Boating accident in northwestern Ontario claims life of Goderich, Ont. mayor

'John was a bright light.... Our sincere condolences go out to John’s wife Wendy, their three boys, daughter-in-law, and grandson,' a statement from town officials said.

The flag outside Goderich, Ont., town hall has been lowered to half-mast as the local community mourns the loss of Mayor John Grace, who died on Tuesday following a boating accident near his fishing resort in Pickle Lake in Ontario’s northwest.

In a statement, town officials confirmed the news of Grace’s death, saying he “enhanced the fabric of the town and enriched the lives of many, far beyond our community.”

“John was committed to his family and the community. He was a man of the people through and through,” the statement continued.

“John was a bright light, and he will be dearly missed. Our sincere condolences go out to John’s wife Wendy, their three boys, daughter-in-law, and grandson.”

Few other details have been released by local officials, however, Ontario Provincial Police in Pickle Lake confirmed to Global News that a Goderich man was the victim of a boating accident on Lake St. Joseph on Tuesday.

Police would not identify the boater by name, but said they were contacted around 11:30 a.m. CT on Tuesday and told that a boater who had gone out on the lake was roughly 40 minutes overdue returning, said Sgt. Juliane Porritt.

Emergency crews located the boat capsized on the lake and began a search for the operator of the vessel with the help of Nishnawbe Aski Police, an emergency response unit and a marine unit.

After approximately seven hours, the occupant was located deceased “within the vicinity of where we believed them to be based on currents,” Porritt said.