Yukon NDP will keep community health centres open by hiring and supporting more nurses
October 9, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 9, 2025
Territories of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Ta’an Kwäch’än Council, Whitehorse, Yukon – Too many Yukoners living in communities are finding their health centres closed when they need them most. These centres are the backbone of healthcare in Yukon communities, but without enough nurses to staff them, doors are closing and people are left without care.
Leader of the Yukon NDP Kate White announced today her team will keep community health centres open by hiring, supporting, and retaining more community nurses and Nurse Practitioners (NPs) across the territory.
“Our healthcare is strongest when care is close to home,” said Kate White, Leader of the Yukon NDP. “But under the Liberals, our health centres are closing and people have to drive hours for care. You can count on the Yukon NDP to invest in our frontline workers to keep community care centres open.”
Under the Yukon Liberals, community health centres and emergency services have repeatedly closed for days and even weeks at a time. This summer, health centres in Pelly Crossing, Faro and Ross River shut their doors due to a lack of available nursing staff.
Under the Yukon Party, nurses repeatedly sounded the alarm over short-staffing. The then-Health Minister Brad Cathers stated he would only listen to the Yukon Hospital Corporation’s CEO and administration, not frontline workers.
The Yukon NDP’s plan for nurses is created in partnership with nurses who work in communities across the Yukon. The plan will create a new Community Nurse Support Program to recruit and retain nurses in Yukon communities. Based on the successful Williams Lake physician support model, this program will cover relocation costs and provide housing, social, and cultural support to help nurses build strong roots in their communities.
The Yukon NDP will also hire 10 new Nurse Practitioners to serve communities across the territory, by expanding the scope of practice and ensuring fair, competitive pay for NPs. With more NPs providing care in the Yukon, more Yukoners will be able to get off waitlists and into clinics and community health centres, faster.
By giving nurses and nurse practitioners the support they deserve – and hiring more of them – the Yukon NDP will make sure health centres stay open and staffed, so people can get care when and where they need it.
“While the Liberals and the Conservative Yukon Party have fought with front-line healthcare workers, we’ll work together with the people who deliver care every day,” said White. With better wages, stronger community supports, and more nurse practitioners, all Yukoners will have access to care that’s reliable, local, and compassionate.”
-30-