Medical care is hours away in B.C. Why do people in Fort Liard, N.W.T., have to drive to Yellowknife?
Luke Carroll | CBC News | Posted: November 11, 2023 9:00 AM | Last Updated: November 11, 2023
Fort Nelson, B.C. a 2.5-hour drive away from Fort Liard, while Yellowknife is 10 hours away
In Fort Liard, N.W.T., residents are hopeful the next territorial government can address health care issues that plague the community — including one very particular to the community.
Fort Liard has a small health centre and an occasional doctor, but residents need to leave town for any serious medical treatment.
It is only a two-and-a-half hour drive to Fort Nelson, B.C., which has a hospital. But instead, Fort Liard residents are required to go to Yellowknife, a 10-hour drive, or fly to Edmonton.
Resident Rose Betthale-Reid says the state of health care is bad across the N.W.T., but her community is in a unique situation.
"Fort Liard's got the worst of it, because we're right close to B.C. border and we're far away from Yellowknife," she said.
This hasn't always been the case. Before COVID-19 there was an agreement between the B.C. and the N.W.T. governments to allow Fort Liard residents to access medical care in Fort Nelson.
But when borders closed, so did the agreement — and it hasn't been restored.
What are the candidates saying?
Fort Liard, pop. 500, is one of six communities in the riding of Nahendeh, and one of only two connected by a road year-round, the other being Jean Marie River. The riding stretches from Fort Liard in the territory's southwest corner to Wrigley in the North.
Six candidates are running for the Nahendeh seat, including incumbent Shane Thompson and challengers Sharon Allen, Josh Campbell, Mavis Cli-Michaud, Hillary Deneron and Les Wright.
When CBC News asked each candidate to name their biggest issue for Fort Liard, two of them brought up the Fort Nelson hospital.
Thompson, who was in Fort Liard on Tuesday, said an agreement with B.C. was in place during the 18th assembly, his first term as an MLA, and he hopes to establish it again.
Deneron, the lone candidate who's from Fort Liard, also said access to health care in B.C. would be a top priority.
"They had a formal agreement to have health care for Fort Liard residents within B.C., definitely to get that back on track," she said.
But Deneron said that's not the only health care issue affecting the community.
"A lot of our elders, they don't speak English," she said. "I think that's really important that we get medical travel fixed so that people can have medical escorts."
Mental health and addictions treatment
The concern around health care extends to mental health resources and treatment.
Betthale-Reid used to work as a counsellor at the Nats'ejee K'eh treatment centre in Kátl'odeeche First Nation.
"There is nobody here who they can turn to," she said of her community members.
"We have one social worker here and she is probably overbooked by now."
Cathy Gonet, another resident of Fort Liard, agrees there needs to be more resources for people struggling.
"We need people that are specialized in prevention and early intervention," she said.
Shirley Bertrand-Jooris, a Fort Liard elder, says she wants the next government to prioritize establishing a treatment centre in the territory.
"There's a lot of alcohol and drug abuse," she said. "Drugs are coming in faster now and the problems that go with it."
Bertrand-Jooris says it's important for people to be able to heal close to home.
Other issues
Other candidates pointed to different top issues. Campbell highlighted infrastructure, especially the road leading to the community, as top of mind.
"The highway had been chip-sealed 25 years ago but was not maintained properly and then recently there have been some attempts at chip sealing and it fell apart within the two years of the work being done," he said.
Allen said in an email that healthcare, along with housing would be a priority.
"I've travelled and seen 10 people to a home in Fort Liard Acho Dene Koe homes in need of repairs," she writes, "but no contractors to fix them."