by Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

NNSL (Oct 27/97) - Former government leader and Dennis Patterson looks like a shoe-in to head the Baffin Regional Health and Social Services Board.

"I was asked by (Health Minister Kelvin Ng) if I would agree to the appointment," Patterson, said Thursday. "I said I would be willing to serve if appointed."

Patterson would be the second former government leader and health minister to chair a regional health board. About a year ago, Patterson's successor, former premier and health minister Nellie Cournoyea, became chair of the Inuvik Regional Health and Social Services Board.

Patterson would take over from Ann Hanson, who unexpectedly stepped down earlier this month.

Patterson will have his work cut out for him.

His main goal will be to get funding for a new Baffin regional hospital in Iqaluit back on track.

He will also have to deal with the Baffin and Iqaluit chambers of commerce demands for the resignation of Baffin health board CEO Pat Kermeen.

Patterson's appointment would probably be an interim move, to deal with these "urgent" issues, he said.

Patterson, a lawyer based in Yellowknife, was Iqaluit's MLA for 16 years. In 1995 he chose not to run for re-election.

As a member of cabinet, he was directly involved with the health transfer agreement reached about 10 years ago between the GNWT and the federal government, which shifted control of health from Ottawa to the North.

Under the agreement, there was a federal-territorial commitment to build new hospitals in Yellowknife and Inuvik and for major renovations of the hospital Iqaluit.