Lake ice interacts with hydrological, climatic, biological, cultural and economic systems. Consequently, information about its properties, including its extent, is of interest to many people. The processes of freeze-up and breakup govern the seasonal evolution of lake ice extent. Thanks to their capacity to acquire images, independent of daylight and cloud cover conditions, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites offer good potential for lake ice extent mapping. This presentation addresses our efforts to assess and develop the utility of Canada’s RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) satellites for mapping the lake ice extent during breakup and freeze-up. Our mapping methods include automated classification models that exploit RCM compact polarimetric SAR data. These models were developed using data acquired over lakes nearby Inuvik (NT), Yellowknife (NT), and Kenora (ON) and their performance is validated by means of aerial photographs and optical satellite images. Our methods will be implemented in the SAR Toolbox of the Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)’s Earth Observation Data Management System (EODMS) for use by federal and public lake ice extent stakeholders. We will discuss our progress to date, challenges, and future development plans.