Derek Neary
Northern News Services

FORT SIMPSON (Mar 12/99) - Fort Simpson Mayor Norm Prevost blasted the education system and questioned medical care funding during Jim Antoine's constituency meeting.

Students in our schools are getting just about the worst education possible and it is deteriorating to the level of Third World countries, Prevost said to about 25 people at the meeting in Fort Simpson Monday evening.

"I'm getting more concerned with the students we're turning out of our high schools," he said. "How many teachers send their kids south for their final years of education? They (the students) don't stay here to be educated.... I think we have a serious problem here and I don't know what to do."

Prevost said he has brought up this issue repeatedly in his four years as mayor. The last time he spoke out about it, he said the NWT Teachers' Association demanded his resignation as mayor. Although the minister's forum on education visited Fort Simpson two weeks ago, Prevost said he is concerned that local issues will not be addressed at the subsequent conference held by the Department of Education, Culture and Employment in Fort Smith this week. He added that he was thoroughly disappointed there were no teachers at the constituency meeting.

"I don't see a school teacher here tonight, and I never have at a constituency meeting in the 15 years I've lived here," he said.

Prevost called for an independent inquiry into the state of the education system and particularly into the operations of the District Education Authority. The chairperson of the DEA, Gerard Fradhsam, resigned last week and, although he wasn't willing to discuss them, Prevost said he's heard about some alarming matters that should be looked into.

"It's time we say enough is enough. Let's have a review," he said.

He added that students have no respect for the high school, which he said costs three times as much to maintain as the elementary school due to vandalism. Neither do the students respect the teachers nor each other, he said, citing the number of assaults on school grounds. Teachers lack respect for the students as well, he added.

"You can clearly hear that when you walk down the hallway and you hear the yelling, the cursing and the swearing," he said.

Antoine's response was somewhat muted. He was disappointed to find out that the minister's forum on education wasn't well attended in Fort Simpson.

"I thought this forum would be a positive thing, but if they came here and only three parents showed up...that's too bad," he said.

Antoine said he'd pass along Prevost's message to Minister of Education Charles Dent, as well as a request on Prevost's behalf that Dent be present at a spring regional leadership conference in Fort Providence so community leaders could voice their concerns over education directly.

Prevost also questioned how money is allotted for medical care. He said he's been informed that health services such as dentistry and eye care are based on aboriginal treaty rights and therefore proportionate to the number of aboriginal people living in the community.

"But what about me? I get bad teeth, I get a bad heart, I get haemorrhoids just like everybody else," Prevost said. "Is there no dollars for the rest of the people who live in the NWT? I think that money is deserving, but what about the rest of us?"

Antoine replied that the Department of Health and Social Services probably has the largest budget of any government department and the majority of those funds are for medical services for everybody. He added that there are now nine regional health boards in the NWT and there's potential for a review of how things are being run and the percentage of dollars being used for administrative costs.

Prevost said he'd like to see the Deh Cho board exempted from such a review since it's only eight months old and needs time to evolve.

"I hear good things about what's going on with our board," he said. "We have a dedicated group of individuals."

Among the other issues to arise during the constituency meeting were:

-- A few people emphasized the necessity to have the Mackenzie Highway extended from Wrigley to Tsiigehtchic. One member of the audience pointed out that the "roads to riches" has been promised since John Diefenbaker was the prime minister.

"We've let it go too long. It's time to take the bull by the horns," he said.

There was agreement that opening the route would increase tourism in the Deh Cho.

The need for a GNWT tourism department and more tourism promotion was also mentioned. Antoine, who agreed there is a need to focus on tourism, said he'd relay these concerns to RWED Minister Stephen Kakfwi, who is preparing an economic strategy document.

Some members of the audience contended that the oil and gas companies should be charged or fined for ruining the roads with heavy-truck traffic. Roads like the Liard Trail weren't designed for such a burden and their deterioration discourages tourists from travelling the route, they argued. Since the GNWT sees very few royalties from the oil and gas activity, it was suggested they make these companies pay for road upkeep, or keep them out of the NWT.

Earlier in the meeting, Antoine had told the crowd that in his discussions with oil and gas company executives during a recent trip to Calgary, they indicated to him they had invested millions of dollars in the Fort Liard area and they are here "for the long haul." They have also suggested that Fort Liard is just the tip of the iceberg -- there's plenty of potential for oil and gas development in the rest of the Mackenzie sedimentary basin. Antoine said he told them communication with the First Nations is imperative.

The status of transferring DIAND jobs from Ottawa to the NWT was discussed. Antoine said that matter boils down to a political decision to be made by DIAND Minister Jane Stewart. According to a review of the DIAND employees who would be affected, they have no desire to move to the North, Antoine noted.

There was a request to review the policies involved with the income support program and whether it's applied consistently across the North.