Officials discuss ice safety amid ongoing dredging project

Fire chief Chris Ferry and OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt discuss ice safety amid this winter’s ice dredging program at the Port of Orillia.

OPP and fire officials discussed ice safety related to this winter’s ice dredging program at the Port of Orillia.

“We want to get the message out to everybody – the locals and the visitors – to avoid the Port of Orillia this winter and any of the ice down here,” said Chris Ferry, Orillia’s fire chief. “[The work] is going to make the ice slushy, thin and unstable.”

Ferry adds that lights and markings will let people know to avoid the area, but some areas beyond those markings could still be hazardous.

“We want to make sure everybody knows that no ice is safe ice,” urged Ferry.

According to the City of Orillia, the dredging program’s purpose is to address weed growth and sediment within the Port of Orillia.

The city stated in a December media release that the project will allow the port to accommodate larger vessels and remain a key destination for boaters.

OPP remind snowmobilers and sledders to remain on marked trails even if areas of Lake Couchiching appear enticing.

“There’s a lot of anxious excitement to get out onto the snow, onto the ice,” said Sgt. Kerry Schmidt from the OPP Highway Safety Division. “It may look like it’s frozen, and yet it’s not. And that’s why it’s very heavily signed and marked, and that’s why we want everyone to make sure that they are doing their part in making sure that they’re safe and prepared wherever they go.”

Ice venturers are advised to always have ice picks and a floater suit or lifejacket with them.

The dredging project is expected to be completed by this spring according to the City of Orillia.