The sudden passing of former Alberta premier Jim Prentice came as a shock to many, last week. News outlets had reported that a small plane Prentice and three others were travelling in had crashed shortly after taking off from the Kelowna airport on Thursday night, which was confirmed on Friday.
Former Westlock-St. Paul MP Brian Storseth was in a meeting when a colleague passed the news on to him. At that time, it was still just speculation, but Storseth says he was in shock to hear of the accident.
“He was a good friend, a mentor. He taught me a lot,” says Storseth, speaking over the phone just a few days later. “It’s an absolute shock. It hurts. It’s terrible news.”
Storseth worked alongside Prentice when the two were involved in federal politics. Prentice then became in provincial politics, serving as premier in 2014-15.
“He was a great Albertan and a great Canadian,” says Storseth.
Also on board the small plane was Dr. Ken Gellatly, businessman Sheldon Reid, and pilot Jim Kruk, who was also a retired RCMP officer. The four were knowns as friends, with Gellatly also being the father-in-law to Prentice’s daughter.
No one survived the crash. The group was on route to Springbank airport, near Calgary.
According to news reports, the airplane was found just 11 kilometres north of Kelowna Airport. There were no emergency or distress calls made, and the initial investigation suggests that the plane was destroyed from high deceleration forces after a vertical descent.
Investigators were on scene last week, and the full investigation will take up to a year to complete.
Storseth credits Prentice for teaching him a lot during their time in politics.
“He was always focused on being a team player,” says Storseth, adding, that trait also translated to the ice, when the pair would throw on their equipment and play a game of hockey with friends.
Storseth also noted that it was because of Prentice that many local projects received federal funding, such as the C2 Centre in Bonnyville.
“He was just a great cabinet minister and colleague,” says Storseth, adding, “We will all miss him.”
