Man and dog rescued after 3 hours on ice floe

A fisherman and his dog have been rescued after spending about three hours adrift on a piece of ice in the St Lawrence river.

The man was ice fishing in a hut near the shore at Montmagny, near Quebec City, yesterday evening when the ice broke off around 5 p.m. and began floating down the river.

The Canadian Coast Guard was called for help, but officials decided using a helicopter to rescue the man was risky due to poor weather conditions.

Instead, the Coast Guard called Captain Dominic Lachance's cruise ship company to help with the rescue.

Lachance's company operates a specialized rescue canoe designed to operate in icy waters.

The crew finally found the man and his dog, drifting in the St. Lawrence river, at about 8 p.m. last night.

Coast Guard officials are warning that the ice on many waterways may not be safe to use because of this week's mild weather.