Yellowknife, N.W.T. - First it was May, then mid-July, and now it seems all bets are off when it comes to Yellowknife's Wildcat Cafe.

The re-opening of the popular hangout in Old Town has been put off again and it's all thanks to a person or persons who allegedly decided to make off with the range hood, which is an important piece.

Mayor Gordon Van Tighem said before the range hood disappearance, things were looking good.

"The range hood is a fairly critical piece of equipment in there, since in addition to venting the kitchen it also provides most of the fire suppression and safety systems. They went to get it, and there it was, gone."

A replacement has been ordered, but Van Tighem said the time spent waiting for it makes it unfeasible for the cafe to open.

"Unfortunately the lead time on a replacement is anywhere up to six weeks, which would put us well into September at this point."

The cafe works on the pumped ground water line and that gets turned off in September, meaning it just wouldn't work.

Van Tighem says he's hoping to host an open house once everything is complete so people can see the progress.

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