Yellowknife (Mar 07/03) - Debbie Maracle simply can't believe it happened again.

After raising a stink last year over incorrect listings in the phone book for Yellowknife Catholic Schools, where she is office manager, Maracle was dumbfounded to find the numbers on this year's phone book are still wrong.

Janet Pennington, senior advisor for GNWT Public Works and Services, says the current two-year-old blue pages format was meant to make it easier for the average person to access government services. - Mike W. Bryant/NNSL photo

"When I took a look and I saw that there was still errors there my thought was, 'What does a person have to do to get it right?'" says Maracle.

"I haven't even called them (Bell Actimedia) yet because when I saw that I just put it aside because I wanted to cool down a little bit."

Bell Actimedia is the company NorthwesTel uses to compile the NWT phone directory.

The 2003-2004 NWT phone directory was issued this week but the complaints remain the same: bungled phone listings, and a government directory some say is more confusing than the old format -- abandoned after the 2001-2002 edition.

Maracle says she made sure to go over each and every listing for Yellowknife Catholic Schools with her Bell Actimedia representative last October to make sure they get it right this year, but alas her efforts were in vain.

The listing begins with a non-highlighted number under the heading Yellowknife Catholic School, which actually is the number for YCS's maintenance shop. In the highlighted section the number for central services is actually the superintendent's number, which is also the number given for YCS's instruction division. The number listed for the superintendent is actually YCS's business division.

As for the listing Dene Language Centre -- printed in bold -- Maracle isn't sure who runs it but it's not them.

"With a finetooth comb I go over it with them," says Maracle. "Somebody made the comment, 'It's a big job,' and I go, 'Ya, it's a big job,' that's why I'm very thorough with them."

Bell Actimedia couldn't be reached for comment, but NorthwesTel spokesperson Anne Kennedy says unfortunately -- when compiling a directory of this size -- mistakes do happen.

"As we say each year, we do have a disclaimer saying the directories are not error free," says Kennedy.

"Once they go to print that really is unfortunately all we can do."

Kennedy says NorthwesTel has used other companies in the past to publish their phone directories, but are generally satisfied with Bell Actimedia's work.

"There's no directory publishing company in the continent that will guarantee 100 per cent accuracy in their work," says Kennedy.

Who does what now?

Some people are not pleased with the phone book's government "blue pages" either. They say it's even more confusing than the old directory where numbers where listed by jurisdiction and then the responsible government department.

For the last two years -- and several more in other provinces -- listing have been compiled under headings such as "lotteries" or "snow removal" much like would be found in the yellow pages.

The new system began after the federal government decided the old method was too confusing, and since the mid-1990s, the updated blue pages system has slowly spread across the country.

The blue pages now include headings corresponding with the appropriate government level, including federal, territorial, municipal, and First Nation and non-governmental organizations. The new system requires some co-ordination among all government levels and departments.

Nonetheless, some wish they'd go back to the old system.

"The other ones were much, much better," says Theresa Handley, office manager for Status of Women Council NWT. "These are confusing, it's all mixed up and it's hard to find stuff."

"I kept my old version (2001-2002)," says Kevin O'Reilly, research director for Canadian Arctic Resources Council.

"When I did try to use the new system I didn't find it helpful at all."

Janet Pennington, senior advisor for GNWT Public Works and Services, reviewed the directory and made changes before it was compiled.

She said it will likely be a matter of time before people get use to it.

Still, she says if anyone has complaints about it they should feel free to call her. The GNWT is also planning a survey of the new system for later this summer.

"One of the reasons this came about in the first place was the federal government did a number of surveys in the mid-'90s, and what they were basically finding was that a lot people weren't accessing all the programs they were actually entitled to," says Pennington.