“Increased” risk on icy bodies of water: victim’s family calls for vigilance

The family of a Quebecer who died after falling into the ice of a lake is calling for vigilance as the number of winter drownings is expected to be high thanks to exceptionally mild weather.

• Read also: Significant increase in drownings in 2023

“There is a message: you should never, ever take a risk,” says Jason Burhop.

On December 6, he lost his only brother, Adrian Burhop, who died while practicing his passion: cross-country skiing.

The actor and voice actor, known as being cautious, decided to cross a lake in Morin-Heights, in the Laurentians, which he probably believed to be quite frozen even at the start of the season. For what? This is the question that torments the family.

“He was a truly incredible character. He had many close friends and a strong personality. He was always the funniest person in the room,” Jason Burhop recalled of his only sibling.

“Increased” risk

The message from Jason Burhop comes as Quebec is currently at an “increased” risk of drowning for all those who “do not check the thickness of the ice,” warns Raynald Hawkins, general director of the Lifesaving Society.

“The law of numbers” is raising the level of risk these days according to him. Many Quebecers are at the cottage or practicing outdoor activities during the holiday vacations.

“Our average for the last 10 years is still eight deaths per winter season and here we are already at four and we still have the months of January, February and March,” worries Mr. Hawkins.

In Quebec, all regions experienced a milder month of December than normal, explains Simon Legault, meteorologist for Environment Canada.

“It’s logical to think that the ice is not in the state it normally is at this time of year. If we have certain habits, we need to be even more vigilant,” he says.

According to the Lifesaving Society, at least 7 cm of ice is required for a person to venture on it, 12 cm for a snowmobile and 20 to 30 cm for a car.

On Lake Matagami, located in Jamésie in northwestern Quebec, Julie Stewart had to rescue her son and nephew last week, after they fell on a snowmobile into a water crevasse while it was dark.

“It’s about being vigilant and never taking the lake at dark,” she adds.

Tragedies elsewhere in the country

Elsewhere in Canada, tragedies on bodies of water have increased since the start of the holiday season.

In Ottawa, two teenagers were found dead after falling under the ice of the Rideau River on Wednesday as they prepared to skate on it, according to a GofundMe campaign to cover funeral expenses for Ahmed Haitham, the one of the victims.

Two other events in very similar circumstances in Alberta have also left four people dead, including three members of the same family, since the start of the holidays, according to what the RCMP has confirmed.