Body of paramedic who drowned in boating accident recovered in northern Ontario

The chief of a First Nation in northern Ontario says a search and recovery effort has located the body of a paramedic presumed to have drowned in a boating accident.

Kashechewan First Nation Chief Gaius Wesley says the body of Arjanan Sivasathiyarajah, who had started working in the community just two weeks earlier, was recovered shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Wesley first announced Monday the paramedic was presumed to have drowned when he fell into the river and was swept into a fast-running current after his boat hit shallow water.

The chief says he was on a supply run with another paramedic and an agency nurse to Fort Albany, a nearby community along James Bay.

Grand Chief Alison Linklater, who leads a council of eight local First Nations, called the paramedic a “fallen hero” who would be remembered for his “honourable service and pledge to the health of our people.”

The local health authority said he had already made an “immense impact” on those who met him during his tenure.