SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A report by the territory's language commissioner recommends a francophone health care centre in Yellowknife.

Building such a centre was one of 15 recommendations offered in a report by Shannon Gullberg, the outgoing language commissioner of the NWT.

Gullberg said while the cost is going to be a major hurdle in the minds of government officials, it's not unachievable.

"Given current technology it's not as difficult as people think it is, it's just whether or not you're going to do it," Gullberg said. "It's all down to costs. I'm not unaware that they cost money, but I think at a minimum ... Telehealth technology (should be used)."

Great Slave MLA Glen Abernethy said the government operations committee will forward Gullberg's report, titled Speaking of Health: Official languages as part of quality health care in the Northwest Territories, to the Department of Health and Social Services.

Abernethy, however, said he wasn't sure about the recommendation for a French-language health centre.

"If you go to our health centres and our health clinics now, all of our posters and everything are in a number of languages, and there is usually someone available to provide some translation in French," he said.

"To set up a whole separate clinic for 600 people, it may not be necessary if we can address the issue through other means. I'm not sure if I support this recommendation as it's written. I'm happy to go to the health department to see what they have to say."

The steps outlined in Gullberg's recommendation for a French health centre require francophones be involved in administration, and for collaboration with the Alberta Health Network to ensure all services are provided in French, and a review of the project after a year to determine whether it should continue.

The report states the GNWT needs to take a different approach to French-speakers than that used in providing services to the aboriginal population because "the francophone community has more resources that they can rely on from outside the Northwest Territories."

Gullberg said with support from the Saint Thomas Community Health Centre in Edmonton - an all-French health centre - and strong relationships with Alberta-based organizations, the pilot project could become a reality.

"This is important stuff and you've got to decide where your priorities are, and I think this is one of them," Gullberg said.

Christian Girard, president of the Federation franco-tenoise, declined to comment on Gullberg's recommendation.