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Whitehorse General Hospital is out of room, and officials say that means some patients may be treated in hallways or other “non-conventional spaces.”
Hospital officials say the Whitehorse facility reached 124 per cent capacity last week and is just slightly below that this week. That’s put it in the so-called “red zone” for inpatient bed availability.
The hospitals in Dawson City and Watson Lake, meanwhile, are not at capacity.
The current predicament in Whitehorse is not unusual — the hospital corporation says occupancy has been going up over the last several years and has averaged 121 per cent so far this year. A year ago, in September 2025, capacity was at 116 per cent.
“Yukon Hospitals continue to see increasing demand for health care, as the Yukon’s population is growing and aging with higher acuity and more complex health needs,” reads a statement from the Yukon Hospital Corporation.
“This means our people and teams need to continuously adapt how we work and use our resources including space.”
Officials say patients could see longer wait times in the emergency department, or be treated in spaces such as “hallways, alcoves, or meeting/administrative spaces.”
They’re urging Yukoners to consider seeking care in other ways if possible, such as using the walk-in clinic or speaking to a pharmacist, but say people should still go to the hospital if that’s the best option for them.
Hospital officials also say they’re doing other things to “help meet these growing health care needs” in Whitehorse, such as increasing nursing staff, and planning for a future hospital expansion. In July, eight new beds were also opened at the Whitehorse facility, bringing the total number of beds to 79.
In June, a Yukon Hospital Corporation spokesperson told CBC that between 49 to 63 additional acute care beds will be needed by 2045, based on the hospital corporation’s projections around population growth and changing demographics.