North Coast Review
[This story originally appeared on The North Coast Review, a blog based in Prince Rupert that contains “items of interest to those living on the North Coast of BC.”]
A memorial tribute to Prince Rupert Tug boat operator Troy Pearson, who died earlier this year in a tragic tugboat sinking near Kitimat, is in the final stages of being organized, with a growing number of members of the Prince Rupert marine community set to take to the water on Saturday afternoon, July 31.
The memorial is being organized by Mr. Pearson’s spouse Judy Carlick-Pearson and family members. People in the community will pay their final goodbyes in a 4pm ceremony on the water in the Prince Rupert Harbour.
Ms. Carlick-Pearson has been sharing word of the plans for this weekend through her Facebook page, with the list of participants for the event growing by the day.
Mr. Pearson lost his life in a marine incident on February 11th. The sinking of the tug Ingenika in extreme weather conditions took place in an area of the Gardner Canal south of Kitimat. It also claimed the life of crew mate Charley Cragg, a third member of the Ingenika crew Zac Dolan was rescued as part of a search following the incident.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada launched its investigation into the incident in April. It originally noted that the investigation would take up to 220 days, which would mean a final report could be expected as of mid-October.
In her social media message, Ms. Carlick Pearson outlines that one element of this weekend’s activity on the waters of Prince Rupert harbour will be to show Transport Canada, WorksafeBC and the RCMP that many are still in support of raising the tug to gain further insight into the incident.
You can learn more about this weekend’s plans from Ms. Carlick Pearson’s Facebook page.
