YELLOWKNIFE (August 10, 2026) – This month marks a special milestone for the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA) as we celebrate its 10-year anniversary. Over the past decade, the organization has achieved many important milestones and faced unique challenges, each of which has contributed to the growth and strength of our system.

The formal establishment of the NTHSSA on August 1, 2016, which consolidated six former health and social services authorities into a single territorial authority, marked one of the largest public-sector transformations in Northwest Territories (NWT) history.

The goal of the transformation was to provide the foundation for a single-system approach that enables ongoing improvements and ensures system-wide goals related to the quality of health and social services are met across the territory.

While there's still plenty to accomplish, the NTHSSA’s growth over its first decade has been thanks to the dedicated health and social services staff, whose tireless efforts have propelled a decade of progress and improvements across the system.

Their expertise, dedication, and commitment to community-based care have supported the evolution and expansion of health and social services so they can meet the needs of NWT residents, from the largest centres to the smallest communities.

Some key milestones from the NTHSSA’s first decade of operation include:

• 2016: The formal establishment of the NTHSSA after six former health and social services authorities were consolidated into one territorial authority.
• 2018: NTHSSA celebrated the Grand Opening of the Sahtú Got'iné Regional Health and Social Services Centre and Sahtú Dene Nechá Kǫ́ Long Term Care Facility in Norman Wells.
• 2018: The opening of the new Denı́nu Kų́ę́ Health and Social Services Centre in Fort Resolution.
• 2019: The NTHSSA received first system-wide accreditation status from Accreditation Canada.
• 2019: The opening of the new Stanton Territorial Hospital, the NWT’s largest hospital, in Yellowknife in May 2019.
• 2019: The NTHSSA formally embeds cultural safety, equity, and anti-racism into guiding principles across NTHSSA policies, workforce strategies, and service delivery by signing onto the Cultural Safety Declaration of Commitment.
• 2020: NTHSSA mobilizes to support the COVID-19 pandemic response.
• 2022: The NTHSSA transitions from pandemic response to strengthening and improving health and social services across the territory.
• 2023: The NTHSSA launched the Office of Client Experience, serving as the main feedback hub for NWT health and social services and supporting improved services for indigenous clients and families. 
• 2024: The Łıwegǫ̀atı Building, formerly the Stanton Territorial Hospital, officially opened in May 2024, offering primary care, outpatient rehabilitation, extended care, and long-term care services under one roof.
• 2024: The NTHSSA once again achieves system-wide accreditation status from Accreditation Canada, signaling that the system meets fundamental national standards of practice, policies, and programs.
• 2025: Introduces the ‘52 in 52 initiative’, a year-long initiative focused on achieving meaningful improvements across health services.
• 2026: The NTHSSA and partners within the NWT Health and Social Services System release the 2025-2028 People Strategy, a three-year roadmap that focuses on medium- and long-term workforce needs, emphasizing improved attraction, recruitment, and retention, while encouraging innovation and creativity.

In addition to playing a central role in managing the territory’s COVID-19 response from 2020 to 2022, including testing, outbreak management, and vaccine delivery, the NTHSSA has helped advance system coordination and emergency planning by supporting multiple community evacuations in response to climate-related threats. 

As we look forward to another decade of developing, planning, and providing health and social services, we are firmly dedicated to our vision of achieving the best health, best care, and a better future. This vision is consistently guided by our core values of caring, accountability, relationships, and excellence. It also involves efforts to ensure that all residents of the NWT have equitable access to high-quality, culturally-safe care as close to their homes as possible, both now and in the future.

“The year marks a decade of service and growth for the NTHSSA and is an important milestone in our organization’s journey. Our achievements and growth over the past 10 years are a testament to the dedication of all staff working within the health and social services system. As we reflect on the past 10 years, we remain focused on what comes next and will continue to provide quality health and social services that are culturally safe, collaborative, and centred on continuous improvement for decades to come.”

        - Kim Riles, Chief Executive Officer, NTHSSA

Staff across the NTHSSA will celebrate its 10-year anniversary through staff and community events throughout the NWT this summer. The public is invited to mark this milestone with the NTHSSA at the organization’s Annual General Meeting in Yellowknife at the end of August. More information will follow in the coming weeks.

For media requests, please contact:

NTHSSA Communications
nthssacomms@gov.nt.ca