"As always, the liquor rationing question tends to reach the community agenda," Village Mayor Norm Provost, wrote in a letter sent to Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA) Minister Manitok Thompson on behalf of the tri-council Monday. "It was re-visited by the tri-council at the Jan. 9 meeting. We agreed to investigate the required structure for the public vote through a plebiscite."

"Could you have one of your staff assist us with the procedures to undertake a vote this year?"

Seeking GNWT advice would avoid the situation village residents faced in 1995. After voting on the question, GNWT officials said the question was not valid.

Rationing -- patrons of Fort Simpson's liquor store are allowed to purchase one 26-ounce bottle of hard liquor, or, two bottles of wine or 12 bottles of beer, each day for the five days a week the store is open -- was imposed in the early 1980s without a public vote. However, then commissioner John Parker did travel to the village to gauge public opinion at an open meeting.

In an interview last month the retired commissioner said from his B.C. home that it was his opinion that the weight of the meeting was behind imposing a rationing system.

In the same interview, he also said that he never thought that rationing was a permanent solution to alcohol related problems.

Privately, many say that those wishing to eliminate rationing forget the many people who were buried due to alcohol in the years before rationing was imposed.

On the other side, many have said -- both privately and publicly -- that rationing simply promotes bootlegging and trips to Hay River to buy large quantities of alcohol.

Late last year, residents of Rankin Inlet rejected the imposition of liquor rationing in a plebescite held in conjunction with municipal elections.

Unofficially, many in the Deh Cho have said privately in recent weeks -- since the issue was again raised -- that having Fort Simpson residents alone vote on the subject is unfair to the other Deh Cho communities that might be affected by the lifting of rationing in Fort Simpson.

On Monday night, village councillors in Fort Simpson were themselves split on the issue. In an unofficial poll conducted by the Deh Cho xxxDrum (that should in no way be considered official or part of the council's regular meeting) councillors voted, anonymously, five to four, in favor of lifting the rationing system in favor of wide-open sales.