Iqaluit (Feb 20/06) - What do you get when you combine 40 single people and a stopwatch? In Iqaluit, you get speed dating.

Two women are trying to bring the southern craze to Iqaluit.

The idea is simple. Take 20 single men and 20 single women and put them in a room. You get eight minutes to chat with a person, then you move on to another.

Nancy Wilson and Sheena Akoomalik are the brains behind this new way to meet people in Iqaluit. Both are single, and there is a little motivated self-interest involved: they both have their eyes out for a man.

"It is something different from the bar or the Legion. We hope to reach the people who are too busy to meet new people," said Wilson.

Wilson and Akoomalik are not going to be dating during their first meeting.

"We want to make sure everyone has a good time, but we will be trying to make new friends ourselves," said Wilson.

Wilson has been tapping the "hidden markets" for men in Iqaluit.

"The RCMP, the fire hall, airlines, military, we've hit them all," said Wilson.

Even shy people deserve to be in love, said Akoomalik.

"Some people are shy to talk to people they don't know. At a bar, there are too many people around and it is hard to meet the right one," said Akoomalik.

No need to worry about hurting feelings either. Akoomalik and Wilson have a plan. "The guys will get a number and the women will get a letter. After the dates, if you both choose each other, you will get the other person's e-mail address," said Akoomalik.

There has already been a lot of feedback. They got comments soon after the posters went up at Fantasy Palace.

"Some people think it is the greatest thing ever, but some people think you will end up meeting 20 people you already know. That's not it. There are all sorts of busy people who don't have the time to meet people," said Akoomalik.

The first session, scheduled for Feb. 11, was pushed back to Feb. 24 at Fantasy Palace.