Winnipeg, MB – With the return of unseasonably warm temperatures this week, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) and Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) remind residents to use extreme caution around all Winnipeg waterways.
Ice surfaces on drainage ditches, culverts, streams, creeks, retention ponds, and rivers can be deceiving and unpredictable, especially when covered in snow. Ice may be thin and fragile despite not appearing so. Banks around waterways can be slippery and unstable. Falling into ice-cold water can be deadly.
The City of Winnipeg does not monitor ice conditions on rivers, waterways, or ponds. Residents should avoid going on these ice surface due to the possibility of rapidly changing conditions based on weather, water currents, and runoff. All frozen bodies of water within the city of Winnipeg should be considered unsafe for recreational use.
Parents, caregivers, and teachers are encouraged to speak to children and students about the dangers of thin ice. Dog owners should keep dogs on leashes around the ice to prevent them from chasing wildlife onto thin ice surfaces.
Each year, the WFPS responds to approximately 150 water and ice safety calls for service. If you see someone who has gone into the water or through the ice, call 9-1-1 immediately and try to keep track of where they are. Do not go in after them. Wait for first responders.