Teen killed in Muskoka boat crash remembered as 'joyful, compassionate'
The community at a Toronto parish and school are mourning the death of a teenage girl killed in a Muskoka boating crash.
Blessed Sacrament Parish leaders tell CTV News Toronto 13-year old Quinn Cammaert died in the collision.
They said dozens of people attended a vigil Thursday night at her school, Blessed Sacrament Catholic School to remember the recent Grade 8 graduate and valedictorian.
“The silence was overwhelming. It was very difficult to go over there as a pastor knowing these students, but the good news was we prayed together as a community,” Father Larry Marcille, the pastor at the parish, said.
Youth director Joanna Manturowicz has known Cammaert for three years through ministry programs.
“She was a compassionate, soft, joyful girl,” she said. “She was a little bit on the quieter side, she was very gentle.”
The cause of the crash remains unknown. It happened around 7:40 p.m. Wednesday near the Windermere Marina on Lake Rousseau between two boats.
Ontario Provincial Police said there were three people in each vessel and witnesses reported several people in the water.
A 51-year-old, identified by police as Donna Wiley of Oakville, also died. Her body was recovered Thursday afternoon.
Marcille, Manturowicz and seminary intern Tomek Tylka all attended the vigil for Cammaert. They said they were especially touched by the words from Cammaert’s valedictorian speech read aloud by the school principal.
“When he read, I know he was very much choked up,” Marcille said. “Her speech took a lot of people to crying and grieving.”
“The passion in his words, of her quoting Dr. Seuss, how this is going to be the best summer … looking forward to the future, looking forward to high school, her excitement, her joy really spoke through her speech,” Manturowicz said.
“This news has been devastating for all of us, and our hearts go out to the student’s family as they deal with this tremendous loss,” the Toronto Catholic District School Board [TCDSB] said in a statement.
“We are grateful for the support of the local parish, staff, and the team of social workers and grief counsellors who have been available to support the school community during this difficult time.”
TCDSB said a mass is being planned for the student in September.
The community is also praying for Cammaert’s mother. The church said she was critically injured and is now at Sunnybrook Hospital.
“This is a tragedy. We’re not sure why this happened,” Father Marcille said.
“We are never prepared for the death of a child. This is only the second time. Never before did I have to bury a child.”
Marcille said the community is praying for the affected families and truly believes ‘young Quinn’ is in heaven.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING NEWS Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'