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
Email
Phone
(867) 767-9143
Extension
12195
Constituency Office

198 Mackenzie Rd
Unit 123
Inuvik NT X0E 0T0
Canada

P.O. Box
3130
Constituency Phone
867-678-2429
Minister
Email
Email
Minister of Health and Social Services

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 79)

Thank you, Minister. Member for Yellowknife North.

Committee Motion 132-19(2): Tabled Document 412-19(2), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2021-2022 – Motion to Amend Minerals and Petroleum Resources, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 79)

Thank you. Minister.

Committee Motion 132-19(2): Tabled Document 412-19(2), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2021-2022 – Motion to Amend Minerals and Petroleum Resources, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 79)

Thank you. And I'll take that as a comment.

Any further questions comments? Member for Thebacha.

Oral Question 751-19(2): Homelessness Strategy and Emergency Shelters
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 78)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will switch my question around. What's going to happen if we have no more nonforprofit organizations to run any of our homeless shelters because they have no support and they don't have enough money to run them. So will the Minister commit to working with our board that we have right now and come up with a solution? Because, like I said, it's still cold. It's snowing. You know, community has rallied together to get sleeping bags and blankets for some of the people because they're sleeping outside, Mr. Speaker. So I would like to know if this Minister is going to take...

Oral Question 751-19(2): Homelessness Strategy and Emergency Shelters
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 78)

Thank you. So I'm hoping it will be early in the fall so we have time to review it before we're sitting. My next question for the Minister is, you know, bringing up my Member's statement, talking about the emergency shelters in the Northwest Territories, the Minister last week confirmed that there is a staff person dedicated to assisting the homeless shelters in Inuvik at this time. But from my discussions that I had, this is  there's been some confusion. And I just wanted to confirm with the Minister, is there a specific person working with the homeless shelter at this time in Inuvik? Thank...

Member's Statement on Emergency and Homeless Shelters  
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 78)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What is the future plan of emergency in homeless shelters of the Northwest Territories? I spoke about our emergency homeless shelter in Inuvik last week, and it was something that was raised to me by many constituents, their concern that the shelter had closed with the weather still cold. And just so everyone here knows that the weather is still dipping below zero, and it was snowing this morning in Inuvik.

We've also heard from my colleague the struggles of the funding of the Hay River homeless shelter. In recent news, the Yellowknife day shelter is closing. Then the...

Oral Question 751-19(2): Homelessness Strategy and Emergency Shelters
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 78)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm kind of disappointed because I asked this same question last week, and I got the same answer. And the homeless are still homeless, and the shelter is still closed. So I'll go on to my next question.

Is the Minister working with the Health and Social Services Minister in order to help clients that are currently  or not currently in the emergency shelter but that are in Inuvik now, and is there some contact person that people can contact within their two different departments? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Oral Question 751-19(2): Homelessness Strategy and Emergency Shelters
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 78)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister responsible for Homelessness. Mr. Speaker, it was the last government that committed to the homelessness strategy, and it was quoted by the previous Minister that we needed a whole-of-government approach to help our homelessness. So what I want to know today is when will we see this homelessness strategy? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Committee Motion 126-19(2): Committee Report 13-19(2) – Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the 2019-20 Northwest Territories Ombud Annual Report - Amendment of Section 25 of Ombud Legislation, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 77)

Thank you. Motion is in order. To the motion. Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Abstentions? Motion is carried.

---Carried

Ms. Martselos.

Oral Question 736-19(2): COVID-19 Restrictions and Public Health Orders
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 77)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. In my statement, I did mention that, you know, it is the Minister's responsibility to extend the public health emergency. And so my first question for the Minister is what criteria information is the Minister using to measure risk of a public health emergency to be  to extend the order? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.