BARRIE, ONT. -- Despite pleas to stay off Lake Simcoe's fast-changing ice, emergency crews were called to rescue two people in Oro-Medonte Saturday afternoon.
Staff with Ontario Provincial Police and fire departments in Oro-Medonte and Barrie rushed to an area near Line 9 and Lakeshore Drive as an ATV teetered on the edge of a broken sheet of ice.
With rising temperatures, bright sunshine, and high winds, ice conditions have been deteriorating quickly.
Barrie's deputy fire chief says it can spell danger for people who venture out, even a short distance.
"A little current, a little motion and some wind, and the ice floe takes off with them, and they can't get back to shore," said Carrie Clark.
That was the situation in Innisfil Friday. Fire officials said three anglers set out in the morning, and by late afternoon, an expanse of water had opened up between them and the shoreline.
An airboat was dispatched to rescue the men. On Saturday, the trio returned to retrieve the fishing gear they left behind.
The trip frustrated Glenn Coolahan, who has lived near the water's edge in Innisfil for a decade.
"They had to rescue them. I don't understand why people would even risk their life with that," Coolahan said.
Some anglers do understand the attraction but are still choosing to put their tackle boxes away.
"It's the last weekend of the lake trout and whitefish. They're popular game fish, so that's why everyone wants to rush and get that last day of fishing," said angler Alex Sekulic. "I don't think it's worth it, to be honest. There's always next season."
