The deputy mayor of Owen Sound, Ont., wants to see the city send a bill to people who were fishing on Georgian Bay when an ice shelf broke off the shore, but one of those anglers thinks it sets a bad precedent.
During a meeting of Owen Sound council on Monday, Deputy Mayor Scott Greig advised his colleagues that he plans to put forward a motion to ask staff to prepare a report on the costs borne by the city and prepare invoices proportionally. The motion will be made at the April 13 council meeting.
“What occurred was foreseeable and it was predictable,” Greig said in an interview with Global News on Wednesday.
Kevin Fox, a fisherman who spoke with Global News earlier this month, said Wednesday that the move could deter people from calling emergency services.
“I think, honestly, it’s setting a precedent … that people are going to go out there and fish, but in times of danger, I think they’re going to second-guess calling in for help and I think you’re going to see a lot more people end up in the water,” Fox cautioned. “I really do think that them going down and billing I think is the wrong decision.”
Earlier this month, multiple emergency crews responded when dozens of anglers called for help from the ice. A helicopter was needed to return them to safety.
Numerous agencies, including Owen Sound Fire and Emergency Services, responded. The stranded anglers had to be airlifted to safety by two OPP helicopters.
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Fox told Toronto Today on Corus Entertainment’s AM640 two weeks ago that he and his friend had entered the ice at about 8:30 a.m. on March 8 and walked about four or five kilometres before drilling a hole to fish.
He told Global News on Wednesday that when they originally arrived, they found the west side of the lake had ice separating from the shore, so the pair decided to instead move to the other side.
“When we went out and checked that ice, we drilled with an auger and we had anywhere from six to 10 inches of ice and decent ice, like, we had no risk of falling through,” Fox said.
Greig said the region had seen milder temperatures leading up to March 8 and periods of heavy rainfall causing “heavy discharging” from surrounding streams, creeks and rivers.
Environment Canada historical data shows temperatures in the area sat at about 5 C around noon on March 8 in nearby Wiarton, Ont., but had nearly hit 13 C a day earlier.
“The conditions in the Owen Sound Bay, for those that are local and those that are informed and aware, would acknowledge that you certainly shouldn’t be placing yourself at risk being out in the bay where the ice fishermen were that day,” Greig said.
The deputy mayor added it wouldn’t be the first time a community issued an invoice for a rescue, noting about $15,000 was expensed to a Collingwood, Ont., resident after they were rescued following a fall from a lookout at the Eugenia Falls Conservation Area in June 2020. At the time, the area was closed due to a previous fall days earlier.
OPP say by mid-afternoon on Sunday, everyone had been safely airlifted back to shore with minor injuries, though some did suffer from hypothermia.
Fox called the rescue “absolutely incredible,” but added that facing a potential cost is disappointing.
“If they want to do that, then I think what they need to do is say at a certain date and time they assess the ice and say, ‘OK, anyone on the ice after this date, if you get rescued, you’re getting billed, because we’ve given you a fair warning,’” Fox said. “There has to be something in place because accidents and things are always going to happen.”
He also said he and his friend lost thousands of dollars of equipment when he had to leave the ice, including an auger that was worth about $600, a $300 custom fishing rod and numerous other items.
“Anytime you survive and you get out with your life, really, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter, they’re just objects,” Fox said. “Those can be replaced, but it still financially hits you.”
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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