Markham families looking for a way to spend the long weekend outdoors can try ice fishing without buying a licence. Ontario is waiving fishing licence requirements for Canadian residents from Saturday, Feb. 14, to Family Day on Monday, Feb. 16, and no Outdoors Card is needed.
Family Day weekend is a perfect time for families to get outdoors and enjoy ice fishing here in Ontario.
— Mike Harris, Ontario Minister of Natural Resources
Rules that still apply
The free weekend removes the licence, not the regulations. Anyone fishing must carry identification issued by the provincial or federal government showing their name and date of birth. Catch and possession limits under the Conservation Fishing Licence stay in force, as do restrictions in fish sanctuaries and other fishing rules.
Family Day weekend is the first of four licence-free periods Ontario sets aside each year. The others are Mother's Day weekend, May 9 and 10; Father's Day weekend, June 20 and 21; and Family Fishing Week, June 27 to July 5. Veterans and active members of the Canadian Armed Forces who live in Ontario can fish free whenever and wherever fishing is allowed.
Outside those periods, most people aged 18 to 64 need an Outdoors Card and a licence. Both can be bought online at HuntAndFishOntario.com or in person at participating ServiceOntario locations and authorized licence issuers.
Head to a lake, not a pond
Markham residents should not look close to home for ice. The city asks people to stay off its ponds, stormwater ponds and waterways because water flows in and out of them all year, making the ice unpredictable and unsafe.
For anyone heading to a lake, the province says safety should come first:
Check conditions with local ice hut operators or anglers before going out
Clear blue ice is the strongest; white or honeycombed ice is weaker
Tell someone where you will be fishing
Wear proper gear for warmth and safety
