Frozen lakes, rivers and ice roads may not be safe as ice melts, MPI warns
22 people in vehicles reported falling through ice last year, 4 so far in 2025, public insurer says
Manitoba's public insurer is warning people to be cautious while travelling on ice roads in remote and northern areas or heading out to go ice fishing as frozen lakes and rivers start to thaw.
Manitoba Public Insurance has received four claims from people who reported falling through ice in their vehicles so far this year. There was a total of 22 claims in 2024.
"The danger is very real," said Maria Campos, MPI's vice-president, at a news conference at the St. Vital Park boat launch on Wednesday.
"Going through the ice into the cold water is potentially fatal and can lead to hypothermia or drowning," she said.
One-third of all drownings in Manitoba happen during the winter months, from October to April, Campos said.
The recommended ice thickness for people walking on a frozen body of water is 10 centimetres, while for an ATV or snowmobile, it's 12 cm, she said. The ice should be 20 to 30 cm thick for a car to drive on it and around 30 to 38 cm for a truck, she said.
Bodies of water with fast-moving currents, like the Red River, are no longer safe, because there are sections with open water or thin ice, she said.
River patrol Const. Ray Duma with the Winnipeg Police Service said people should stay off any frozen waterways in winter due to the possibility of falling through, unless they're in an approved area, such as Winnipeg's Nestaweya River Trail at The Forks.
The river trail, which officially closed on March 9, was maintained daily and provided an opportunity for people to skate, bike and walk on the ice.
"We don't know what is going to be good or bad or safe without actually testing the ice," Duma said.
He warns that people driving on ice roads with a vehicle weighing more than seven tonnes who exceed the recommended speed limit of 15 km/h could create waves under the ice, causing it to deteriorate and crack.
People driving on ice roads or frozen lakes or rivers should always check the ice thickness before heading out and prepare for the worst-case scenario, said University of Manitoba Prof. Gordon Giesbrecht, a.k.a. Professor Popsicle, who's a world-renowned expert on submersion and the effects of cold on the human body.
People need to remember the acronym SWOC if they're inside a vehicle that breaks through ice, he said:
- S is for seatbelts off
- W is for windows open
- O is for out immediately
- C is for getting children out first
"Open that window, get your seatbelt off, so that if your car happens to break through the ice, you have an exit," Giesbrecht said.
A person who waits could panic and not think of doing the first step, he said.
"Unfortunately, there are many people who are found drowned in their vehicle in the bottom of a water body, and they haven't even undone their seatbelt," he said.
People should remove themselves from a submerged vehicle without worrying about grabbing items from their car.
MPI also encourages those travelling to tell a loved one where they are going, what time they expect to arrive at their destination or what time they expect to come home.
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With files from Zubina Ahmed