Jim Prentice, the former Alberta premier and a long-time federal cabinet minister, has been killed in a plane crash.
Sources close to the Prentice family confirm that he was among four people onboard the Cessna Citation business jet that crashed shortly after take-off Thursday from Kelowna airport. The jet was bound for Calgary.
The plane went down in a heavily wooded area. Investigators with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are making their way to the scene Friday.
Prentice, the father of three daughters and a grandfather, held several cabinet posts under former prime minister Stephen Harper before leaving Ottawa for Alberta politics, where he served as premier.
His tenure as premier was short-lived. He became premier in September, 2014 when he won the leadership of the Progressive Conservative party. But his party suffered a humiliating defeat the following May when it lost to the NDP, ending 44 years of unbroken rule by the Tories.
Voters had soured on Prentice’s government after it introduced higher taxes and fees and cut services to deal with a mounting deficit. Prentice called an early election, saying he needed his financial plan for the Alberta economy needed a mandate from the province’s residents – and voters passed judgment on Prentice’s leadership.
He resigned as both party leader and MLA on the election night.
In June, Prentice took a position as an energy advisor to Warburg Pincus, a private equity firm.
Mayor John Tory issued the following statement after learning of Prentice's passing:
"I am saddened to learn of the death of former Alberta Premier and federal cabinet minister Jim Prentice. I have known Jim for 40 years, since he first became deeply involved in the PC Party of Canada. In today's world of dramatically increased polarization, he stood out as a decent, civilized public servant. To him, that's what political office was all about: public service. He will be sorely missed, as a man loved by his friends and family, and as a devoted public servant. On behalf of the members of Toronto City Council and the people of Toronto, I extend my heartfelt condolences to his wife, Karen, their three daughters, his friends and colleagues, and to the loved ones of all those who were killed in this tragic accident."