Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Fort Smith (June 03/02) - Maggie Kurszewski is through waiting for the territorial government to help her build a new house. Instead, she's taking matters into her own hands.

Maggie Kurszewski of Fort Smith is tired of waiting for help from the NWT Housing Corporation to build a house and will be asking the public for support. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

"I'm going to ask the whole North to give me a loonie each," she said last week.

In fact, she's already raised some money from friends and acquaintances.

"So far, I got $102," said the 67-year-old, adding that she's hadn't yet gone public with her appeal.

Kurszewski said she's serious about raising the money and will not do it just to make a point. "I don't see myself getting a place any other way."

She intends to approach MLAs and ask for their assistance raising money in their constituencies.

She said she has no estimate of how much money she will need. "I don't have a clue. But I need it."

Kurszewski said she has been asking for assistance from the NWT Housing Corporation to build a house for almost 10 years.

She listed a litany of problems with her current house, which she is close to a century old. There are problems with the plumbing, heating, ventilation and design.

"Everything is falling apart," said Kurszewski, who has lived in the house since 1952 -- alone since her husband passed away in 1993.

While the Housing Corp. has refused to provide a new house, she said it has helped with repairs over the years, including new windows, tiles and $20,000 for a boiler.

However, she wants to tear down her existing house and build a new one. Other people, she pointed out, are getting new houses from the corporation.

She said she has been told that she had received enough money for repairs.

A spokesperson for the corporation said that if Kurszewski has been turned down for assistance to build a new house, it would be because she isn't eligible.

"I have to work on the assumption she did not meet the criteria of the program," said Gary McLellan, the corporation's director of policy, programs and informatics.

Plus, he said, the corporation cannot find any current application on file from Kurszewski.

McLellan said he could not comment further on Kurszewski's case because of confidentiality.