Councillors in Fort Nelson are taking healthcare matters into their own hands, saying they don’t trust Northern Health to handle the staffing shortage properly.
At the January 12th meeting of the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality council, they formed a select committee to work on stabilizing primary care in the area.
A select committee is a small group set up for a specific purpose, with municipal governments allowed under community charters to create one to look into any issue and report back to the body that formed it. In Fort Nelson, medical care is currently provided through a privately owned medical centre.
“A recent report highlighted growing uncertainty and risks to maintaining primary care services in the community.
Staff expect a drop in capacity by June or July 2026 due to anticipated physician departures. Recruiting healthcare professionals remains a challenge and is seen as a key risk to local primary care access.
In response, a primary care working group has been set up in Fort Nelson, with Northern Health actively planning to meet both current and future needs.
Northern Health said it met with municipal delegates on January 20 to discuss working together to keep the community’s primary care sustainable. At the January 12 council meeting, NRRM staff noted that primary care isn’t technically the municipality’s responsibility but admitted that rural and remote communities often step in to help plan and coordinate to keep essential services running.
Mayor Rob Fraser backed the creation of a committee, saying the community has faced unreliable healthcare for the past three years and expressing doubt that Northern Health could fix it. Councillor and Deputy Mayor Lorraine Gerwing agreed, stressing that the community must take matters into its own hands.
The council acknowledged the committee would need funding, with some suggesting unused health-related budget items could cover costs. Despite tight finances, Gerwing said the money would be well spent and trusted that expenses would be kept in check.
The motion passed unanimously, and staff will now draft guidelines for the committee, with Gerwing serving as chair.
-with files from NRRM & Caitlin Coombes - EnergeticCity.ca
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We love our healthcare hope they find a resolution soon