Yellowknife (Feb 10/06) - Caribou Carnival is only weeks away, but organizers are finding some 2005 financial documents missing or incomplete.

No financial records or the notice of directors from 2005 are on file at the Societies Registrar's Office, the NWT government office that keeps track of financial records of businesses, and organizations like Caribou Carnival.

New carnival board members are looking to implement changes in the signing policy and record keeping to make sure that lack of a paper trail doesn't happen again.

"Accountability is important to me," said board vice-president Randy Patrick at a meeting held last Sunday.

During the meeting, board members discussed how record keeping over the past few years has been lax and how the budget from last year is still incomplete.

Board member Gisele Forget was forced to take over the accounts when the former treasurer resigned.

Board president Don Finnamore proposed that all event co-ordinators must have a budget to be approved by the board.

Regular board members will not have signing authority to approve cheques and spending.

Spending will not be approved unless an invoice or receipt is made available, said treasurer Janet Porteous.

Carnival co-ordinator John Dalton said part of the problem with the carnival is that organizers in the past think the carnival is only three days.

"We need to develop an identity that is really part of the community and have events sponsored by the carnival all year round."

Dalton said he is committed to working for the carnival for the next few years to change how the event is run and its perception in the community.

Dalton is still looking for volunteers and a site co-ordinator.