(Facebook/ Lakeland Fire Dept.)

By Nigel Maxwell

Emergency respone

Skier rescued after cold plunge at Emma Lake

Dec 21, 2025 | 8:31 PM

What began as a fun recreational activity, evolved into a tense situation Saturday morning.

At approx 11:15 a.m., the Lakeland and District Fire Department was dispatched to an ice rescue on Emma lake.

Crews arrived on scene to find a skier had fallen through the ice about 150m. from shore.

Donning wet suits and utilizing their RescueAlive equipment, crews were able to successfully bring the patient safely to shore to the waiting ambulance.

Late last week, the Water Security Agency (WSA) issued a special advisory, encouraging people to use caution around all bodies of water as ice thickness varies across the province.

Group homes

Prince Albert councillor says group homes are impacting police resources

12h ago

Well below Canadian average

More than 30 per cent of children in Prince Albert live in poverty, rates double for Northern Sask.

12h ago

2025 Crime Stats

Prince Albert sees positives and negatives out of 2025 crime statistics

13h ago

“After a milder than normal fall, ice conditions may not be stable on many lakes, rivers, ponds and dugouts for several more weeks depending on weather. When planning any activity on frozen water, it is important to observe recent weather conditions and make sure the ice is safe,” they said.

The WSA explained that from a distance ice can look solid but still be thin, weak, or inconsistent underneath.

“As a guideline, you need at least 10 cm (four inches) of ice to walk on, 20 cm (eight inches) to drive a snowmobile or ATV on, 30 cm (12 inches) to drive a car or light truck on, and more than 30 cm (12 inches) to support a heavy truck.”

Also avoid ice that:

• looks slushy;
• has thawed, then froze again;
• is near moving water;
• is layered, caused by sudden temperature changes; or
• has structures on it, such as pressure ridges.

nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell