(Yellowknife, Northwest Territories) April 30, 2025 – The Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA) is announcing an increase to locum physician rates, effective June 1st, 2025.
This rate increase was achieved because of advocacy by the NTHSSA, in collaboration with DHSS, Hay River Health and Social Services Authority and Tlicho Community Services Agency, and is part of NTHSSA ongoing efforts to enhance recruitment and retention of physicians across the health and social services system. It is also reflective of feedback received through stakeholder engagements, including a survey that was sent out to more than 500 locums in December 2024.
Effective June 1st, 2025, the NTHSSA will be implementing the following:
- Long-term recurring physician locum incentive pilot program, to encourage locums to provide greater continuity of care through an increased number of service days within the NWT. Long-term locums are a valued complement to staff physicians. With this change, locums who provide 75 or more clinical service days onsite in the territory within a fiscal year (April 1st – March 31st) will be eligible for a bonus. Details regarding the structure and timing of these payments will be shared directly with locums through the contract process. The success of this pilot will be evaluated to determine future locum incentives.
- Increased daily rates for locum physician services. This adjustment aims to provide more consistent and competitive daily rates for the valuable work locums provide and ensure the health and social services system remain competitive and is seen by locums as competitive across the dynamic Canadian market. Rate increases, which are issued by the Minister of Health and Social Services, are designed to target hard-to-recruit physician work, particularly in small communities.
- A standard travel stipend for locum physicians for travelling in and out of the NWT from any outside location. The goal of this change is to ensure fairness and consistency among locums and to simplify the administration of locum contracts consistently for everyone who travels into the territory.
- Premium rates for night shift, to support locums providing night shift at Stanton Territorial Hospital. This change was recommended through staff engagement and should enable more nimble schedule adjustments when unexpected gaps arise.
The NTHSSA is confident that these positive changes align with the needs of our current and future locums, offer fair and competitive overall compensation and will contribute to a stronger, more resilient physician workforce in the North.
If you’re a locum physician and interested in more information about working in the North, please visit www.nthssa.ca or email nthssa_omac@gov.nt.ca.
For media request, contact:
NTHSSA Communications
867-767-9107, ext. 40116