Frieda Martselos

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As a former chief of Salt River First Nation, I don't speak the native language because my father was a very strong leader within the Indigenous groups up in the Northwest Territories. He developed the first Aboriginal organization in the Northwest Territories in the early years and very, very strong and spoke the Chipewyan language. I never got the privilege of learning that because he always thought that he didn't want us to speak it so that, when we went to school, that we did very well in school because he always thought it would be a burden to us. I only wish that...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I know that the waiting list for senior units in Fort Smith is a long one. Some seniors have to wait a long time to get into one of the units, and many of the seniors in Fort Smith would prefer to be in their own units. As I know, as I told you before, there is a long waiting list, and sometimes it takes up to two years or so before they get into a unit, so therefore I'm concerned about the availability of housing for seniors and our aging population in the community of Fort Smith.

Madam Chair, I just want to ask a question. As you know, in the community of Fort Smith, or the constituency of Thebacha, the standard of living is the lowest in the Northwest Territories to live. We have a very aging population, and we have a lot of seniors in the community of Fort Smith, therefore I'm wondering why only Hay River and Yellowknife are included in that community planning policy that is being put together in these next couple of years. I would like to ensure that consideration for the community of Fort Smith is also in the planning. Thank you.

I also want to have clarification on the RCMP units that are being allocated for the community of Fort Smith. Are they going to be demolished, or are they going to be going into other lots? Because the units are in good condition, and I would like to see the units, if they come under the Housing Corporation or the housing authority or whatever way they are going to dispense of these units, that they are divided between the Fort Smith Metis Nation and the Salt River First Nation because, in the rental units, they are mostly Indigenous.

Thank you, Madam Chair. First of all, I want to make a statement on housing. Housing is probably the most critical thing in the Northwest Territories, as an issue. I want clarification on co-investment fund for partnerships. Could you clarify that, if a partnership is like the Salt River First Nation or the Fort Smith Metis Nation and if they went and put a proposal together, Madam Chair, would they be entitled to the co-investment fund if they wanted to build, say, 10 units for their membership? I just want clarification on that, please.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. WHEREAS Members of this and previous Assemblies have expressed numerous concerns about the Stanton Territorial Renewal Project and the impacts it may have on the long-term fiscal well-being of the Government of the Northwest Territories and the people it serves;

AND WHEREAS, at a cost of $750 million over 34 years, the Stanton Territorial Hospital Renewal Project is reportedly the largest capital project ever undertaken by the Government of the Northwest Territories;

AND WHEREAS the Government of the Northwest Territories reportedly overlooked to include in the project...

Mr. Speaker, a territorial transition house should be considered for the community of Fort Smith because of its setting, environment, and the traditional values and language that are offered. This territorial traditional transition house should be in a place where people can stay once they finish treatment in the South. Would the Minister consider building a territorial transition house for after-care clientele so the NWT would be more successful in making the addictions problems facing our people a thing of the past? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Is the on-the-land funding, similar to what we have done in Salt River, still available to all Indigenous governments?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Lastly, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to address another aspect of addiction services that are lacking in the NWT, which are the inadequate levels of after-care supports that are offered to people who return home from treatment centres. After-care is an extremely important component for people who struggle with addictions; yet, our territory is lagging behind in offering any real substantive supports to people when they return from treatment. When people get out of treatment, they must readjust to everyday life, which can be challenging after getting used to the routines and...

Mr. Speaker, today, I'm going to talk about the need for more addictions and after-care services for the people of Fort Smith and the NWT. The NWT has been without an addiction treatment centre since June 2013. As an MLA, I firmly believe that each and every family has experienced a family member, a friend, or has been privy to information about a problem of being addicted to some form of drug, alcohol, or other substances. We are a small territory, and we have some excellent workers who are very committed to the problem and to the clients they serve, but there are gaps in the system that we...