The emergency room at Lakes District Hospital and Health Centre was closed down for the 15th time in 2025 this week.

The closure was set to run from 6 a.m. on March 16 to 4 p.m. on March 18, according to a press release issued by Northern Health. The closure is due to a staffing shortage, the press release said. Anyone who has emergency healthcare needs can call 9-1-1, which is still operating in the area throughout the closure.

Northern Health is actively recruiting doctors to the Burns Lake area with two incoming doctors to begin practicing this spring. Additionally, they are recruiting temporary physicians from outside the community to provide coverage for emergency services. Northern Health has also created a task force to address emergency department closures, the organization announced earlier this year. The hospital is fully staffed with nurses.

"Burns Lake is currently experiencing an approximately fifty-five per cent vacancy rate for physician emergency room coverage," Northern Health stated earlier this year. "Lakes District Hospital is currently fully staffed for registered nurses and has full nursing emergency room coverage."

Baseline staffing for the Lakes District Hospital ER department is one registered nurse, who is an emergency specialist, and one physician, 24 hours per day.

—With files from Alexander Vaz