RCMP respond to a vehicle breaking through the ice on Dore Lake on Dec. 9, 2019. (Saskatchewan RCMP/Facebook)

By Brady Lang/CKOM News

Staying safe on frozen bodies of water: Water Security Agency

Dec 28, 2020 | 5:22 PM

As we continue through the winter months in Saskatchewan, many are looking for things to keep busy.

If your winter activities include heading out to the lake or any other frozen body of water, it’s important to know what to look for in terms of ice thickness. That’s according to Water Security Agency spokesperson Patrick Boyle.

“This time of year, particularly this year, we know a lot of people want to be outside and enjoying those wintertime activities with their families,” he said.

Boyle suggested keeping off any frozen bodies of water that look or are slushy, or have thawed and frozen over again.

He also stressed the importance of checking the thickness of ice before you go out to any frozen body of water.

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“Generally, as a guideline what you want to look for is if you’re going to walk across frozen bodies of water, it’s four inches for a person, about eight inches for a snowmobile, 12 inches for a car and 12 plus inches for a heavy truck, and those are just guidelines,” Boyle explained.

He said every area of the province is different, with some water still having a flow underneath the barrier of ice.

On Sunday, the Saskatchewan RCMP announced the death of a 25-year-old man who went ice fishing near the Alameda Dam. He had left on Christmas Eve on his ATV before the Saskatchewan RCMP Underwater Recovery Team located the man’s body Sunday afternoon.

“It happens, it’s really unfortunate,” Boyle said, before offering his condolences to the family.

He said he is aware of these types of incidents happening “a few times a year” through the winter months.