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DEH CHO - A proposal to merge territorial health, education and housing boards is being met with confusion by members of those organizations in the Deh Cho. On Oct. 23,

Michael Miltenberger, the cabinet minister in charge of the territorial government's refocusing committee announced 70 boards will be merged into six regional boards by 2011. Cabinet ministers and chairpersons from each board will form a seventh committee to oversee the co-ordination of the regional boards.

In the Deh Cho, the merger is expected to affect the Dehcho Health and Social Services Authority, the Dehcho Divisional Education Council, the Fort Simpson Housing Authority as well as the Fort Providence Housing Association.

The Deh Cho Drum spoke to the head of each organization, all of whom expressed frustration over the lack of information that has been provided about the proposal.

"We've had absolutely no input into any of this or any information," said Nolan Swartzentruber, the superintendent for the Dehcho Divisional Education Council.

Swartzentruber said he was told about the restructuring during a superintendents' meeting in October but the logistics of how a merger would work weren't explained. Swartzentruber foresees difficulties with bringing together three of the most important and largest government services.

Currently, the Dehcho Divisional Education Council tries to provide leadership in education. If merged, Swartzentruber expects management will become the priority.

"It will be so large it will be very difficult to try and provide leadership in health, housing and education," he said. "I mean we work pretty flat out right now."

Swartzentruber also takes issue with the way the merger is being rolled out. The education boards were established in the territory in the early 1980s following widespread consultation. There has been little or no consultation about removing them, he said.

"I find it difficult how a consensus style government can make unilateral decisions without consulting the people it affects," he said.

At Dehcho Health and Social Services Kathy Tsetso is also looking for details on how a merged board would function. The new board will need an administrative and delivery framework, said Tsetso, the chief executive officer. Health and education alone have more than 200 employees in the Deh Cho, she said.

Despite not having all the details, Tsetso said she's focusing on how the merger could improve the service delivery for clients.

"I think we have an opportunity where we can improve access to services in smaller communities if we're closely related," she said.

Housing organizations in the Deh Cho also have a lot of unanswered questions.

Officials from the Fort Simpson Housing Authority and the Fort Providence Housing Association are concerned about how the mergers may effect them, but said they didn't have enough information to fully comment on the proposal.

The answers people are looking for will be available in five months, according to Miltenberger.

"We're going to be ready by April to lay out the answers to these thorny questions of how to make this a reality," Miltenberger said

The idea of merging boards was discussed as early as the 13 assembly. At the beginning of the 16 assembly the MLAs and the cabinet made it clear that it was time to move forward with the mergers, he said.

The mergers will create efficiencies in the finance and administration of the boards as well as melding the two separate maintenance systems offered by Public Works and Services and the NWT Housing Corporation, Miltenberger said.

The merger will also increase communication between the departments, he said.

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Boards in the Deh Cho

Dehcho Health and Social Services Authority

Board seats: 10

Annual cost: Less than $78,000

Meeting frequency: Quarterly

Dehcho Divisional Education Council

Board seats: 8

Annual cost: $45,700 last year for honorarium and board meeting costs

Meeting frequency: Quarterly

Fort Simpson Housing Authority

Board seats: 7

Annual cost: Less than $10,000

Meeting frequency: Monthly

Fort Providence Housing Association

Board seats: 7

Annual cost: Approximately $10,400 budgeted

Meeting frequency: Monthly