Lesa Semmler

Member Inuvik Twin Lakes

Minister of Health and Social Services

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

Committees

Inuvik Twin Lakes
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Extension
12195
Constituency Office

198 Mackenzie Rd
Unit 123
Inuvik NT X0E 0T0
Canada

P.O. Box
3130
Constituency Phone
Minister
Email
Minister of Health and Social Services

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, before we even had electronic medical records, our patients traveled so, like I say again, if this is a specific instance because if it is and if there are many people that are going to appointments, they are not complaining through my office so maybe they're going through the Office of Client Experience and that's where I would tell these clients to also go. I would encourage any MLAs to encourage their constituents to go through the Office of Client Experience. This way we can document what the issues are and then we can rectify them if this is a bigger...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when patients are traveling down to Alberta, depending, I mean, wherever they are coming from, there's different systems that we use and yes, I've mentioned it many times in this House, that the systems that we use don't talk with Alberta systems and that is why our it is in the business plan, and that we are updating our EMR, our electronic medical records, in the health system. One of those things is to, hopefully, to make sure that it does have the opportunity to connect with Alberta. What they do currently, there are many different ways that they do...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this funding is for two years, and then we will  as part of the business plan, we'll continue to move forward into the 20262027 business planning cycle for  you know, for future funds. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as aftercare and transitional housing is not currently being offered in the Northwest Territories right now and it hasn't been offered in Yellowknife, we don't exactly have  we don't know how many until we start to be able to track. We do know how many people go out for treatment. We do know that not all those people going out for treatment that are returning back need somewhere to live, but there are those that may. So this is  will  we don't have those numbers at this time. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I did commit to get the many ways that we do this and I there is way to do it and I am not going to sit here and explain from this health centre we do it this way and sometimes if they are coming in from a small community they may go in a secure with a practitioner. The patient may go. There are multiple different ways, and depending on which physicians and, you know, so. This is the coordination of our special clinics when they refer, they have their processes and so if there are individual so there doesn't seem to be an issue, because it hasn't come to light, and so...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we send thousands of people to Alberta so if a Member wants to know about a specific instance, is this something that he has multiple constituents that are coming to him and so if he wants to bring this forward to my office, I would gladly look into it. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 21)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will commit to getting the numbers that people that are being sent out from Yellowknife necessarily  you know, if they come back to Yellowknife doesn't mean that this may be their end location because if somebody goes out and is getting well  has gotten well, recovered from  you know, and they may go to  back to their home communities as they may have supports in those communities, so I  what I can commit to is knowing the people that have been sent out from Yellowknife to the Member. Thank you.

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

If there's communities that are interested in, you know, accessing the dollars to provide programming in their communities, what I can do is I know that I I don't have it on hand, but what I can do to the Members is provide the information to the funds that we do have available and where they can who they have to contact to access those funds and then they can you know, they can, you know, assist the Indigenous government on their proposals on what they want to do. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we have provided numbers. You know, the estimate is what is in the budget, and we've said that it's 1.3 like, and it's in the letter that I sent today as well, that the summary of the expected increased costs is $2.5 million, less the estimated copayments by residents of $1.2 million. That leaves a shortfall of $1.3 million. So thank you, Mr. Chair.

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

Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we do in the previous section, we have home and community care as part of our that is where we would have supports for families. And I know that in a perfect world, we would have 24hour care in all our communities to be able to provide home support work, home care. And that's not the reality. We're slowly implementing it now. Up until a few years ago, it was only Monday to Friday, you know, and very seldom in the evenings. So we know that is something that we've heard loud and clear. And, I mean, myself as an MLA, I also raised those issues. And we're...