23 anglers won’t be stuck with bill for dramatic ice rescue

A helicopter arrives to remove a group of anglers from the ice and waters of Georgian Bay. March 8, 2026. (Source: Kevin Fox)

Nearly two dozen anglers who had to be rescued from melting ice flows near Owen Sound, Ont., last month will not be sent a bill for their rescue operation.

City council voted down a motion to send the 23 ice anglers a $4,700 invoice for the cost of Owen Sound Fire Department’s response to their rescue.

On March 8, the group had to be plucked from melting ice flows off the shores near Owen Sound, after rising temperatures and high winds separated the ice they were fishing on from shore.

Owen Sound Deputy Mayor Scott Greig brought the motion to council on Monday, but following spirited debate, ended up voting against his own motion.

• PHOTO GALLERY: 23 people saved from ice in Georgian Bay

Greig says he initially brought the idea to charge the fishermen for their rescue because the community was asking for “consequences” for the “avoidable” rescue.

Some of the fisherman rescued from the ice pushed back against the idea of paying for their own rescue, as it might dissuade others from calling 911 when in need of emergency assistance.

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• 23 people rescued from ice by helicopter north of Owen Sound
• ‘Guys were crying out there,’ angler recalls, after 23 people plucked from ice near Owen Sound
• ‘It was entirely foreseeable’: 23 anglers may be asked to pay for portion of dramatic ice rescue near Owen Sound