Andrew Raven
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 19/04) - Members of the Liquor Licensing Board say they told Finance Minister Floyd Roland about several pressing problems in the weeks before the board chair resigned out of frustration.

"It's fair to say he should of been aware of our concerns," said acting board Chair Liz Danielsen.

In a March 31 edition of Yellowknifer, chair John Simpson announced publicly that he was stepping down as head of the board. At the time, he expressed frustration at what he called a "lack of support" from the Finance Department for board policies and it's members.

During a session of the Legislative Assembly later that day, Roland told MLAs that the board hadn't raised any "red flags."

But board members disagreed with that assessment.

"We raised red flags. We raised green flags. We raised yellow flags," said one board member.

Many of those concerns were voiced during a private meeting between board members and Roland at the Explorer Hotel on March 19 said Danielsen.

During the 75-minute get-together, board members discussed a host of issues including training for liquor inspectors, more board control over budgetary matters and improved recruiting practises Danielsen confirmed.

Roland said that while he discussed those issues he didn't consider them vital to the operation of the board. "They weren't what I would describe as critical," said Roland.

During the meeting, Danielsen said Roland was open to working with board members.

But since Simpson's resignation, Danielsen said she has not heard from the minister or anyone within the department.

"For now, everything is on hold," she said.

Roland said he was working to find a replacement for Simpson and that regular MLAs were welcome to suggest candidates for the post.

While experience on the board is preferable, Roland said it was not necessarily a prerequisite.

"I will look at all resumes," he said.