Health Canada outlines plans for $144.8M in N.W.T. healthcare

Health Canada outlines plans for $144.8M in N.W.T. health care

Funding agreement will go toward 16 projects in a dozen communities

Health Canada has announced the N.W.T. is set to benefit from over $144.8 million in government funding to improve health care in the territory.

“All Canadians want the same thing — a health-care system that works,” said federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel in a statement.

According to Michel, this announcement officially makes the Northwest Territories the very first jurisdiction in Canada to renew its bilateral agreement under the federal government's ten-year national health accord.

She spoke at a news conference in Ottawa on Monday afternoon alongside Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Rebecca Alty and Lucy Kuptana, the N.W.T.'s interim health and social services minister.

Minister Alty said delivering northern health care requires federal-territorial partnerships tailored to the region.

"Today is about working together to make sure people in the Northwest Territories can access the quality health care and culturally safe services they need closer to home," she said.

The funding comes from two different streams.

The first, labelled Working Together, aims to make it easier for people to access health care. The federal government has earmarked $51.2 million over the next seven years to fund the training and recruitment of physicians, as well as integrating primary health-care teams so the system is easier to navigate. Some of this money will also go toward mental health and substance use services, including culturally appropriate mental wellness and suicide prevention programs.

The second pot of money, the Build Communities Strong Fund, is for infrastructure. The federal government plans to invest $70.2 million for 16 health infrastructure projects in 12 communities, while the territory kicks in $23.4 million.

Key projects highlighted during the news conference include space for a new MRI machine at Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife, a new CT scanner in Inuvik, six new health cabins in remote communities with populations under one hundred residents, a community wellness centre in Délı̨nę and specialized spaces for an Indigenous clinic.

Minister Kuptana said providing services locally helps protect the well-being of northern families during medical care.

"For people living in smaller, remote communities, access to services closer to home will mean remaining connected to family, community, culture and support networks," Minister Kuptana noted.

She emphasized that expanding local diagnostic capabilities will reduce the burden of costly medical travel to southern provinces like Alberta.

Shift in mental health and addictions funding

A dedicated funding stream for mental health and addictions is set to expire, with funding for those programs absorbed into the territory’s main bilateral health agreement moving forward.

In 2026-27, $700,000 was set aside for mental health and addictions supports from Budget 2017. That specific funding stream will not continue into the following fiscal year.

Addressing the transition at the press conference, Minister Kuptana said that the overall deal protects these existing resources while acknowledging the acute need across northern communities.

"What's happening right now in the North is we're facing an addictions crisis, and many of our families are dealing with it on an ongoing basis," Kuptana said, adding that expanded support is needed for community-led and land-based aftercare.

The territory states it will continue to report publicly each year on its progress toward agreed-upon health targets, as construction and program planning moves forward.