Frieda Martselos

Thebacha

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 127)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Housing has not yet responded to any of the three constituency files I referenced in my Member's statement. Can the Minister tell us when I can expect some answers for my constituents? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 127)

Mr. Speaker, I guess I'm a little bit puzzled with some of the answers. Will the Minister support a pilot project for tiny homes in Fort Smith, because that would be a real solution to fighting homelessness, rather than just renting a building, as it would give homeless people some dignity and confidence back into their lives. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 127)

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister explain why it has taken up to three weeks for her office to respond to my emails about constituents' urgent housing concerns? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 127)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have three sets of constituents who are all facing significant housing challenges. I have sent emails to the Minister of Housing about all these cases over the last three weeks, and I have yet to receive any responses to my inquiries. So today I am going to share some details about what these constituents are facing.

Mr. Speaker, the first constituent, who I will call Jane Doe, is a single mother who is facing eviction. Not only that, Mr. Speaker, but she never received prior notice of an impending eviction taking place. So she was caught off guard...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 126)

Thank you, Madam Chair. First of all, I want to acknowledge that, you know, I'm probably one of the biggest supporters of education, always was, always will be. Education is extremely important not only to young people but to everyone, including adults. And one of the things I wanted to talk about, first of all, was at the recent Council of Leaders meeting, the Indigenous leaders council meeting, one of my friends there that I've sat with for 14 years, and that was the chief of Colville Lake, and him and I used to sit around and have chats during those 14 years that I've sat around the table...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 126)

Mr. Speaker, clarity on a term is not singling out one person, for the record. Mr. Speaker, does the Minister agree and support the notion that Fort Smith is the education capital of the NWT as proclaimed by the former Commissioner in 1967? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 126)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of Education explain what the distinction is, if any, about the term "administrative centre" versus "university headquarters" in reference to the Thebacha Campus for the future polytechnic university? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 126)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I want to thank the Minister for acknowledging that. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister once again, assure me and the constituents of Thebacha that the primary campus for the future polytechnic university will be in Fort Smith? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 126)

Mr. Speaker, just for clarity, it's one staff member that's doing that, okay. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, does the Minister agree with the statement that the term "headquarters" in reference to the university campus is solely a government term? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 126)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk once again about the Aurora College Thebacha Campus and future polytechnic university headquarters.

Mr. Speaker, I want to again reiterate to this House about the role Fort Smith has historically had with the education for the people of the NWT. In 1967 when the NWT changed its capital to Yellowknife, it was agreed upon by the leaders of the day that in exchange for the loss of the capital, Fort Smith would become the education capital of the NWT. Ever since then, the head campus of the Aurora College has been in Fort Smith and many...