Yellowknife (Jun 02/06) - There is a time to let things go, and Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins wants to see health minister Michael Miltenberger give up the Joint Leadership Council (JLC) chair and formalize its mandate to run Stanton Territorial Hospital.

"The council is under direct control of the minister and I'd like to see it back in the hands of the public," Hawkins said after the legislative assembly's question period Tuesday afternoon.

Stanton Territorial Hospital is at the centre of a recent debate at the legislative assembly over how much control the health minister should have over its defacto governing body, the Joint Leadership Committee. - Jason Unrau/NNSL photo

In the house, Hawkins pressed the minister to "take a strident leap" by making the JLC the official governing body of Stanton and return its "governance back to the council."

After the sitting was adjourned, Miltenberger reiterated his response to the house; that he was working closely with the JLC to "talk about our relationship with Stanton."

As for the question of relinquishing the chair, he wouldn't budge.

"The structure was agreed upon at its inception, the terms of reference are clear. It's functioning because of that and I intend to continue that arrangement," he said.

Established by Miltenberger in 2002, the JLC's purpose, according to its Terms of Reference, "Is to provide a forum for shared leadership, collaboration and setting a strategic direction for the Health and Social Services System within the scope of the Minister's mandate as defined in legislation and policy."

Chaired by the health minister since its 2002 inception, the JLC is also comprised of the deputy minister and the chairs of each health and social services authority in the territory.

After Miltenberger sacked the entire Stanton Territorial Health Authority in 2002, then scrapped plans to restore it, the JLC became the defacto decision maker for the capital's hospital.

"It took vision and I credit the minister with that," said Hawkins of the JLC's creation.

But he insisted Miltenberger should keep an arms length from governance of Stanton, stopping short of calling the minister's involvement a conflict of interest. "I would liken it to if the education minister were chair of the Aurora College board," Hawkins said.

Miltenberger disagreed with this position.

"Clearly the (college) board of governors is an arms length operation, but Stanton is an integral part of the territorial health and social services system and not similar in my opinion," he said.