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Its been an unusual winter in Ontario this season.
The snow machine got an early start when some communities experienced a historic white Thanksgiving.
But by the time Christmas rolled around. many in Southern Ontario were already seeing a green, or rather brown, holiday break.
As we head towards the end of January, the deep freeze that has gripped Toronto and the GTHA may look like a green light to venture outside, likely on ice.
But officials warn this cold should never give you false sense of security on water bodies.
“We are starting to see more people ‘tempt fate’, if you would call it that, and try to get on the ice,” said Sgt. Kerry Schmidt of the OPP’s Highway Traffic Division.
“Almost 40 per cent of snowmobile fatalities that we investigate happened on frozen water — going into open water or breaking through thin ice.”
That’s about 62 deaths in the last decade, according to Schmidt.
So far this season, OPP say there have been no snowmobile-related deaths linked to unsafe ice in any of their jurisdictions.
Nationally, however, 12 drownings have been reported so far, that are cold water or ice-related.
“This year, due to the warmer weather, we’re actually seeing more people falling through ice, as they’re walking or venturing out,” said Stephanie Bakalar of Lifesaving Society Ontario.
Fluctuating temperatures like those in the GTA can also result in ‘dirty ice’ — where the ice becomes layered, instead of strong and thick.
In Toronto, skating on Grenadier Pond, and other open bodies of water, is illegal.
Despite multiple bright yellow signs posted stating the ice is unsafe, three people were spotted out on the pond Friday — one of them on skates.
‘Jenny’ said people are lucky to be able to connect with nature in the form of skating, and that those venturing out on the ice often get a bad rap for being careless.
“I don’t just look at the ice and say, ‘Oh it looks fine.’ I have a tool called an auger. I make a hole in the ice and I actually stick a ruler and measure,” she said.
Measuring ice is a good tool, said Bakalar, but no matter the temperature, and the look of the ice, officials warn no ice is ever considered fully safe.
According to Bakalar, 35 per cent of drownings nationally occur between October and April. In many of those cases, the victims did not intend to go into the water.
Even good swimmers, she said, could have a hard time getting out once they’ve fallen through.
Victims can experience a ‘cold water shock’, where they take a big gasp of water, and become unable to breathe.
OPP say you have about 10 minutes of mobility in your limbs before it gets too cold to move.
During that time, people should try to kick their feet up and climb back onto the same spot they were standing on.
If you do decide to venture out on the ice, Bakalar says never do it alone.
Bring a friend, a rope, wear a life jacket, and stand on the ice closest to the shore.
If you fall through, have the friend lie on their stomach and attempt to pull you out using the rope.
Never have someone go into the water after you, she said.
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