Frozen lakes and ponds not safe for skating, park board warns

Lacing up the skates and heading onto a frozen pond may be a beloved Canadian pastime, but officials are warning the public it's not cold enough to do so safely in Vancouver.

Skaters have been seen out on Lost Lagoon and Trout Lake throughout this week's winter storm, despite signs set up by the Vancouver Park Board advising people of thin ice.

"We don't often get the cold snaps that we've just gone through, and the ice is not stable,” said Kimiko Hirakada, the program manager of the Lifesaving Society of B.C. and Yukon.

“Ice is never 100 per cent safe, that's the number one message that I want to get across."

There have been at least two drownings in B.C. this month due to people falling through ice, according to Hirakada.

There have also been several close calls, including in Langley earlier this week.

"Langley RCMP received several calls of an ATV operator that was actually riding their ATV on the Brydon Lagoon. The operator and ATV had actually gone through the ice,” said Cpl. Zynal Sharoom with the Langley RCMP.

“Fortunately there was a lot of people out using the Brydon Lagoon trails that morning," Sharoom added. "It could have gone sideways really quickly for that individual.”

The ice needs to be at least 18 centimetres thick for it to be considered safe, according to the Vancouver Park Board. So far this year, the lakes and ponds in the city have not met that threshold.

If you do fall through the ice, officials say you should:

• Yell for help
• Reach and grab onto the ice
• Kick hard and push your stomach onto the surface
• Roll like a log on the ice
• Do not get up to walk to shore
• If you can’t get yourself out, hang onto the ice and keep yelling until help comes