Frieda Martselos

Thank you, Madam Chair. It's really easy to say you want to work with the Indigenous groups but there's no follow up. You know, there's a lot of red tape. There's lack of communication. I mean, as an ordinary MLA, I even have trouble getting answers to my emails. I've gone from July 2020, some of the things that I've brought up I still haven't got answers to or conclusions to from Members that I feel are is they're very you know, they are in dire straits. I keep on going back and forth, and then I list a whole bunch of emails that haven't been answered and sent to this department, and I don...

I know I'm very emotional on this because I feel like, you know, how could the board we have an excellent board in place now. We've got the office straightened out at housing finally in this we're in our third year. You know, and I have a lot of respect for the people that are on the board and the people that are running the office right now. But we also have to have positive positive responses from this office with some of the problems that these people faced. Most of the people that I've come that I brought forward to the Minister about different issues and couch surfing and all these...

Madam Chair, you know, the thresholds that are required for anyone wanting to have homeownership or any other thresholds within the housing department in the Housing Corporation, when is the last time they raised the thresholds? Like, has it been 20 years ago? Has it been two years ago? Has it been one year ago? Because a lot of, you know, young people that are wanting to go into homeownership, they both got jobs and then all of a sudden they're $120 over the threshold to buy the house that they were in when they first started out and didn't were in public housing. And now they could afford...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to stress a couple things. The waiting list in the community of Thebacha is 212 on the waiting list. And I'm just wondering about a couple things with regards to first of all, I want to find out how many homes are going to be available new in the 20222023 Estimates?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister of ITI gave a very vague answer to my last question and did not answer fully on the expansion of the Taltson River Expansion. Will the Minister, in her capacity as ITI and the finance Minister, engage with the Salt River First Nation, whom's reserve lands border the Taltson Dam and they also consider this their traditional territory, whether bilateral meetings could take place to bring Salt River back to the table in this very important project with the expansion of the Taltson; and, moreover, we as a government to move forward in a positive way on this...

Mr. Speaker, this Minister is both ITI minister and finance minister. So she knows the memorandum of understanding with Indigenous groups and the construction of the Taltson Expansion is essential to the project's successful completion. Can the Minister tell us if she and the rest of Cabinet are prioritizing the MOU to move forward with the work on the Taltson Expansion?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the other day during question period, the ITI minister said that to attract greater economic opportunities and investment in the Northwest Territories, our territory will need greater access to clean and affordable energy. Does the Minister agree that the Taltson Hydro Expansion will be instrumental in strengthening and expanding our economy for future generations? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I just want to I'm going to ask the question again because I didn't really get a direct answer.

I would like to know the last time that the Housing Corporation has reviewed and renewed the threshold issue with regards to homeownership, rentals, all these things. And also because it's a major block for a lot of people that are just starting out in homeownership. It's a major block in the rental department. And it's a big concern to a lot of the people that I've talked to throughout the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Madam Chair.

You know, we're a regional centre. We're not I can consider Fort Smith still a small community. That is you know, the amount of homes that are going in there is not going to meet the requirement obviously.

I also want to talk about the homeownership program and the retrofits. I want to know how many retrofits are going in to the community of Thebacha.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In order to do that, I think that there has to be a process that has to be followed to ensure that the main proponent in this whole Taltson Expansion is consulted, and I think that it's our duty as a government to ensure that they are brought back to the table. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I would like to see that. Would the Minister confer on that? Thank you.