by Arthur Milnes
Northern News Services

FORT SIMPSON (Oct 24/97) - Kelvin Ng beware -- Prevost's back.

Only minutes after he was declared the victor in Monday's municipal election in Fort Simpson, Normand Prevost said the first item of business on the mayor's desk was the continuing battle with the GNWT over health-care services here.

"I'll be writing a letter to (GNWT Health Minister Kelvin) Ng in the morning," Prevost said Monday night. "I'm still here ... it's still the same thing -- we don't know what is going on (with changes to health services in Fort Simpson and area). We want to see the plan and the policy."

Prevost has been in the centre of a very public battle with the GNWT and its health minister concerning the closure of the Fort Simpson Hospital and changes to the senior's centre for the better part of a year.

On Monday, he was returned to the office he has held since 1995 by a large margin, receiving 226 votes to the 99 for candidate John Hazenberg.

"I'll be phoning John tonight to thank him for a good, clean race," Prevost said.

He also took time to recognize the sacrifices made by his family.

"I'd like to thank my wife and kids for putting up with me not being there," he said. "I could not have done it without them."

And the victorious mayor said he still believes the reasons for the recent firing of the village's senior administrative officer, John Crisp, should be kept a private matter.

As for Hazenberg, he said he plans to continue to work for the betterment of Fort Simpson.

"I still plan to be active in the community as I always have been," he said late Monday night. "I do plan to approach council on some of the issues I brought up in the campaign."

Before speaking to the press, Hazenberg had taken time to telephone his congratulations to Prevost.