‘Ice is deteriorating quite quickly’: Police highlight concerns

Following a fatal snowmobile crash and a thin-ice rescue over the weekend, police say ice is deteriorating quickly.

Some recent incidents in the region highlight concerns from police with the ever-changing ice conditions this late in March.

The first was a 62-year-old man from Penetanguishene who was killed after being ejected from his sled on Georgian Bay near Beausoleil Island Friday evening. Police say they are still investigating but say the incident happened Friday evening.

The other incident was just before 10:00 p.m. Friday when two people riding on one sled had to be rescued after their machine went through the thinning ice on Georgian Bay in Tay Township. Both were rescued by firefighters.

“The concern is that the ice is deteriorating quite quickly,” says South Simcoe police Const. Carlos Pinho.

Police say existing pressure cracks are starting to shift and shorelines along all bodies of water are dissolving. There may still be quite a bit of ice out on area lakes but the thickness is even more inconsistent than just a few weeks ago.

“With pressure cracks you’ll quite often see them open up even in a matter of four, five or six hours, going from a foot wide to six feet wide,” says Pinho.

People also need to consider that when trying to return to the shore after a day on the ice. What was once an iced over area could be open water.

Most local ice hut operators have been off for weeks and share some of the concerns with police.

“What exactly concerns me and surprised me a bit more is seeing the lack of safety equipment,” says Ashley Crowder of Hot Box Huts. “These guys are seeing someone out and they’re just walking out to those spots the next day. We can see them from the shoreline here and we’re just not seeing enough safety precautions.”

The advice from police marine units is to call it a season for anything out on the ice. With rain, mild temperatures and strong winds in the forecast, police say it’s only going to get worse and more dangerous.