Frieda Martselos

I'm very, very proud that we have this, the polytechnic headquarters in Fort Smith but I would you know, there's two positions. We talk about decentralization, and we have two borrowed positions that are here in Yellowknife from the polytechnic headquarters. And as the community of Fort Smith, including the leadership, has spoken to the Minister, we would like those two positions returned to Fort Smith and that senior management. I know that the board will he won't be able to do it but, you know, it's I want to bring it up here for clarity and for to be on the record that they should be...

Thank you, Madam Chair. First of all, I want to thank the Minister for paying a visit to the future headquarters of the polytechnic university in Fort Smith in January. It was a really incredible visit. It was on it was a very cold day that day. And we went to each classroom, and all the trades were in session. And, you know, as I went through the building, I did not realize myself how important it is to hire local. M ostly all the trades are done by local the training is done by local Indigenous personnel who care for these students in a really incredible way. And even the trades head, the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, next weekend from March 9th to 12th, Fort Smith will be hosting the annual winter carnival, Wood Buffalo Frolics. This year will mark the first time since 2019 that Fort Smith's beloved carnival will be taking place. It was cancelled twice because of the pandemic and once more due to organizer and volunteer fatigue. Fortunately, this year has many volunteers who stepped up to help with planning and will help with all of the events over the next weekend.

Mr. Speaker, this year's Wood Buffalo Frolics weekend will coincide with sled dog races from the Thebacha...

Mr. Speaker, in light of the new federal health funding that was announced last month for the NWT, can the Minister tell us is there any of that new funding will be used specifically to address the gaps in aftercare and detox services within the NWT and if so, what will that look like? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

After that, Mr. Speaker, for my statement today I want to speak once again about aftercare and detox services within the NWT.

This is an issue that I have spoken about several times throughout this term because it is an issue that touches nearly every family across the NWT. Mr. Speaker, two months ago, the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction released a report entitled "Canadian Guidance on Alcohol and Health." In their report, which was developed by an independent expert working group of addiction researchers, they provide an updated set of guidelines for the recommended limit in the...

I just want to recognize the dedication of the staff of PWK and of the elementary school in Fort Smith. You know, a lot of that time and effort, even in the Phoenix program, they can bring their children there at night. And a lot of the programming is done at night. And, you know, the staff are very dedicated to what they do at both schools.

And the one thing that is outstanding, of course, is the replacement of the 65yearold school with the elementary school. There's got to be a start at some point. And, you know, I don't want to take away from any other school. Any school that's built for...

I don't have any other questions.

Thank you, Madam Chair. And I read the whole report from the language commissioner, and I was quite concerned about a couple things. One of them is that the language commissioner has said in that report that English and French are priority items within the language thing and the nine Indigenous language are kind of a second priority. That was pretty well the final like, some of the things that was said in that report. And I guess my concern is I'm going to you know, the official languages report that's coming out from government operations, I agree with it. But, you know, I've decided that I...

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table a publication from the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and Addictions entitled "Canada's Guidance on Alcohol and Health: Final Report." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister explain exactly what it would take in terms of financial resources and manpower for the Government of the Northwest Territories to convert a vacant building like the old Trailcross Treatment Centre, for example, into a territorial aftercare and detox centre? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.