Manitoba will begin its annual ice-jam mitigation program this week on the Red River to reduce the potential for flooding.
The program to cut and break river ice was launched in 2006 to reduce the flood risk caused by ice jams on the lower Red River and several other rivers.
Remote controlled ice-cutting units and three Amphibex icebreakers are used each year to cut and break approximately 28 kilometres of ice on the river.
The province says notices have been posted warning river users to stay off the ice in areas where the ice-cutting machines will be working.