Wollaston Lake residents risk crossing ice early

People in Wollaston Lake, who normally wait for the lake to freeze solid enough to build an ice road that can carry transport trucks, are risking early trips in their cars this year.

Work crews normally begin carving an ice road in January, but this year it's been cold, so the community is optimistic the big trucks will be able to move across the lake, before the supplies run out.

Ice road builder and community leader Ed Benoanie says the community has enough to last until January.

While there isn't an official road, people are still risking a dash across the ice, since the price of airfare is out of reach for many of them.

Residents take the risk as it gets closer to the holiday season, when people want to get gifts and groceries for Christmas.

Benoanie warns people to keep the windows rolled down and be ready to bail out.

"These are the things that are always on our mind when crossing the ice. You always have to be prepared to expect the worse," he says.

The community has been asking for an all-season road to the Athabasca region. Benoanie says a delegation is in Ottawa right now lobbying for funding the project that has an estimated price tag of $40 million.