A pair of canoeists who had to be rescued by the OPP after spending the night on a river near Timmins earlier this week… prompted this nine-word advisory from Constable Michelle Simard.
“It’s dangerous to be on the waterway right now.”
The speed that the water’s moving at is only one factor to consider, says Simard.
“You have temperature of the water, the flow of the water, you have lots of debris in the water. Everything right now just adds up to a disaster, basically.”
Simard says a search operation puts more than just the boaters at risk.
“You’re putting those who are trying to go out and save you at risk as well. Of course, we’ll go, but you’re just putting everybody at risk when you’re participating in risky situations.”
High, fast moving water can pull you right under. If you survive that, the extremely cold water can bring on hypothermia.