SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - There was a surprise guest among the Yellowknife Catholic school board candidates at their forum: a candidate from the public school board.

Terry Brookes, a YK1 trustee running for re-election, asked the first question of the night on Thursday, requesting the candidates' views on school board mergers.

It was the hot topic of the forum. Last year, the territorial government made an unsuccessful move to amalgamate 70 regional boards - including elected school boards - into six super boards. The initiative was shelved in February.

"The board merger ... it's going to come around again," said Brookes.

"I think the government's going to have its ducks more in order this time." He asked the candidates how they would prove to the GNWT that their school board functioned better solely than as part of a merged board.

Mary Vane, a former chair and longtime trustee on the Catholic board, would not answer him, saying "I'm just curious, Terry, you are a public school board trustee and this is a Catholic school board. I am wondering the motive of the question."

However, other Catholic school board candidates responded.

"With respect to YK1, sure there are issues between the two boards but I think there's a common issue here on this one. I hope YCS and YK1 can work together on solving it," said Simon Taylor, a partner with Pin/Taylor Architects and a first-time candidate.

The board will be better prepared this time around, said Barb McDonald, a former teacher and first-time candidate, "We've had experience already of strategizing and have the support of people of the two boards working together to deal with the government."

Taylor is the sole non-Catholic running. After the last school board elections in 2006, the Catholic school district went to court trying unsuccessfully to bar non-Catholics from joining the board. An appeal of the ruling in 2007 was also unsuccessful.

Taylor said that after reading a letter to the editor lambasting Yellowknifer for asking candidates personal questions, he wanted to be particularly up front. He is not Catholic, he said, though he attends St. Patrick's Church with his wife, who is.

"My perspective is that the courts have made a decision that non-Catholics can run on the board and over the past three years it has been a positive experience," said incumbent Jennifer Debogorski, in an interview.

When asked after the forum if an all-Catholic school board is necessary, "I don't think it is," said Francis Chang, owner of BodyWorks gym who served on the school board from 2000-2001.

"Not all the students are Catholic."

It's important to have balance on the board, he added.

Elections will be Oct. 19. Chang, Debogorski, Gerda Hazenberg, Rose-Marie Jackson, McDonald, Marta Simek De Jorge, Lee Stroman, Taylor and Vane are running for the seven trustee positions this year.