Dangerous ice shelves blanket Great Lakes shoreline
It’s one long ice shelf as far as the eye can see, off the shores of Kincardine, Ont.
“Enjoy it, look at it, take pictures of it, but it’s not something to play on,” says Const. Kevin Martin of the South Bruce OPP.
Martin says officers in his jurisdiction have gotten several reports of people out walking on the ice shelves this winter, which cover the shores of most Great Lakes communities on either side of the border, and can be as much as six to 10 feet deep at their peak.
“That’s the most dangerous part, because these mounds could be hollow underneath. The peaks of them is where the ice is likely to be the thinnest. So, if you fall in, you’ve now got a six feet or more reach to the peak. It’s virtually impossible to climb out on your own,” says Dave Benjamin, director with the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, based out of Illinois.
“For emergency responders, there is moving water underneath these shelves. So when you fall through these holes you fall into that moving water, you’re not where the hole is,” said Martin. “Seconds count, you need help right away and we just can’t find you that fast. So, please, please, don’t walk on that shelf ice.”
Last year, 98 people drowned in the Great Lakes and since 2010, 1,044 have lost their lives, according to Benjamin. While most of those deaths happen in the summer months, winter water deaths can happen as well.
“If you fall through that ice and you get pulled by that current there is no rescue. It’s unfortunately game over,” says Benjamin.
If there is one good thing about the ice shelves, it’s that they are protecting the Great Lakes shoreline from erosion this winter. The past few years, shorelines were unprotected and got battered by high, raging water.
“With the high levels coming down, and the ice shelves building up, we are going to see some beach restoration occur naturally,” says Benjamin.
So, appreciate the ice shelves for what they’re doing, but don’t venture out onto them, say both Martin and Benjamin.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.