Terry Halifax
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Nov 15/02) - A political thrust to divide the regional health board will double administration costs and the Inuvik board wants assurance that these additional costs won't come from the already strained program and services budgets.

Nellie Cournoyea, chair of the Inuvik Regional Health and Social Services Authority, said if the Sahtu were to establish their own health board, "There is going to be a lot of additional dollars required if you want to have two healthy health boards." - Terry Halifax/NNSL photo

Currently, the Inuvik Regional Health and Social Services Authority (IRHSSA) covers all the Delta communities, as well as the Sahtu communities of Fort Good Hope, Norman Wells, Tulita, Deline and Colville Lake.

Boot Lake MLA Floyd Roland said he's written Michael Miltenberger, minister of health and social services regarding his concerns regarding the financial impacts of the split.

"My concern, is that they're going to take from existing services and create another board," Roland said. "During the 13th assembly, we were talking about reducing the number of boards and now we're looking at creating another board."

"How much is that going to impact the services?"

Roland said there have been no costs yet identified to set up the new board.

He feels Inuvik will still be a major care facility provider to the Sahtu under a contract agreement, but has concerns about the need for a separate board.

"Do we really need another board or do we just need more money for programs and services?"

Nellie Cournoyea, chair of the Inuvik Health and Social Services Board said the board has asked that all the financial information be made available as the split becomes a reality.

"We are primarily concerned with the financial implications and we have been reassured that those issues will be resolved beforehand," Cournoyea said.

"We have asked for total assurance that there are two health boards set up and the services will not be diminished by splitting."

"This is really more pressed by the MLA from Sahtu," she said.

"He wants this to happen, so we're trying to do this in a reasonable and rational way."

"There is going to be a lot of additional dollars required if you want to have two healthy health boards," Cournoyea said.

Bob Simpson, chief negotiator for the Beaufort Delta Self-Government Office, said they had future plans to negotiate the split of services with the Sahtu, but no says that may not be necessary, but the GNWT will have to come up with the money to make that transition.

"It's a territorial initiative and territorial jurisdiction, so they will have to find the money themselves," Simpson said.

Derek Lindsay represents the Town of Inuvik on the Inuvik Health and Social Services Board and has many of the same questions Roland has, but as of yet, no one from the Sahtu has requested information from the Delta board.

"They did not ask for any input from our health authority," Lindsay said. "We have some historical background that could provide some educated input into forming a new health authority."

He said the board has all the information on logistics, housing and salaries, but no one has requested input.

"Why haven't they conferred with us?" he asked. "It's daft."

Miltenberger did not return calls by press time.