Yellowknife (Apr 26/04) - Caribou Carnival may collapse before its 50th anniversary unless the city and territorial government is willing to take it over, says outgoing event co-ordinator Lisa Tesar.

While this year's event heralded a return to its former glory days, Tesar said carnival organizers are ill-prepared for its golden anniversary.

Lisa Tesar

She said corporate sponsors have jumped ship and funding applications for all important government sponsorship dollars have fallen by the wayside.

"Our revenues have been sustainable, but to my knowledge nothing has been put away for the 50th anniversary," said Tesar.

"There should already be a committee in place, funding applications in place, a business plan developed. We're talking 50 years here.

"I think the GNWT and the city should be putting out a (request for proposals) for a co-ordinator, get rid of the board and have an honorarium committee formed."

Tesar said the original plan when she was hired was to co-ordinate the event for three years, including the most recent one.

But Tesar feels too burned out to continue with the carnival, and manage the Summer Solstice Festival at the same time.

In order for the carnival to be successful, Tesar said the co-ordinator should be hired for the full year. To start in January -- as she did this year -- is just not long enough to tie up all the loose ends.

"I'm a professional businessperson and the business is not being professionally run," said Tesar.

She added that there are many hard working members on the current board, but feels the carnival would be in better shape if it wasn't run by volunteers.

Pay volunteers

Providing a few honorarium dollars to a committee to help plan the event may also provide some extra incentive to get the ball rolling, she said.

The number of volunteers the carnival drew in this year is also troubling, said Tesar. She only counted eight.

"Everybody on that site was either paid directly, or given a fee for non-profit groups," said Tesar.

"You need some kind of incentive. You're talking about 60-below, wind gusts, no warmth."

The event has had its troubles in recent years. Last year's carnival was almost cancelled because of a lack of volunteers. A half-day event in the City Hall parking lot was organized in lieu of a three-day carnival.

Tesar said the carnival is still tallying this year's financial statements, but financial statements from recent years paints a troubling picture.

The carnival had $23,740 in the bank after the 2001 event. That amount dropped to $7,025 in the hole in 2002.

The scaled-down carnival last year was suppose to provide some breathing room and offer some fundraising opportunities for the 50th anniversary which, at the time, was thought by board members to take place this year.

But at a cost of $52,962 the shortened event still lost money -- putting it $12,044 in the red.

Corporate donations dropped from $24,250 in 2002 to $16,500 in 2003. Tesar said the corporate funding situation has grown even more critical this year, though she wouldn't say by how much.

Financial statements for 2002 and 2003 were only submitted to the NWT registry office on Thursday.

Last Tuesday, all that could be found for 2002/2003 was a letter -- dated Feb. 13, 2003 -- to the carnival from the registry's document examiner asking it to re-submit financial statements and notices of directors because the papers had been filed with incomplete information.

Board on track

-- president

Regardless, carnival president Ellie Sasseville said the board does the best they can under the circumstances.

She insisted the carnival has righted its ship, and 50th anniversary plans are not in trouble.

"We can't even have a success and leave it be. The board is still around, we're still active, and we have a board meeting (coming up) to make sure all our bills are paid.

"Everybody is trying to find a story with the carnival this year because there was one last year, and it's quite comical. It's pathetic," she said, adding that Tesar has no authority to talk to the media.

She also took exception to Tesar's assertion that the carnival lost a number of corporate sponsors this year.

"We didn't lose any sponsors," said Sasseville.

Mayor Gord Van Tighem was cool to Tesar's suggestion the city and territorial government take over the carnival.

"It's the government's business to run armies not festivals," said Van Tighem.

He believes a large number of residents are ready and willing to help make next year's carnival a success.

"There was a groundswell immediately prior, during, and now even more so subsequent to the carnival of people that have been involved in the past that want to come back and become involved more actively," said Van Tighem.

Caribou Carnival is holding a board meeting tonight.