As a follow up to your post on winter roads I have on many occasions driven up the winter road to ice fish etc. (you do need an extention to your bit as the ice can be somewhat thick) The winter road was used by Echo Bay Mines, Ekati, Diavik and many other communitities who are local that rely on the winter road for supplies. (Tahera Diamonds was severely punished when weather conditions did not permit long enough access to the road for there annual supplies replenishment and were forced to use the more expensive air travel which is a big reason for part of their current troubles) The winter road does use the lakes (severe speed restriction are in force as in max of 50km/hr for heavy rigs as they do have an ice wave in front of them and if the wave is too big it breaks the ice on land - not a good thing to have happen) The infrasture in the great north does rely on winter roads as they are cheaper to build and maintain. The more lakes the better for winter roads and I am not sure what the lake situation is in and around McFaulds.