On April 9, 2017, at approximately 1:10 pm, The Pas RCMP received a report of a person in urgent need of rescue. A snowmobiler had been travelling on a tributary near Landry Lake when his snowmobile broke through the ice, leaving the 40-year-old male from Opaskwayak Cree Nation and his dog stranded several miles from safety. The ice was severely unstable, which prevented them from walking to shore.
The Pas RCMP initiated a rescue operation. Moose Lake RCMP, The Pas Conservation Officers, Opaskwayak Cree Nation Fire Department and Opaskwayak Cree Nation Council representatives pooled resources to head out on the lake and rescue the male and his dog. The rescue team followed the snowmobile tracks to the location where it went through the ice and were able to get the male and his dog off unstable ice using amphibious vehicles. Once the team returned to stable ice, the male and his dog were transferred to a RCMP off-road vehicle transport pod attached to a snowmobile and taken back to shore.
“We felt a surge of relief when we were able to put eyes on the two of them and saw that they were okay,” said The Pas RCMP Corporal Colin Stark, who led the rescue team. “Thankfully, we were able to coordinate a complex rescue in a short time because everyone pitched in. Working together equipped with the proper resources, we were able to have a successful outcome, and everyone made it home safely.”
The RCMP thanks all members of the rescue team for bravely stepping forward to assist with the rescue efforts.
Please use extreme caution around lakes, rivers and creeks due to unsafe ice conditions at this time of year.
