Tag: Ontario Provincial Police

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Cottage Life

Man, 28, dies in ice fishing accident lake near Barry’s Bay

Photo by Shutterstock/Lester Balajadia

Around 9:30 a.m. on March 25, officers from the Ontario Provincial Police’s (OPP) Bancroft detachment received a report that a 28-year-old man from the Hastings Highlands area had not returned home after going ice fishing on Bark Lake, Ont., the night before.

After arriving at the lake, the OPP called in assistance from its Underwater Search and Recovery Unit. Divers searched the lake, locating the man’s body on Sunday morning just after 11 a.m. He was pronounced dead on the scene. The OPP’s investigation into the incident is ongoing and a post-mortem examination has yet to be conducted.

The local community has set up a GoFundMe page to provide financial support to the deceased’s family, which includes his wife, his one-and-a-half-year-old son, and a second baby expected in October.

Bark Lake is approximately 15 kilometres east of Barry’s Bay and is a popular ice fishing spot in the winter. The lake, which stretches 14 kilometres in length and six kilometres in width, is known for its lake trout.

While stable throughout colder months, Bark Lake operates on a dam system and is fed by the Madawaska River, which can cause more rapid changes in water depth and ice thickness. This, combined with March’s warm weather, can cause the ice to be less predictable.

“Be familiar with the lake you’re on,” says Joel Devenish, a Constable with the OPP’s Bancroft detachment.

Before heading out on a frozen lake, you should be aware of its changing conditions. Measure the ice in several locations to ensure it’s thick enough to be on. The Red Cross says that ice should be 15 centimetres thick for walking and 25 centimetres thick for snowmobiling.

Each winter, approximately 25 to 30 Canadians die in ice-related activities, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada. If you are heading out on a frozen lake, safety is the first priority. The bureau advises that you avoid going out at night. Reduced visibility can cause you to wander into an area of weak ice or open water.

Looking for a few more ice safety tips? Always travel with a companion. That way, if you fall through the ice, they may be able to rescue you or at least call for help. Wear a lifejacket or some type of buoyant suit. If you go through the ice, this will increase your chances of surviving. Finally, stay off ice where there are fast-moving currents or narrows. The fast-moving water can cause the ice in those areas to be much thinner.

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What are icebreakers doing in Georgian Bay?

Photo by Shutterstock/Denis Comeau

If you’re a resident around south Georgian Bay, keep an eye out for the red hull of an icebreaker.

Last weekend, the Canadian Coast Guard’s CCGS Samuel Risley carried out icebreaking operations in Midland Harbour, opening a passageway for the CSL Frontenac to depart.

Earlier in the month, the CCGS Samuel Risley and the CCGS Judy LaMarsh were spotted around the North Channel on Lake Huron conducting icebreaking exercises to simulate close-quarter vessel escorting. The CCGS Judy LaMarsh is a light icebreaker that the Canadian Coast Guard purchased in November 2021, bringing its fleet up to 19. The exercises were intended to train the crew of the new vessel for when it engages in joint Canadian-United States Coast Guard icebreaking operations on the Great Lakes.

According to Jeremy Hennessy, a spokesperson for the Canadian Coast Guard, it’s common to see icebreakers on Georgian Bay at this time of year. They provide ice escorts for commercial vessels and conduct harbour breakouts for commercial ports.

“CCG icebreakers operate on the Great Lakes between western Lake Erie and Sault Ste. Marie (including interconnecting waterways/rivers) between December to March annually, and on Lake Superior once the Soo Locks re-open, typically around mid-March,” he said in an email.

Icebreakers use their bows, which are curved like the back of a spoon, to slide on top of the ice, breaking it with their weight. They create passageways for other ships, free trapped vessels, and help prevent flooding by breaking the ice into smaller pieces. This allows the wind and currents to clear the ice out of the way, preventing ice jams and ensuring good water flow.

From Midland, the CCGS Samuel Risley is headed to Lake Superior to conduct the initial spring breakout for the Port of Thunder Bay. While the CCGS Judy LaMarsh is headed towards Chaleur Bay in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to continue its training exercises in shallower ports, such as Shippagan and Caraquet, Hennessy said.

The Canadian Coast Guard advises that people stop all ice activities while icebreaking operations are happening in the area, including walking on the ice, fishing, and snowmobiling. Even after the icebreakers have left, the public should remain cautious. “The ice may move, creating a real danger for anyone on it,” the Canadian Coast Guard said in a statement.

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‘No ice is safe ice’: OPP reissues warning after snowmobiler dies falling through lake

Photo Courtesy of the Ontario Provincial Police

Ontario Provincial Police are reminding snowmobilers who are anxious to get on the trails that recent weather has made trail conditions unstable. They are asking riders to exercise caution when heading out on the water. The reminder comes in the wake of a snowmobile incident on Six Mile Lake over the weekend that left a 59-year-old man from Scarborough, Ont. dead and another injured after their snowmobiles went through the ice on Six Mile Lake in the Township of Georgian Bay.

“Right now, we’ve not had a deep freeze, like some very cold nights, that gets you that ice thickness. So, although it appears that there’s ice in most places, it’s been unpredictable, and it makes the conditions very poor,” said Const. Aaron Coulter with the OPP.

A mild winter has caused snowmobile trails to remain closed. As an alternative, Coulter says some snowmobilers are driving on waterways. “It’s just not safe,” he says. “Our message is always going to be to stay off the ice unless you’re very confident that there’s the thickness there. But no ice is safe ice.”

A 58-year-old from Toronto was also involved in the accident on Six Mile Lake, near O’Leary’s Island on Sunday morning, however, he survived.  A cottager spotted the two men struggling in the water and called emergency services.

Members of the Southern Georgian Bay Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) detachment, OPP Aviation Services, Georgian Bay Fire Department, and Simcoe County and Muskoka Region Paramedics arrived on the scene, taking over for residents who were attempting to rescue the snowmobilers.

Six Mile Lake
Photo Courtesy of the Ontario Provincial Police

Emergency services managed to remove the 58-year-old Toronto man from the water and transport him to a local hospital to be treated for his injuries. The 59-year-old, however, had gone under the water and wasn’t found.

The OPP brought in their Underwater Search and Recovery Unit to look for the man. Members of the recovery unit found the man’s body at 2:35 p.m. on Monday afternoon.

Six Mile Lake
Photo Courtesy of the Ontario Provincial Police

If you witness someone fall through the ice, Coulter says it’s useful to have supplies, such as a rope and floatation device, on hand. But walking out onto the ice could put you in danger. The first step should always be to call emergency services. They have the equipment and training to rescue someone who’s fallen through the ice.

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Man charged in Lake Rosseau boat collision that killed a swimmer

Stock image of OPP boat on the water in Thunder Bay, ON. Photo copyright of Michel Curi/CC BY 2.0

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has charged a Huntsville man after striking and killing a swimmer with his boat in Lake Rosseau last July.

Around 7 a.m. on the morning of July 25, the OPP’s Bracebridge detachment, Muskoka EMS, and the Muskoka Lakes Fire Department responded to multiple 911 calls reporting an unresponsive man floating in the water near Shamrock Lodge Road in Port Carling, approximately 20 metres out from a dock.

EMS managed to lift the man onto a floating dock and administered life-saving measures. After no response, he was taken by ambulance to South Muskoka Memorial Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

The 48-year-old man had been staying at nearby Shamrock Lodge and had headed out for an early morning swim equipped with a visibility marker. Zavier Foyston, who was out driving his boat, collided with the man. Foyston stayed on scene, cooperating with OPP.

After a thorough investigation, the OPP announced on Wednesday that it was charging the 26-year-old Foyston with operating a vessel in a careless manner. Foyston will appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Bracebridge on February 7.

OPP Const. Samantha Bigley said she was unaware of any civil action being brought against Foyston by the victim’s family.

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Haliburton County municipalities oppose possible OPP detachment consolidation

Photo by Shutterstock/Jim Reed

In early November, a rumour started rumbling around Haliburton County. The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) service was talking about turning its Haliburton detachment into a satellite location, replacing the detachment commander with a manager who would answer to the Kawartha Lakes detachment commander in Lindsay, over an hour’s drive south.

Having received no mention of this proposal, Carol Moffat, mayor of Algonquin Highlands at the time, brokered a meeting on November 2 between the four mayors of Haliburton County, their Chief Administrative Officers, and several of the OPP’s top brass, including central region chief superintendent Dwight Peer.

During the meeting, Peer confirmed to the mayors and CAOs that the OPP was considering consolidating the two detachments to improve efficiencies. But he assured those in attendance that the consolidation would not go forward if the municipalities were opposed.

The proposal has since been tabled until a Haliburton Highlands OPP Detachment Board is established.

During a November 9 meeting, Haliburton councillors voiced concerns that the consolidation could reduce the police presence and quality of OPP service offered in Haliburton.

“A lot of people have worked very, very hard for the establishment and retention of policing services in Haliburton County,” said Moffat during the meeting. “Our growth requires more policing services, more robust services and relationships, not less.”

The council voted to ask local townships to reject the proposal and send notice of the rejection to Peer.

Since that meeting, several new mayors and councillors have been sworn into municipal councils under Haliburton County, but the sentiment towards the consolidation remains the same.

“Police presence is a big thing, and we’ve had a string of detachment commanders here over the years. We found the best success we’ve had is when we had one that has some stability and stayed here for a number of years. And now, to have one that’s not going to be a detachment commander, but just a manager…I’m concerned about it,” said Murray Fearrey, mayor of Dysart et al.

“If the boss is not in the general area and doesn’t know what the climate is like, then I think it does affect [the community],” he added.

Fearrey pointed out that due to its size, Haliburton County, which spans over 4,000 square kilometres, is a difficult area to police. The county is made up of four townships with many residences spread throughout rural and remote locations. Plus, the county’s population continues to grow. Between 2016 and 2021, Haliburton’s population increased by 14 per cent to 20,571, according to Statistics Canada.

If the consolidation happens, Fearrey said he’s worried that Haliburton’s detachment may follow the same route as nearby Coboconk. “They said [OPP] they were going to put a manager in there and five years later, or a number of years later, it was boarded up,” he said. “We can’t have that happen. I don’t think we are prepared to give anything up at this point.”

In an email responding to questions about the consolidation, OPP spokesperson Gosia Puzio said that any possible changes the OPP makes would not reduce frontline policing services. It’s unclear, however, whether consolidation would affect the amount each township pays for OPP services. The OPP bills each township a base policing cost that covers crime prevention, proactive policing, officer training, and administrative duties, and then additional fees for reactive calls for service. Last year, the township of Dysart paid $3,336,385 for protective services, which includes policing, fire services, and inspection and control.

“The OPP continuously reviews its operations to adjust to current conditions and seek efficiencies without compromising policing standards in any community it serves. Our focus remains on the delivery of the best possible service to Haliburton County and its municipalities, and we will explore all avenues to do so, which includes command consolidations,” Puzio said.

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Stolen trailer full of Muskoka chairs worth $110K, says OPP

Photo Courtesy of Muskoka Chair Company/Facebook

Keep your eyes peeled for Muskoka chairs that are suddenly on sale. It may warrant a call to the police.

The Ontario Provincial Police’s (OPP) Bracebridge detachment is investigating the theft of a 24-foot enclosed trailer stolen from the Muskoka Chair Company’s property on Henshaw Lake Road in Muskoka Lakes Township on Halloween night.

Inside the trailer were 180 Muskoka chairs, unassembled and packaged in boxes. Each chair is valued at approximately $500.

Muskoka Chair Company
Photo Courtesy of Bracebridge OPP

Between the trailer and the Muskoka chairs, the stolen goods are valued at $110,000.

“As a small business, we feel this invasion of our space deeply. It’s honestly infuriating. Please keep your eyes peeled, and if you see this trailer anywhere, please call the local police,” the Muskoka Chair Company wrote in a Facebook post.

A family-run business founded in 1995, the Muskoka Chair Company is well known for its colourful, reclining chairs crafted from cedar, recycled plastics, and other materials. The iconic chairs have become symbols of cottaging in Ontario, dotting docks across the province.

It’s unclear exactly when the theft occurred, but a white pick-up truck was caught on camera on the night of October 31, the night of the theft, driving away from the Muskoka Chair Company property with the trailer.

Stolen Trailer
Photo Courtesy of Bracebridge OPP

“Any information from the public is usually what helps us get some movement in an investigation,” says Provincial Constable Samantha Bigley. “Anyone in the area that may have video footage from their own private properties, some people have their own surveillance cameras or video doorbells, those sorts of things can give us more clues on how to identify the suspect vehicle. Information from the public is always key in helping solve these.”

The Bracebridge OPP asks anyone with information or video footage of the stolen trailer to contact (888)310-1122. If you want to remain anonymous, meaning you won’t have to testify in court, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit your information online at www.crimestopperssdm.com. Providing Crime Stoppers with information could lead to a $2,000 cash reward.

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Fatal plane crash in Hastings Highlands under investigation

Stock photo of Cessna 150. Photo by Gregory Rooken-Smith/Shutterstock

Around 5:45 p.m. on the evening of October 1, a self-built aircraft crashed outside Maynooth, Ont., a 30-minute drive north of Bancroft. The pilot, 51-year-old Jason Reynolds of Hastings Highlands, Ont., sustained fatal injuries during the crash and died that evening. He was the aircraft’s sole passenger.

Ontario Provincial Police’s Bancroft detachment was called around 9 p.m. when Reynolds didn’t return home. OPP searched the area, eventually finding the aircraft and Reynolds, who was pronounced dead a short time later.

Reynolds had been flying a small, self-built propeller plane known as a Super Bear.

On October 2, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada’s (TSB) Air Investigation Branch arrived at the crash site to gather information about the incident. The TSB said that it found aircraft wreckage approximately 160 metres from the end of a private airstrip.

“The aircraft impacted large trees before impacting the ground, and was destroyed,” the TSB said in an email.

The TSB has yet to release whether the crash occurred during takeoff or landing, and what caused the plane to crash into the trees.

“The investigation team is currently examining selected components of the aircraft and gathering further data,” the TSB said.

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Toronto man faces multiple charges for uttering threats to cottage neighbours and mischief

Photo by Shutterstock/A. Michael Brown

Cottagers on the Trent-Severn Waterway, not far from Big Chute Marina, contended with 24 hours of mischief last week after Ontario Provincial Police arrested a 41-year-old man from Toronto who was causing disturbances in the area.

On September 5 around 12:04 p.m., the Southern Georgian Bay OPP detachment responded to a call about a neighbour disturbing several cottagers along John Buchler Road in Georgian Bay Township. Const. David Hobson said at present, OPP are unable to release information about what the man was doing.

By the time OPP arrived the accused, later identified as Thomas Dibaise, had jumped into the waters of Six Mile Channel, just off of John Buchler Road, and fled. With assistance from the OPP Marine Unit, officers found Dibaise approximately three hours later, still in the water, near Little Chute—south of Six Mile Channel.

Officers arrested Dibaise and charged him with mischief, which includes obstructing, interrupting, or interfering with the lawful use, enjoyment, or operation of a property. According to Hobson, examples of mischief can range from blasting excessive noise at inappropriate times to driving a Sea-Doo back and forth too close to someone’s dock—any action, within reason, that prevents an owner from enjoying their property.

Officers also charged Dibaise with escaping lawful custody, and six counts of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm. Officers released Dibaise, who was staying at a cottage in the area, under conditions, with the understanding that he would appear before the Ontario Court of Justice on October 27.

This, however, wasn’t the OPP’s last interaction with Dibaise. The next morning on Sept. 6, just before 8 a.m., emergency services received calls about a fire at the cottage Dibaise was staying at. OPP officers and the Georgian Bay Township Fire Service responded to the call. According to Hobson, there were no visible flames, but smoke billowed out of the cottage.

Fire services extinguished the smoke, but during that time, Dibaise fled the scene. OPP eventually found him driving along Whites Falls Road in Severn Township.

To safely halt the vehicle, OPP deployed a spike belt along the road, which punctured and deflated the tires of Dibaise’s vehicle. Officers arrested Dibaise again, charging him with a second count of mischief, dangerous operation of a vehicle, four counts of failure to comply, and stunt driving.

This time, officers did not release Dibaise after his arrest, instead transporting him to the Southern Georgian Bay OPP detachment where he remains in custody. Dibaise will appear before the Ontario Court of Justice at a future date.

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Here’s why you could be seeing so many bears in Georgian Bay this year

Photo by Galyna Andrushko/Shutterstock

Despite 40 bears being struck and killed by vehicles driving along Highway 400 between Honey Harbour Road, Georgian Bay Township, and the Town of Parry Sound in August, there appears to be no definitive answer in regards to the number of sightings being reported and the spike in the number of bears killed.

Mike McIntosh, founder, and president of Bear With Us, stresses that it doesn’t reflect an increase in the Georgian Bay black bear population. “That area probably hasn’t changed much in the last decade or two,” he says. Instead, McIntosh theorizes that it has to do with food sources.

“There’s a move around this time of year because of hyperphagia, which means that [the bears] are hungry, constantly trying to fatten up for hibernation,” McIntosh says. “Food sources have become more or less scarce in certain areas, and that makes [bears] travel a lot. And then most of these busy four-lane highways, from what I’ve seen, are even busier than normal.”

As highways become more populated and people drive faster, it makes it more difficult for bears to safely cross. When bears do want to cross a highway, they’ll watch the road from the edge of the woods and wait for a gap, McIntosh says. But their cubs don’t always follow, meaning the mother has to backtrack across the highway to grab them. This is often when they get hit.

McIntosh says the OPP’s estimate of 40 dead black bears along Highway 400 is likely underreported. “The police don’t usually get a call unless the bear-vehicle collision does some damage to the car and maybe they’re needed for an insurance claim,” he says. “In the last month, I’ve seen quite a few dead cubs in the road, which wouldn’t damage a vehicle because they’re the size of a house cat.”

If the province wants to prevent bear collisions, McIntosh says it needs to invest in wildlife corridors, such as bridges or tunnels that help the animals bypass highways, as well as fences along both sides of the road.

As for drivers, the OPP recommends sticking to the posted speed limits, scanning well ahead of the vehicle, watching ditches and shoulders, and using proper headlamps, especially around dusk and dawn.

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Stranded paddleboarder rescued by helicopter

Photo by Shutterstock/Chris Dale

Around 6 p.m. on the evening of July 10, a 41-year-old woman from Essa Township, Ont., 20-minute drive west of Barrie, launched her paddleboard into the Nottawasaga River outside the town of Angus. She intended to paddle 20 kilometres to the Edenvale Conservation Centre with her dog as a companion.

On that night, the Nottawasaga River, which stretches 120 kilometres from the Orangeville Reservoir through the Niagara Escarpment, and empties into Georgian Bay, was experiencing low water levels between Angus and Edenvale. Finding her paddleboard grounded, the woman was forced to portage her board through several stretches of the river, said Ontario Provincial Police in a press release.

The extra exertion of carrying the board slowed the woman’s progress, wearing her down. By the time she hit the 10-kilometre mark, she was exhausted. With the sun getting low, the woman and her dog stopped and were stranded in a remote section of the bush. The woman called a family member for assistance.

The family member and a friend launched a boat from Edenvale and headed back towards Angus in an attempt to locate the woman and dog. But the boat struggled to navigate the low water levels and got caught in a swampy section of the river. The family member and friend abandoned the boat and continued to travel by foot through the bush in the dark.

After walking several kilometres, the family member and friend located the woman and dog. Not having the energy to make it back to the boat, the three individuals made a call to the OPP. Officers from OPP’s Huronia West detachment contacted the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, a search and rescue team operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Canadian Coast Guard.

Using a Griffon helicopter, the two organizations located the stranded individuals along the river, but due to the darkness, the helicopter was unable to land safely. Instead, the helicopter crew lowered a JRCC member to the stranded individuals, carrying supplies, such as food and water. The JRCC member stayed in the bush with the individuals for the remainder of the night.

Early the next morning, once the sun had risen, the helicopter returned and picked up the stranded individuals. All three were returned safely.

Instances such as this illustrate the need to be prepared to handle the associated risks of travelling into remote areas, said the OPP in a statement.

“Search and rescue operations can be complex, expensive, and time-consuming, and involve multiple agencies who, themselves are put at risk. Our best advice is to avoid putting yourself in potentially dangerous circumstances in the first place and to properly plan for contingencies, be prepared for worst-case scenarios, and take along appropriate equipment/clothing.”

When embarking on a remote trip, the OPP suggests:

  • Travelling with an experienced friend or guide
  • Leaving a route plan with family members that includes an expected return date
  • Carrying a cell phone or satellite phone for emergency calls
  • And bringing emergency equipment, such as extra food, a first aid kit, and a GPS device