QUEBEC CITY, Feb. 10, 2023 – The Canadian Coast Guard and the Ministère de la Sécurité publique du Québec want to remind the public that it can be very dangerous to venture out on the ice of the St. Lawrence River. We are experiencing a particularly mild winter with prolonged above normal temperatures which has delayed the consolidation of ice along the shoreline (fast ice). We recommend that the public avoid going out on the ice as it is too thin to allow for safe activities.
Strong winds combined with higher temperatures could cause the ice, which is already weak and cracked in many places, to break apart. Icebreakers could be called in if the ice presents a risk to navigation. We advise the public to be extra vigilant, particularly in the Lake Saint-Pierre area.
Remember that it is also dangerous, at all times, to venture out on the ice when an icebreaker, a hovercraft or any other vessel is in the vicinity. The ice can move or crack and present a real danger to any persons or their equipment near these vessels.
The Canadian Coast Guard and the Ministère de la Sécurité publique du Québec strongly recommend that walkers, fishers and snowmobilers do not remain on the ice when they see icebreakers or other vessels in the vicinity.
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SOURCE Canadian Coast Guard, Central region