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Martin Semchuk (August 20, 1914 – November 15, 2000) was a merchant and political figure in
Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...
. He represented Meadow Lake from 1960 to 1964 in the
Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan () is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan, in the ...
as a
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF; , FCC) was a federal democratic socialism, democratic socialistThe following sources describe the CCF as a democratic socialist political party: * * * * * * and social democracy, social-democ ...
(CCF) member. He was born in
Meath Park, Saskatchewan Meath Park ( 2016 population: ) is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Garden River No. 490 and Census Division No. 15. History Meath Park incorporated as a village on May 23, 1938. Demogra ...
, the son of Bill Semchuk, and was educated in
Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Alb ...
. In 1935, he married Josephine Mary Gerlowski. Semchuk was president of the Meadow Lake
Board of Trade The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for Business and Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...
and was a director of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce. He also helped create
Meadow Lake Provincial Park Meadow Lake Provincial Park is a northern Boreal forest of Canada, boreal forest provincial recreational park along the Waterhen River (Saskatchewan), Waterhen and Cold River (Saskatchewan), Cold Rivers in the Provinces and territories of Cana ...
. Semchuk operated a grocery store in Meadow Lake. He served in the provincial cabinet as Minister of
Telephones A telephone, colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that enables two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most ...
, Minister of Public Health, Minister of Highways and Transportation and Minister of Industry and Commerce. He was defeated by Henry Coupland when he ran for reelection to the provincial assembly in 1964, and defeated again in 1967 after running as the NDP candidate. Semchuk later worked with the Saskatchewan Department of Natural Resources in Regina. In 1975, he retired to
Kelowna Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan, Okanagan Valley in the British Columbia Interior, southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna ...
,
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
. Semchuk died in
Oliver, British Columbia Oliver is a town near the south end of the Okanagan Valley in the southern British Columbia Interior, interior of British Columbia, Canada, with a population of nearly 5,000 people. It is located along the Okanagan River by Tuc-el-nuit Lake betwe ...
at the age of 86. Semchuk helped establish the first
winter road A winter road is a seasonal road only usable during the winter, i.e. it has to be re-built every year. This road typically runs over land and over frozen lakes, rivers, swamps, and sea ice. Segments of a winter road that cross an expanse of flo ...
to
Uranium City Uranium City is a northern settlement in Saskatchewan, Canada. The community is at the mouth of Fredette River on Martin Lake. It is north of Lake Athabasca and Beaverlodge Lake and is about northwest of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, northeast ...
during the 1950s. When a permanent road was established in 1980, it was named the Semchuk Trail in his honour.


References

1914 births 2000 deaths Canadian people of Ukrainian descent People from Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Co-operative Commonwealth Federation MLAs {{CCF-Saskatchewan-MLA-stub