City warns ponds, lakes not yet safe for skating

People eager to get out have started to create rinks on lakes, creeks, ponds

We're all trying to find ways to stay entertained, healthy and busy during the pandemic, but the city and fire department would like you to stay off lakes, creeks and ponds for now.

A number of small outdoor rinks on cleared sections of ice have recently sprung up around the city.

But, speaking on Friday, Mayor Sandra Masters told people to stay off the ice. While she commended people for getting active and following provincial guidelines to fight the spread of COVID-19, she asked people to hold off for a little while longer.

“The issue is always, of course, thin ice. We absolutely do not want anyone, adult or child, to end up going through the ice,” she said during a press conference.

She added, “I just don't believe it's been cold enough.”

The fire department agrees with the mayor. In a statement issued in late November, Regina Fire and Protective Services (RFPS) told people to “err on the side of caution.”

“Residents should not walk, ski, skate or play on any body of water,” read the statement.

RFPS said that with weather changing from freezing to above freezing temperatures ice can become unstable and unsafe. This

We absolutely do not want anyone, adult or child, to end up going through the ice.

past week in Regina temperatures fluctuated from a high of 3.3 C and a low of -12.8 C.

While the RFPS recommends a total abstention from skating on creeks and ponds, that advice may not be followed. For example, in the Cathedral neighbourhood people have taken to skating on a small patch of cleared ice near the Wascana Bridge. On Friday, people were seen in east Regina playing shinny on a frozen lake behind the Sandra Schmirler Centre.

To deal with the ennui and lack of activities during the winter, the City of Regina recently rolled out a grant program to create some kind of outdoor activities this winter. Masters said the city is trying to set up geocache searches and snowshoeing for Regina residents in the new year.

MICHAEL BELL Tyler Lees plays shinny on a frozen lake behind the Sandra Schmirler Centre. City officials say the ice may not yet be safe because temperatures have not been low enough.