Lesa Semmler

Member Inuvik Twin Lakes

Minister of Health and Social Services
Minister Responsible for the Status of Women 

Lesa Semmler currently serves as the Member representing Inuvik Twin Lakes in the 20th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly, having been re-elected to the position. Born in Yellowknife, NT, and raised in Inuvik, where she still resides, Ms. Semmler has deep roots in the Northwest Territories. 

A Registered Nurse, Ms. Semmler graduated from the Aurora College Northern Nursing Program in 2000 and earned her Community Health Nurse Certification from the Canadian Nurses Association in 2008. With 15 years of frontline nursing experience at the Inuvik Regional Hospital, she focused on Acute Care, Homecare, and Public Health. Her career also included roles as the Manager of Acute Care Services and eventually the Regional Manager of Acute Care Services under the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority. Notably, she served as the Inuvialuit Health System Navigator at the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, assisting Inuvialuit Beneficiaries in navigating the healthcare system. 

Beyond her healthcare career, Ms. Semmler has actively contributed to education and community service. She served on the Inuvik District Education Authority, assuming the role of Chair from 2015 to 2018, and chaired the Beaufort Delta Education Council. Ms. Semmler participated in various working groups at the territorial and national levels, including the Inuit Tuberculosis Elimination Board and the Inuit Midwifery Revitalization. Her commitment to social justice is evident in her voluntary work as a member of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls National Family Advisory Circle, where she worked to ensure northern voices were heard and represented. Lesa Semmler's life and career reflect her passion for healthcare, education, and advocating for the well-being of her community.

Inuvik Twin Lakes Electoral District

Lesa Semmler
Inuvik Twin Lakes
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Constituency Office

125 Mackenzie Rd
Unit 203
Inuvik NT X0E 0T0
Canada

P.O. Box
3130
Constituency Phone
Minister's Office
Email

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker I will talk to my department, and I will talk to the Minister of Infrastructure. I'm not sure how that process and what materials are there and if they're no longer useable, but I can follow up on that material and what's the plan for it and get back to the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm not sure if the Member wants me to answer it all in one question but the project has remobilized to the site and work has resumed this past summer, summer of 2024, with the completion date of 2026. This summer, due to low water and the no barges that we -- in order to not delay this project any further, that materials were expedited through air freight to the community so the work could continue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Within the policy, there -- there are -- we do have the policy. So if there are decision-making, if there are -- there are exceptions to some of those policies. I can't speak to the specific case but like I said, every case is looked at individually because there's -- every time we get BFs, you know, there's more information, there's -- everything is so complex for every different person. It's not the same for every single person that's travelling. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the medical travel policy is -- like, as I mentioned in this House many times, right now we're in the midst of reviewing this entire process of medical travel, of moving people within the Northwest Territories. It is a complex process. There are approximately about 1,800 medical travel cases annually requiring many, you know, logistics. So when we -- when we're looking at the different types -- so when people are moving -- going for appointments, insured service appointments, so doctor’s appointments, there's one way of doing that. If they're going for...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we collect data, both on the community counselling programs and the facility-based addiction treatment programs, but I don't have the specific details of both. Last year, I think this was about 200 NWT residents that accessed facility-based addictions treatment. The community counselling program and facility-based addiction treatment programs have performance monitoring framework in place which outlines data and indicating reporting requirements. The department also completes quality assurance audits of the community counselling programs delivered across...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, within the structure, we do have a CEO that oversees the NTHSSA. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with the Community Wellness and Addiction Recovery Fund, there is still funds available in there for communities to apply on. So I would say to have your -- like, to reach back out to the communities that you represent to see if they've applied on this fund. I can send you the information. Those -- they could create an on the land or a community program for the youth or any community member in their community. For youth addiction programs, we currently piloted a couple of programs. I can get more details to that to the Member for youth treatment, on the...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, whether it's in one department or it's in two departments, we do have dedicated staff that deal with the health stream and then we have dedicated staff that deal with the social services. Like, we have a director of social services that kind of deals and falls under that. The majority of the -- you know, like, the -- is the operation stuff which amalgamates into NTHSSA. So the authority is -- oversees both those two areas. So if the -- you know, it's not -- it's not -- I would not make that decision alone. But I don't -- I don't see that it would, you know...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 33)

Yes, you know, I -- as the Minister, you know, I have met with the unit. I have -- we have actually done a presentation to standing committee. You know, if the Member wants me to meet with him and if he wants to invite me to meet with him and the Dene Nation together to hear from them on what their thoughts are, you know I would be more than glad to. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, I did ask the NTHSSA to -- early when we -- you know, with the pressures that we were hearing of hotel rooms being full all the time, you know, that is impacting insured service patients that are flying down for doctors appointments because dental and everybody is flying into the capital, I did ask them to look at other options. That is currently being looked in right now. But clients who are NIHB can also work with NIHB directly if they can find appointments closer to home that's not here. And like I mentioned, in the Beaufort Delta a lot of our...