Yellowknife (May 05/04) - The downtown city market planned for this summer may be shelved for a year unless more volunteers step forward, say organizers.

"It's a lot more work than we first anticipated," said Trent Fequet, a director with the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce, who, along with Councillor David McCann, spearheaded the drive to bring an outdoor summer market back to Yellowknife.

"Nobody is contacting us, no volunteers who say they are interested."

The market was expected to open in the City Hall parking lot every Saturday from late May to early September.

Fequet is still hopeful the market can be salvaged for five or six weekends this summer, but conceded that "there is a chance it might not go."

"We don't want it to be a gong show," said Fequet. "Our goal is to have it professionally-run."

McCann said they are still trying to put together a business plan for the market. On-site insurance, and obtaining group business licensing are among the other headaches facing the organizers.

"We don't want to have people spending $1,000 for business licences," said McCann. "We're trying to get around that."

But McCann still believes the market could open by July.

Not well-known

"The street market is not well-known in this town. It'll just take some public education."

A city market has existed in Yellowknife before, most recently during the summer of 2001 at the old Bartam trailer site off School Draw Ave.

McCann said at least half the 50 stalls for this year's market are spoken for.

"My own sense is that there's a lot of pent-up creativity in town," said McCann.