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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - With more than 800 concerned citizens backing them, regular MLAs told cabinet to shelve their ambitious board reform plan and go back to the drawing board.

Protesters filled the legislative assembly's Great Hall Wednesday to oppose the refocusing government committee's plan to amalgamate 70 boards into six regional service boards. - Andrew Livingstone/NNSL photo

On Wednesday, Hay River South MLA Jane Groenewegen moved to have cabinet set aside their plans to roll 70 regional health, housing and education boards into six, and to instead refer to all affected parties for feedback on how to come up with a more consultative method to improve efficiencies in service delivery, with no milestone date attached.

The motion was passed 11 - 0, with all cabinet ministers abstaining.

MLAs spoke to the motion for more than two hours.

By the time the vote passed, the once-packed gallery was half full.

In speaking to the motion, Premier Floyd Roland said he would sit down with MLAs to discuss the future of NWT board reform.

"Nobody here is looking for a fight. I save that for the ice," he said.

In an interview following the motion, leading minister of the refocusing government committee Michael Miltenberger said cabinet will take the recommendation from members seriously.

"The premier has already indicated that we will sit down and look at the motion and map out the intent to proceed with board reform," he said.

Asked what the future board merger plans might be, he replied: "Let's give the premier and the cabinet and the committee a chance to sit down and talk."

He said all the information that had been gathered to date will still be put to use.

Miltenberger was busy all afternoon, as he fielded nearly all enquiries during question period from MLAs grilling him over the plan.

In previous days, Miltenberger had asked MLAs and the public to open their minds to the merger plan and not come to the table with their minds already made up.

By the end of question period, Miltenberger had already opened the door to further - and alternative - discussions to the proposed merger in the legislative assembly, meaning regular MLAs would have a chance for some input.

"If it's board reform but not this type of board reform, then we need to have that discussion," he said.

"This legislature will be determining the next steps."

Miltenberger repeated many times that MLAs had wanted board reform and not following up on it would be a marked shift in philosophy.

Most MLAs acknowledged the need for some kind of reform, but said the process was flawed because needs in specific regions were different and there had not been enough consultation.

Catholic parents and students filled the gallery of the legislative assembly as MLAs discussed the future of boards and agencies in the territory.

Parents in suits and Ski-Doo jackets, white collars, blue collars, small kids in one-piece snowsuits and teenagers in snowboard coats made their opposition to merger plans known, applauding as regular MLA after regular MLA spoke against the board reform initiative.

Speaker Paul Delorey even had to step in a few times.

"I've been very patient today, but I ask for your co-operation," said Delorey, asking people to respect legislative assembly rules and stop clapping in the gallery.

As the first crowd filed out and the room filled with teachers, it was Delorey leading the class, telling them to settle down two more times.

Great Slave MLA Glen Abernethy said the government should take stock of its priorities, with job losses becoming a daily occurrence lately.

"I encourage cabinet to look around our full gallery, our full Great Hall and on the streets," he said.

"People are speaking clearly. They want board reform to stop."

Weledeh MLA Bob Bromley said the government needed to recognize the successes of the education boards in Yellowknife before going ahead with the plan.

Kam Lake MLA Dave Ramsay gave Miltenberger a brief break, asking Education Minister Jackson Lafferty if he had heard support from any school board or district education authority in the NWT on the board merger plans.

"We are hearing a lot of comments," said Lafferty, adding he had heard some support for change, but acknowledged he hadn't heard any support on the initiative as put forward by the government.

Miltenberger said there was no timetable on board reform discussions in an interview following the motion.