YELLOWKNIFE (April 16, 2026) – The Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA) has released the 2025-2028 People Strategy on behalf of the NWT Health and Social Services System. This document was developed in partnership with stakeholders including the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority (HRHSSA) and the Tłı̨chǫ Community Services Agency (TCSA).

The 2025-2028 People Strategy builds on previous workforce planning efforts and reflects what was heard from staff, residents, and partners across the Northwest Territories (NWT). The plan has been developed to guide actions system-wide to strengthen the health and social services workforce. Some concrete actions informed by the strategy include, but are not limited to:

• Technology enhancement efforts, including use of virtual care in small communities and looking at AI technologies available that support service delivery by staff as well as patient care.
• Ongoing delivery and/or expansion of existing youth programs such as the Take Our Kids to Work Day program, the Clinical Observership and Job Shadowing program.
• Continued engagement with, and promotion of staff through initiatives that encourage staff ideas for improvement, such as the ‘52 in 52’ initiative which is a mechanism for showcasing staff-led improvement initiative across the NTHSSA.
• And ongoing work to ensure programs like the NWT HSS Program Bursary, which is available each academic year to students from the NWT pursuing an education in a high-demand field related to health and social services, are made available to support workforce needs. 

“We are working to build a resilient, representative, and culturally safe health and social services workforce that can meet the needs of residents across the NWT,” said Lesa Semmler, Minister of Health and Social Services. “This strategy is backed by measurable actions that reflect the voices of staff, residents, and partners. It is a commitment to long-term change.”

Dan Florizone, Public Administrator for the NTHSSA shared the following message: “This work demonstrates collective efforts and commitment across the health and social services system to support the workforce, while aligning efforts with the five pillars outlined in the plan: workforce development, connection, communication, learning, and cultural safety. This plan is a good starting point to guide much of this work.”

The People Strategy is a three-year roadmap that focuses on medium and long-term workforce needs emphasizing improving attraction, recruitment, and retention, while encouraging innovation and creativity.

Next steps, which are already underway, include working with stakeholders, including the Department of Health and Social Services to find ways to address interdepartmental challenges such as housing, policy, and technology, that are also critical to the success of the health and social services system, but outside the scope of work for the NTHSSA.

Click here to read the full report. 

For media requests, please contact:

NTHSSA Communications 
nthssacomms@gov.nt.ca