Former Alberta premier and long-time federal cabinet minister Jim Prentice was killed in a plane crash in British Columbia, Oct. 13.聽
According to the Canadian Press, Prentice was among four people onboard a plane that crashed shortly after takeoff from the Kelowna airport.
The crash also killed three other Albertans; Dr. Ken Gellatly, businessman Sheldon Reid, and pilot Jim Kruk.
The jet was on its way to Calgary.
According to The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB), which is investigating the accident, the plane went down in a heavily wooded area just eight minutes after takeoff. 聽
The aircraft was not equipped with, nor was it required to carry, a cockpit voice recorder or a flight data recorder. However, the team of investigators will be reviewing any electronic components on the aircraft so they can get a better understanding of what happened.
TSB also reported there were no emergency or distress calls made, nor was an emergency locator transmitter signal received prior to the crash.
Prentice held several cabinet posts under former Prime Minister Stephen Harper before leaving Ottawa for Alberta politics, where he served as premier.
However, his time as premier was short-lived. In September 2014 he became the premier of Alberta after he won the leadership race for the Progressive Conservative party.
In May 2015, his party was defeated by the ruling NDP.
Prentice resigned from both his role as party leader and MLA on election night.
In June, Prentice took a position as an energy advisor to Warburg Pincus, a private equity firm.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley both expressed their condolences upon learning of his death.
鈥淗e was broadly respected in the House of Commons鈥攁cross all party lines鈥攆or his intelligence, commitment, and honest straightforward approach on tough issues. I greatly enjoyed the time I spent working closely beside Jim in the House, and know that he will be missed by his colleagues on both sides of the aisle,鈥� Trudeau wrote in a statement.
Notley said there are no adequate words for moments like this.
鈥淏ut there are words to remember Premier Prentice鈥檚 contributions to Alberta. He served our province in so many roles for so many years. He deeply loved Alberta. He worked tirelessly for all of us, in the true spirit of one who is committed to public service. I benefited from his advice, and the Government of Alberta is continuing to pursue many of his initiatives,鈥� Notley wrote. 鈥淔or Alberta, today is a day of sorrow in the face of terrible tragedy.鈥�
Flags at provincial buildings were flown at half-staff across the province to commemorate his death.
A state memorial will be held in Calgary, Oct. 28.
Kayla Byrne [email protected]
