Fort Simpson (Sep 26/03) - If an ambulance needed to get to Leon Sassie and Eliza Cli's door, it would be a challenge, particularly after a rain.

The elderly couple's driveway is muddy and full of ruts. Fort Simpson resident Cecile Gaule says she's been trying in vain all summer to get it fixed.

She points out that the house even has a wheelchair ramp for Cli, who limps, but Cli and Sassie have been hampered in their efforts to come and go because of the driveway.

"They're very sweet people. They'd never complain about this," says Gaule, who operates a taxi service and has witnessed the couple struggle to get to the roadside.

Martina Norwegian, of contractor Nogha Enterprises, says gravel was spread when the house was built three years ago. Dumping more gravel -- an "extra" -- is on the to-do list, she says, but it has to wait because the company's heavy equipment has been working at sites out of town. Norwegian adds that the house, located along Mackenzie Drive near the boat launch, is on ground that tends to shift substantially and therefore causes problems.

Gaule said she just wants to see something done soon.

"If (Nogha) can't do it let us know so we can get donations (of gravel)... but enough is enough," she said. "I'm just worried that one of these days someone's going to get hurt."