It is with deep regret that the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority (SLFNHA) announces the closure of its Thunder Bay Medical Van Transportation Department, effective April 1, 2026. This decision was not made lightly — it is a direct result of Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) failing to fund the program proportionally to the actual, documented volume of clients served and adequate funding for SLFNHA employees along with program operating costs.
The Thunder Bay program was started in good faith with ISC when there was a sudden announcement from Wequedong Lodge saying that they were limiting their services as of April 1st, 2024. Our concerns were the availability of Taxi services and for that service to be culturally safe. It wasn’t for a few months after SLFNHA was providing this service that NIHB/ISC informed SLFNHA that they were obligated to follow their funding model and complicated reporting requirements. Because of this, we are operating in the negative.
These numbers represent real people — Elders, children, parents, and community members — who depended on coordinated transportation to access healthcare. NIHB/ISC’s refusal to fund the program adequately is what has forced this closure.
Effective April 1, 2026, all inquiries for medical transportation in Thunder Bay by SLFNHA community members (not accommodated by Wequedong Lodge) must be made to NIHB directly.
SLFNHA Thunder Bay Transportation Department
| YEAR | Dispatch Calls Received | Clients & Escorts Transported | Total Rides Provided |
| April 2024 – March 31, 2025 | 17,189 | 28,846 | 17,510 |
| April 2025 – March 16, 2026 | 20,169* | 35,390* | 20,177* |
| TOTAL | 37,358 | 64,236 | 37,687 |
NIHB NUMBERS TO CALL
Thunder Bay 1-877-779-7749
Sioux Lookout 1-888-283-8885
SLFNHA is deeply concerned about the real and immediate consequences this closure will have on First Nations clients across our communities as the NIHB SLKT office has had issues with keeping up on Medical Transportation needs. These are not abstract policy impacts — they are disruptions to the health, safety, and daily lives of our community members.
The medical transportation needs of our communities have not changed and SLFNHA holds NIHB and ISC responsible for ensuring that not a single community member falls through the cracks during this transition. SLFNHA does not accept this closure as a permanent outcome. The federal government has a legal, moral, and fiduciary obligation to ensure that First Nations peoples can access medical transportation.
To our staff: thank you. You answered over 37,000 calls, coordinated more than 64,000 trips, and showed up for your communities every single day. Your dedication is a credit to SLFNHA and to the communities you served.
For a full list of NIHB contact numbers, click here.
