Stay off thin ice as winter rolls in, Winnipeg first responders warn

As the colder temperatures descend on Winnipeg, the city's first responders have a simple message: Stay off of thin ice.

"As bodies of water tend to freeze over, they tend to attract more and more interest," Winnipeg Police Service Patrol Sgt. Stephane Fontaine — who is the river patrol unit supervisor — said during a news conference at The Forks Wednesday. 

"The reality is, at this time of year, the ice is thin, the water is ice cold and if you fall through, the risk of hypothermia and possible death is very real," said Fontaine.

"It only takes a moment for a dangerous situation to develop and the consequences can be tragic."

Justin Kutzak, a public education officer with the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service, said Wednesday the service responds to around 150 water and ice rescue calls a year. 

"It's important that we keep relaying this message, keep repeating it, to make sure people understand how dangerous it is for people to be out there near the river banks, near the ice," he said.

"Because they're not just putting themselves at risk, but putting our first responders at risk as well."  

Fontaine said people eager to walk on the river trail at The Forks should wait, and only do so after it's been tested and deemed safe.

Last season, during an abnormally warm winter, the river trail didn't open until Jan. 25. It shut down after just five days, but reopened for four more in February.

That was both the shortest duration and, at just 600 metres long, the shortest distance for Winnipeg's well-loved skating trail — not counting 2020, when the trail didn't open at all.

Extremely mild temperatures, precipitation that flowed up from the south, and inconsistent melts and freezes kept the trail from being open longer during the past winter season.