Owen Sound, Ontario Deputy-Mayor Scott Greig is proposing that individuals who require emergency ice rescues be billed for the costs of the operation. The suggestion follows a large rescue on March 8, 2026, when 23 anglers became stranded on a large piece of floating ice near the Hibou Conservation Area. The ice broke away from the shore and carried the group approximately two kilometres out into Georgian Bay.
According to the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority, a flood watch was in effect during the incident due to heavy rain and warm weather that reached 13 degrees Celsius. The rescue took place in hazardous conditions with winds blowing at more than 30 kilometres per hour from the west-southwest. At a meeting on March 23, 2026, Greig gave formal notice that he wants the city to calculate the expenses from the incident and send bills to the people who were rescued.
The Ontario Provincial Police stated they will not charge for their services because rescues are part of their daily work, but Greig pointed to other communities that have billed for similar events. In 2020, a resident was charged $15,444.50 for a rescue in Grey Highlands, and the Township of Scugog billed an ice fisherman $5,392.78 in 2013. Greig argued that the city fire department should recover its costs when people take predictable risks on unsafe ice.
One of the rescued men, Kevin Fox, said he would be willing to pay if he received a bill because the emergency teams saved his life. The Owen Sound city council is expected to vote on whether to move forward with these charges at a meeting on April 13, 2026. If the plan passes, staff will determine how much each person owes based on the total cost of the city fire department response.
