(LITTLE CURRENT, ON) – On Saturday January 27, 2018 at approximately 12:32 p.m., officers from the Manitoulin-Espanola detachments of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), with the assistance of the United Chiefs and Council of Manitoulin (UCCM) Anishnaabe Police (UCCM) as well as the Birch Island Fire Department responded to a call pertaining to a snowmobile that had gone through the ice near McGregor Bay, Lake Huron, Ontario.
Upon police arrival, the driver and passenger of the snowmobile had managed to swim to shore and then walk to get help.
Manitoulin-Espanola OPP would like to remind the public that “no ice is safe ice”. When travelling by snowmobile please seek local knowledge if you chose to ride on frozen waterways. Areas that may typically be open could appear to be frozen due to a drop in temperature. The frozen area may not be thick enough to support a snowmobile.
Always be prepared and travel with safety equipment in the event of an emergency. By wearing floater suits and having ice picks, increase your safety in the event thin ice gives way. Travelling on unsafe ice, speeding, driving too fast for the conditions and alcohol consumption continue to be leading causes in OPP-investigated snowmobile fatalities.
