Two ice fishers dead on Red River north of Winnipeg

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This article was published 30/01/2021 (1462 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two people are dead after they were found unresponsive in an ice fishing tent on the Red River in the RM of St. Clements early Saturday.

A 52-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman were taken to hospital shortly after 7 a.m., where they were pronounced dead, RCMP said. Both people were from Winnipeg.

Foul play is not suspected, but RCMP said carbon monoxide might have been a factor in the deaths. Police will not know the cause of death until autopsies are completed.

Last Tuesday, RCMP said ice fishing has increased in popularity in southern Manitoba this year, pointing to the COVID-19 pandemic as a potential reason.

With the increased numbers of people on the ice, RCMP said it has seen an increase in people impaired by alcohol and cannabis.

RCMP warned fishers not to drink or smoke pot and drive vehicles on the ice at the risk of fines or impaired driving charges.

“With all sorts of vehicles out and about, no determined roadway, people skiing, walking, and skating, and places where there is open water, the ice can be a challenge to drive on at the best of times,” Staff Sgt. Kyle McFadyen of Manitoba RCMP Traffic Services said in a news release Tuesday. “When a driver is impaired, that challenge becomes downright dangerous.”

The fine for having open alcohol on the ice is $672.

For impaired driving, the same rules apply as on a roadway. Suspension, loss of licence and jail time could result, depending on the severity of the occurrence, the RCMP said Tuesday.