Body of missing man found after canoes capsize in northwestern Ontario
The body of a 25-year-old American man has been found after two canoes capsized in northwestern Ontario last week, provincial police say.
Grant Smith, 25, was found deceased after the canoe he was in with five other people capsized in northwestern Ontario on June 5. (Facebook)
Five people were found after the boats overturned on Saganagons Lake in Quetico Provincial Park, located about 163 kilometres west of Thunder Bay, on June 5.
Ontario Provincial Police and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry responded to the call and spent several days searching for the missing man from Indianapolis, Indiana.
The body of Grant Smith was located by the OPP underwater search and recovery unit just before 4 p.m. June 9, police said.
"There were three canoes travelling with two individuals in each canoe," OPP spokesperson Autumn Eadie told CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca in an email on Monday afternoon.
"Three individuals were wearing lifejackets during this incident. The deceased individual was not."
Smith was canoeing with his father and two brothers when the canoes capsized "in an unexpected fast-moving storm," sources said.
His dad and brothers were able to get to shore.
Grant Smith, 25, of Indianapolis, Indiana was found deceased after the canoe he was in with five other people capsized on a lake in northwestern Ontario on June 5, 2024. (Facebook)
"First of all, my family and I would like to say thank you to everyone for the outpouring support and prayers. We will continue to need them as we move forward," his father Tony said in a social media post Monday morning.
"We now begin the process of bringing him home. We asked for your continued support and prayers as we navigate this path."
An online fundraiser with a goal to raise $10,000 to help the family raised nearly $19,000 in two days.
A section of the park that was closed for the investigation has been reopened.
The eastern portion of Saganagons Lake in Quetico Provincial Park was closed June 6, 2024 after a canoe carrying six people capsized and one man, 25, went missing.
The park reported "more windy weather" on social media June 6 and said the water is "still relatively cold," advising visitors to wear a lifejacket and paddle to their skill and comfort level.
Correction
On Friday, Ontario Provincial Police said "a canoe capsized with six individuals on board," in the initial news release and in an update on Monday "the correct number of canoes capsized was two." OPP clarified there were three canoes with two people in each one, only two boats capsized. The article above has been corrected to reflect the new information.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From essential goods to common stocking stuffers, Trudeau offering Canadians temporary tax relief
Canadians will soon receive a temporary tax break on several items, along with a one-time $250 rebate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
She thought her children just had a cough or fever. A mother shares sons' experience with walking pneumonia
A mother shares with CTVNews.ca her family's health scare as medical experts say cases of the disease and other respiratory illnesses have surged, filling up emergency departments nationwide.
Trump chooses Pam Bondi for attorney general pick after Gaetz withdraws
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, to be U.S. attorney general just hours after his other choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from consideration.
A one-of-a-kind Royal Canadian Mint coin sells for more than $1.5M
A rare one-of-a-kind pure gold coin from the Royal Canadian Mint has sold for more than $1.5 million. The 99.99 per cent pure gold coin, named 'The Dance Screen (The Scream Too),' weighs a whopping 10 kilograms and surpassed the previous record for a coin offered at an auction in Canada.
Putin says Russia attacked Ukraine with a new missile that he claims the West can't stop
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Thursday that Moscow has tested a new intermediate-range missile in a strike on Ukraine, and he warned that it could use the weapon against countries that have allowed Kyiv to use their missiles to strike Russia.
Here's a list of items that will be GST/HST-free over the holidays
Canadians won't have to pay GST on a selection of items this holiday season, the prime minister vowed on Thursday.
Video shows octopus 'hanging on for dear life' during bomb cyclone off B.C. coast
Humans weren’t the only ones who struggled through the bomb cyclone that formed off the B.C. coast this week, bringing intense winds and choppy seas.
Taylor Swift's motorcade spotted along Toronto's Gardiner Expressway
Taylor Swift is officially back in Toronto for round two. The popstar princess's motorcade was seen driving along the Gardiner Expressway on Thursday afternoon, making its way to the downtown core ahead of night four of ‘The Eras Tour’ at the Rogers Centre.
Service Canada holding back 85K passports amid Canada Post mail strike
Approximately 85,000 new passports are being held back by Service Canada, which stopped mailing them out a week before the nationwide Canada Post strike.