considering updating its taxi bylaw to require that an accessible cab be available 24 hours a day.

“We need to do a lot more to make the community more accessible for everyone,” he said.

Daryl Dolynny, president and chief executive officer of Avens, highlighted the bed donation in a newsletter, saying it will “serve a crucial role” at the organization’s long-term care facility.

He told Cabin Radio the state-of-the-art medical bed can provide comfort to people who are in beds for long periods of time.

“Our budgets don’t allow [us] to have these types of luxuries as spares, so having one available to us at our future needs is definitely important,” he said.

Dolynny noted that during wildfires, Avens has had to accommodate additional guests. The Covid-19 pandemic demonstrated the importance of having beds available to isolate people who may be infectious, he said.

“We’ve learned through our experience you can never be too prepared for anything,” he said.

Dolynny said he worked with Suzette when she was the executive director of the seniors’ society for many years, adding her advocacy work promoted dignity and respect.

“It’s just befitting that through her family she’s continuing to give,” he said.

“I know Suzette herself would be very thankful, very appreciative that this type of gift is going to be continuing to do exactly what she’s been advocating for her entire life.”