‘I never seen anything like that’: Ice build-up damaging properties along Delta Beach

Cottagers in Delta Beach are surveying the damage caused by an unusually large ice build up. CTV’s Jeff Keele reports.

A build-up of ice on the southern shores of Lake Manitoba is leading to some property damage along Delta Beach.

Rick Henderson holds a broken board in his hand as he surveys the damage on his waterfront property at Delta Beach.

“That’s part of my lower deck, but I can’t see the rest of it’s all covered in this stuff,” said Henderson, referring to the piles of shore ice from Lake Manitoba.

Henderson said early Monday morning he heard a noise.

“Wind got up, the ice is going to come up a little bit cause it usually does, cause there’s open water,” said Henderson. “I didn’t think nothing of it.”

But soon he saw hills of the ice that crashed into the shore.

“I come to the bathroom window and looked out and holy, down here, I never seen anything like that in my lifetime,” he said.

He’s not the only one.

Cottage owners have sent pictures to CTV News showing massive chunks of ice pushed up against cottages, crushing docks, and upending patios.

“Over the past few days, Delta Beach has experienced an unusually large accumulation of shore ice,” the Delta Beach Association said in a post on its website Tuesday.

“Unfortunately, this has caused damage to several properties along the waterfront.”

The association is calling for property owners impacted by the shore ice movement to contact the association as soon as possible.

“Understanding the extent of the damage across the community will help us coordinate support efforts, advocate as needed, and keep property owners informed,” the post reads.

More information can be found on the association’s website.

Henderson said he’ll have to push a few stones back in place that have come loose in his outdoor bar, and fix at least one board on his deck. Other than that, he feels fortunate compared to some of his neighbours.

“I’ll just fix it myself for what I got damaged,” he said. “I mean (what) some of these people got, they’ll be in the thousands to fix.”