The search by Hay River and Fort Resolution RCMP for a missing man travelling by kayak on Great Slave Lake has ended as the man was announced deceased on Thursday.
NWT chief coroner Cathy Menard identified the deceased male as a 30-year-old man who had been living in Ontario. He was not from Canada originally.
The deceased tourist's name will be not be released at this time, as the efforts are still underway to contact family members overseas, Menard told News/North.
A search for a missing kayaker began after a 9:30 a.m. call to RCMP on Aug. 7 when the individual did not check in with family members.
The RCMP organized a search on the south shore of Great Slave Lake in coordination with Joint Rescue Coordination Centre from Trenton, Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary (CCGA) of Hay River.
At 6 p.m. the same day, CCGA located an overturned kayak and the RCAF’s CC130 Hercules spotted a body near by.
A post mortem examination has been ordered by the NWT Coroner Services.
“It is with sadness we report the recovery of the deceased on Great Slave Lake. Our thoughts are with the family of the deceased man” stated Sgt Ken Beard, acting RCMP south district officer.
“The Great Slave Lake is large and can be challenging to search. We can’t thank our partners enough. We value the partnerships we have in the North and their support in searches in our vast territory.”
-With files from Brendan Burke