Frieda Martselos

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 want to make one last comment. When I was the Chief of Salt River First Nation, I just want to reiterate the working relationship we had with the deputy minister. It was an incredible, valuable relationship, and we had a lot of dialogue with the aboriginal people. And I'm not asking any more questions, but I just want to make sure that people understand that the water is fine in Fort Smith. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Madam Speaker, the Minister's previous answers to this situation always references the income threshold. My constituent would like to be treated fairly and receive a fair rental monthly fee for the unit he is now in. This type of policy is something I would like the Minister to investigate and think out of the box. Does the Minister believe that any NWT resident who is a victim to a natural disaster is deserving of compensation if their home is destroyed? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, can the Minister tell us if the NWT Housing Corp considers natural disasters that destroys people's homes on a casebycase basis, or is there an uniform approach from the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation in dealing with people's homes destroyed by natural disasters? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, along with the rest of my colleagues here, I have a whole host of housingrelated issues with my constituents in my community. I could go on about general issues relating the NWT Housing Corp, however today I am going to focus on one constituent.

This is an elderly man who is nearly 80 years old and has been dealing with increased health problems including a recent heart attack and even contacting COVID19, not to mention he and his wife being homeless temporarily after their home was destroyed nearly three years ago.

Madam Speaker, this constituent...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just want to not very often I go on defence of a Minister in a department but I want to ensure that the when I was Chief at Salt River First Nation, we always had a dialogue with ENR and with the water quality regulations and the monitoring that was done within the department. And I know for a fact that even during the pandemic that water quality was happening and monitoring, and the First Nations were always involved, especially Salt River and the Metis because they're from Fort Smith. And I know for a fact that the water quality in the Fort Smith area is top notch...

Madam Speaker, can the Minister tell us if the NWT Housing Corp treats victims of natural disasters differently based on the type of disaster they were in or are all victims treated the same across the board? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, specifically, only one home was destroyed in my riding for the situation of my constituent. So that is why this case was handled differently. Does the Minister believe that any victim of a natural disaster whose home was destroyed should be treated the same regardless of the community they live in? Thank you, Madam Speaker.