It’s that time of year when the province reminds people about the need to be safe while out on the ice. People are reminded to check the thickness of ice before walking on or driving on it. Thickness depends on the particular water body concerned and the local conditions. Also, the water won’t freeze at a uniform thickness and ice strength can vary a lot from one area to the next. As a guideline, you need at least 10cm (four inches) of ice to walk on, 20cm (eight inches) to drive a snowmobile or ATV on it, and 30 cm (12 inches) to drive a car or light tuck on it. You need more than that to support a heavy truck.
Finally, avoid ice that looks slushy, has thawed and then frozen again, is near moving water, is layered caused by sudden temperature change, or has structures on it, such as pressure ridges.
For more information about ice fishing:
http://www.saskatchewan.ca/fishing