23 fishermen rescued when ice shelf broke from Georgian Bay shore: police

OWEN SOUND – Police said nearly two-dozen people who were fishing needed to be rescued when they became stranded on an ice shelf that broke from shore in Georgian Bay in southwestern Ontario on Sunday. 

They said the ice drifted for about two kilometres and split into several sections, causing some people to become partially submerged in the icy water. 

Const. Craig Soldan of the Huron County Ontario Provincial Police said in an interview on Sunday that just before noon, officers received a distress call from several stranded fishermen. He said 23 fishermen had gone out in several different groups earlier in the day, and the ice at that time was attached to shore.

They thought it was safe for fishing but at some point, Soldan said the ice separated from shore and drifted quickly out into the bay that’s on Lake Huron.

“The ice also split into several different sections, which caused some of the people on the ice to fall into the water and fully submerge and have to float, (and) wait for rescue,” said Soldan. 

The detachment said on its social media page that the situation became life-threatening for several of the people due to hypothermia.

Emergency responders from OPP aviation and marine units and fire departments from counties around the Georgian Triangle responded to the calls for help. 

Police said the Cobble Beach Golf Course opened its facility to allow for aviation units and triage response.

They said by mid-afternoon everyone was safely airlifted back to shore with minor injuries that included hypothermia.

“Between about noon and about 2:30 in the afternoon, we successfully retrieved all 23 people who were out on the various sections of ice and brought them to safety,” said Soldan.

Police said all those rescued were expected to make a full recovery.

“Great teamwork and a quick response by all involved,” the detachment said. 

The rescue came as record warmth and rain washed over parts of Ontario on the weekend, while Hamilton police warned of extremely dangerous ice conditions after six people ended up in the water in Lake Ontario on Saturday. 

Hamilton Police said two youths fell into the lake off the city’s harbour front on Saturday and four others followed them in to attempt a rescue. 

Police said everyone was pulled to safety, although one of the youths who went under needed to go to hospital for treatment of hypothermia. 

The remaining five people were treated at the scene. 

Hamilton police said in a statement that residents need to remember that recent fluctuating temperatures have made ice conditions extremely unsafe.

“Ice that may appear solid can quickly become thin and unstable. Residents are strongly urged to stay off all frozen lakes, ponds, and waterways,” the statement said. 

Soldan, too, had an ice-safety message.

He said one of the mottos from his detachment is “no ice is safe ice,” especially during this time of year, with the changing temperatures and flow underneath the ice. 

“We’re really encouraging people here in our area to stay off the ice altogether. Stay away from the edges of waterways. That includes rivers, ponds, any kind of bodies of water where you’ve got ice shelves, they’re breaking away,” said Soldan. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March. 8, 2026.