Water rescue fees under review
By Chris Simon

Several town councillors have called for higher emergency rescue fees, following two recent incidents on Lake Simcoe.

Over the last month, three people have died after falling through thin ice on Lake Simcoe near Georgina. In the first incident, two people riding on snowmobiles fell through the ice, while on a New Years Day excursion.

About one week later, the body of a 61-year-old Toronto ice-fisher was discovered.

However, several similar incidents occur on the lake each year, putting emergency personnel in unnecessarily dangerous conditions, said councillor Dan Davidson.

Davidson, with the support of several other council members, has asked staff to investigate the feasibility of increasing emergency service fees for water and ice rescues.

Both of the recent incidents were preventable, with police and the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs issuing safety warnings, said Davidson.

The town currently charges $1,500 for water and ice rescues.

"If we're charging to go out and rescue somebody off Lake Simcoe, and we have firemen and police officers out there and ambulances waiting on shore, should we not look at upping that fine that we can charge these people for all that expense?" he said, during recent 2008 Operating Budget deliberations. "It would get them to think about it. The last three incidents, the lake has not been safe. Three people have gone through, and that's pure stupidity."

Innisfil Fire and Rescue Service chief Scott Griffith says a lake rescue costs thousands of dollars in wages and equipment usage.

"The sky's the limit," he said, supporting a potential increase. "An occurrence costs thousands of dollars."

However, others say an increase would be inappropriate.

"I have a hard time with that," said councillor Rod Boynton. "There are three people who have died this year.

"They have a wife and kids at home. I have a hard time jacking them with a huge bill."

Mayor Brian Jackson says increasing fines could help prevent future incidents.

"It's a deterrent. We have to use some common sense and some of these issues lately have been people simply not using common sense. There's been enough warnings out there. Maybe, if they're going to be charged a significant amount of money, they may reconsider where they're going," he said. "They should consider their own families before they go out and the serious consequences. This is not a new issue, it's a recurring thing."

Councillor Lynn Dollin agrees.

"It's not an issue of revenue, it's an issue of asking each and every one of our firefighters to risk their lives to rescue that person," she said.

Regardless of a potential fee increase, emergency workers will still respond to calls on the lake, said Jackson.

"We should be mindful that if a rescue situation does occur, we're going to be there whether we get paid or not," he said. "We still have to go out if it's in our jurisdiction."