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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The NWT's French school board isn't worried about the territorial government's planned board merger because it doesn't feel the government has the constitutional authority to make them join Yellowknife's other two school districts.

"We don't have any feelings if it's a good or bad thing because we don't think it will affect us in any way," said Philippe Brulot, superintendent of the Commission scolaire francophone, Territories du Nord-Ouest - the NWT's only French-language school board.

"We expect to be excluded from the board amalgamation," Brulot said.

Michael Miltenberger, the cabinet minister in charge of the territorial government's "refocusing committee," announced last month that all public boards in the territory related to education, health and housing will be merged into six regional boards by 2011.

Under section 93 of the Constitution Act, French-speakers and Catholics are given the right to administer and run their own schools and school boards.

"The board would see that as questioning our right to govern," he said. "It would be a whole different ballgame. We don't expect to be there but if it happens, then the board will make decisions."

Miltenberger said the government is looking into the complexities facing the North Slave region.

"I'm aware of their assessment and assumption," he said. "As we sort through the legal issues we'll definitely be keeping their expectation in mind.

"We're in the planning stages and we're going to move forward with our plan."

Yellowknife school boards are scheduled to meet with MLAs today to discuss the merging of their boards into one North Slave regional entity but Brulot said his board has refused to meet with them.

"We honestly believe we will be excluded," he said. "From our point it is crystal clear."

Duff Spence, chairperson for the Yk Education District No. 1 board of trustees, said Catholic school board chair Mary Vane organized the a meeting with MLAs to get a better understanding of what is going to happen.

Vane could not be reached for comment.

"The goal of the meeting is to essentially find out more information," said Spence. "Right now we have no information and we want to sit down and find out what this really means for everyone."

Spence said the three boards met this past week to discuss the possibility of merging so they could be on the same page.

"The end goal was to find some commonalities," he said. "All three boards are in the dark. Right now it's the lack of information on the situation, we don't have anything to go on. We don't want to take a position on things until we really know what is going to be happening."

Six regional boards will be responsible for delivering public programs. Cabinet ministers and chairpersons from each board will form a seventh committee to oversee the co-ordination of the regional boards.

Great Slave MLA Glen Abernethy said he had mixed feelings about the announcement. Board mergers can work well, he said, "as long as the government, bureaucrats and all the parities involved could demonstrate that we wouldn't lose the Catholic programming or French programming and they can be strong in the combined board."

The MLA was quick to add that he isn't ready to jump on board until affected parties are consulted.

"I'm not completely closed off to the idea but I'm very cautious," he said.

Robert Hawkins, MLA for Yellowknife Centre, said there could have been a better approach taken to board reform.

"If the territorial government was considering this as an option there should have been earlier communication," he said. "I think the way it's been broached at this time has done nothing but raise opposition to it. I have not heard a positive comment back.

"Miltenberger has a huge uphill battle that I don't think he is going to win. Force-feeding people is never going to be the right approach. This is going to be an exceptionally touchy issue," Hawkins said.

Abernethy said combining education, housing and health care would work in smaller regions like the Deh Cho or Sahtu. But merging regional boards in Yellowknife calls for greater flexibility so the needs of the people in the area are properly met.

With three important mandates coming together, Hawkins is worried about the budgetary issues that could arise.

"The biggest vacuum of resources will start impeding others," he said. "Because health never seems to have enough, the demand on the health side could creep into the education or housing budgets.

"I think it's going to be a nightmare."