The deputy mayor of Owen Sound, Ont., wants to see the city send a bill to people who were fishing on Georgian Bay when an ice shelf broke off the shore, but one of those anglers thinks it sets a bad precedent.
During a meeting of Owen Sound council on Monday, Deputy Mayor Scott Greig advised his colleagues that he plans to put forward a motion to ask staff to prepare a report on the costs borne by the city and prepare invoices proportionally. The motion will be made at the April 13 council meeting.
“What occurred was foreseeable and it was predictable,” Greig said in an interview with Global News on Wednesday.
Kevin Fox, a fisherman who spoke with Global News earlier this month, said Wednesday that the move could deter people from calling emergency services.
“I think, honestly, it’s setting a precedent … that people are going to go out there and fish, but in times of danger, I think they’re going to second-guess calling in for help and I think you’re going to see a lot more people end up in the water,” Fox cautioned. “I really do think that them going down and billing I think is the wrong decision.”
Earlier this month, multiple emergency crews responded when dozens of anglers called for help from the ice. A helicopter was needed to return them to safety.
Numerous agencies, including Owen Sound Fire and Emergency Services, responded. The stranded anglers had to be airlifted to safety by two OPP helicopters.
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Fox told Toronto Today on Corus Entertainment’s AM640 two weeks ago that he and his friend had entered the ice at about 8:30 a.m. on March 8 and walked about four or five kilometres before drilling a hole to fish.
He told Global News on Wednesday that when they originally arrived, they found the west side of the lake had ice separating from the shore, so the pair decided to instead move to the other side.
“When we went out and checked that ice, we drilled with an auger and we had anywhere from six to 10 inches of ice and decent ice, like, we had no risk of falling through,” Fox said.
Greig said the region had seen milder temperatures leading up to March 8 and periods of heavy rainfall causing “heavy discharging” from surrounding streams, creeks and rivers.
Environment Canada historical data shows temperatures in the area sat at about 5 C around noon on March 8 in nearby Wiarton, Ont., but had nearly hit 13 C a day earlier.
“The conditions in the Owen Sound Bay, for those that are local and those that are informed and aware, would acknowledge that you certainly shouldn’t be placing yourself at risk being out in the bay where the ice fishermen were that day,” Greig said.
The deputy mayor added it wouldn’t be the first time a community issued an invoice for a rescue, noting about $15,000 was expensed to a Collingwood, Ont., resident after they were rescued following a fall from a lookout at the Eugenia Falls Conservation Area in June 2020. At the time, the area was closed due to a previous fall days earlier.
OPP say by mid-afternoon on Sunday, everyone had been safely airlifted back to shore with minor injuries, though some did suffer from hypothermia.
Fox called the rescue “absolutely incredible,” but added that facing a potential cost is disappointing.
“If they want to do that, then I think what they need to do is say at a certain date and time they assess the ice and say, ‘OK, anyone on the ice after this date, if you get rescued, you’re getting billed, because we’ve given you a fair warning,'” Fox said. “There has to be something in place because accidents and things are always going to happen.”
He also said he and his friend lost thousands of dollars of equipment when he had to leave the ice, including an auger that was worth about $600, a $300 custom fishing rod and numerous other items.
“Anytime you survive and you get out with your life, really, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter, they’re just objects,” Fox said. “Those can be replaced, but it still financially hits you.”
If not pay for it they should all receive a steep fine. They lost expensive equipment = they cab afford to pay for their thoughtless actions, especially with the obnoxious videos they put out asking for sponsors.
They should pay
Stupidity should not be tolerated or excused
Not only had the temperatures been above 0 for a number of days preceding the rescue in one of the videos from an angler you can see them walk over a Crack in the ice at the shoreline. You shouldn’t be charged for an accident but this rescue wasn’t due to an accident.
It should be illegal to go on the ice when it’s unsafe. If they do they should be fine.Maybe that will stop the idiots
Boo hoo pay the bill you dummies. If anything they should be made an example of so in the future, people know to consider the risk on their lives and finances if they decide to go out on the ice and need to be rescued.
I agree 100% that paying for the rescue is reasonable. Further, any equipment that was gas powered, augers in particular the owners should be forced to have removed from the bottom of the Bay and held accountable for any possible environmental impacts.
Lastly looking forward, Coast Guard should mandate floater suits must be worn by anyone going on the ice. They must be available or worn on a boat so common sense would suggest that with the higher danger of hypothermia on the ice it show be mandatory to be worn.
Some people that were rescued are now making money from the event and that is ridiculous after putting emergency responders lives at risk.
Those amateur anglers should certainly pay for their rescue. They knew the conditions and continued to risk themselves just for a good time.
People who find themselves unexpectedly needing rescue should not be afraid to call for help.
Yes, they should definitely be billed for the rescue, I’m not a fisherman BUT even I could figure out it was not safe, plain stupid to go onto the ice then having all those different rescue units have to drop everything to help, if you start a bonfire and it gets out of hand and the fire department has to be called you get the bill so hell yes bill them.
Im an avid ice fisherman and no ice is safe ice but then there is flat out stupidity and reckless decision making. Growing up on Lake Huron you learn a great respect for all types of fishing and what this group did was put themselves in harms way even with all the tell tale signs of staying away. These fellas should consider themselves lucky and to think that they shouldn’t be hit with the bill is outrageous. Their poor choices put not only their lives but their rescuers lives in danger over something so foolish. Hopefully they’ve learnt a valuable lesson and can share their story but they need to be held accountable for their actions.
When you get an ambulance called from a car accident or emergency you get a bill in the mail how is this any different.
I think they should be billed. They knew it was dangerous and went anyways, putting first responders at risk in the rescue attempt. I think invoicing them for the rescue sends the message “ If a person is going to do something careless and dangerous then be prepared to pay the consequences “. People will always call for help if needed “ billing people will make them not want to call is an excuse”. Just because they lost all of their gear in the rescue, isn’t a reason to get out of paying for the high cost of the rescue. Why should tax payers have to pay for someone else’s reckless decisions and careless behavior?
So if they weren’t rescuing them would they be just sitting around. Call it a practice drill.
It is a good idea to announce when you will be required to stay off the ice. After that you are fair game for billing
No, if you require a substantial amount of assistance, you should be required to pay for it. Why should everyone else pay for your mistake? You have to pay for an ambulance, this should be the same thing.
“Might deter people from calling for help”. Is the oldest and lamest argument out there. Don’t go if you’re not going to pay to have your life saved.
When your life is at risk you’ll pay.
If your B Plan was “oh well, we will just call for rescue and a helicopter ride” then you are unprepared for what you doing and have no businesses out there.
Accidents are unavoidable.
These people made a conscious decision to go out on the ice with temperatures on the plus side after having observed ice separating on the opposite side.
This was totally avoidable and it also put the rescuers lives at risk.
Pay up.
Like he admitted, he was grateful for the rescue. He did see the ice had separated from the one shore. He should have admitted the possibility of the ice sheet breaking the rest of the way. Warm weather of spring will do that. He should be grateful enough to pay the bill. Anyone who calls for an ambulance, knows they have to pay for it… why not a rescue helicopter?