Concerns raised about search and rescue in Canada as Norwegian hiker mourned

In late July, Steffen Skjottelvik set out on what he knew would be a perilous journey through the Canadian North.

Carrying a rifle and his backpack, and with his two huskies by his side, the Norwegian hiker planned to traverse 300 kilometres along the coast of Hudson Bay, from Fort Severn, Ont., to York Factory, a remote national historic site in Manitoba, about 250 km southeast of Churchill.

Mr. Skjottelvik, 29, had lived in Northern Ontario for two years, forging deep ties with local First Nations communities, where he served as a volunteer firefighter. As he traversed the muskeg lands, where the water can sometimes reach knee-height, he checked in regularly with Angus Miles from Fort Severn First Nation, who agreed to be his main point of contact throughout his journey.

On Aug. 15, when Mr. Skjottelvik failed to reach his destination, Mr. Miles reported him missing. What followed was a challenging search by both the RCMP and local First Nations communities that ended tragically on Aug. 24, after a pilot hired by Mr. Miles’ team spotted Mr. Skjottelvik’s body from the air on the bank of the Hayes River. An autopsy concluded that he had drowned.

Now, as First Nations across Hudson Bay mourn the loss of Mr. Skjottelvik, community members who assisted in the search are raising concerns about the role the RCMP played, claiming too much of the responsibility fell on local search parties to find the hiker.

“We shouldn’t have to rely on community resilience to fill in the gaping holes left by systemic failure,” said Leah Hunter, a member of council for Weenusk First Nation in Peawanuck, Ont.

Experts say this case shows that the lines of responsibility need to be more clearly delineated among official agencies in northern and remote areas, and that more work needs to be done to formalize the role First Nations play in finding missing people.

“For many First Nations, search and rescue is an act of sovereignty, and they often serve as the lead on it, but too often, I think they’re still treated as almost informal participants in the system,” said Peter Kikkert, an associate professor at St. Francis Xavier University and a researcher in Arctic search and rescue.

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When a person is reported missing, police are typically the first point of contact. They will assess the situation and co-ordinate with other agencies.

In this case, the RCMP detachment in Gillam, Man., oversaw the official search. Sergeant Paul Manaigre, an RCMP spokesperson, said that on Aug. 16, the day after receiving a missing persons report, a helicopter requested by the RCMP flew over the area. The police also employed a drone to look for signs of Mr. Skjottelvik, he said.

The search efforts were complicated by the remoteness of the area, Sgt. Manaigre said.

“A ground search was difficult at times, just due to the high and low tides, the soft, dangerous terrain,” he said.

The next day, on Aug. 17, the Canadian Rangers, who are part of the Canadian Army Reserve and have search-and-rescue training, received a request for assistance from Manitoba RCMP, according to Cheryl Forrest, a spokesperson for the Department of National Defence.

However, the Rangers did not deploy, Ms. Forrest said.

“The RCMP had identified the Rangers as one of several potential support options, and after reviewing the operational requirements, both parties agreed that other resources would be more appropriate for the mission,” said Ms. Forrest.

Ms. Forrest declined to address additional questions, directing The Globe and Mail to reach out to the RCMP, which did not respond to the queries.

Mr. Miles did not respond to an interview request from The Globe, however he documented his concerns about the unfolding search for Mr. Skjottelvik in a series of videos on social media.

In a video posted on Aug. 19, Mr. Miles said that he had not seen the RCMP helicopter or drone for several days. He said he was part of a small team from Fort Severn First Nation that had chartered a helicopter to begin their own search.

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First Nations across Northern Ontario and Manitoba raised money from their communities to help pay for fuel and other expenses related to the search Mr. Miles and his team was conducting.

Mr. Miles has been critical of the RCMP’s search efforts, saying that his team didn’t have much support.

“Everybody knew what was happening – nobody showed,” he said in the video.

After receiving calls and messages from constituents, two Northern Ontario MPPs, Sol Mamakwa and Guy Bourgouin, called on officials to do more to help find the missing hiker.

Mr. Mamakwa said his calls for assistance weren’t answered.

“It was thanks to the search team from Fort Severn and all the people who donated and raised awareness that Steffen’s body was found,” Mr. Mamakwa said in an interview.

Sgt. Manaigre defended the RCMP’s response, saying the officer assisting with the search worked up to 18 hours a day until the hiker was found. While he acknowledged that the detachment has limited equipment to conduct rescue operations in remote areas, he questioned whether it would be practical to maintain that gear in the vicinity.

“For something that could occur once every 10 years, that’s a lot of resources to sink in one area when we’ve got a vast province,” said Sgt. Manaigre.

The legislation around search-and-rescue operations should be re-examined, said Mike Metatawabin, Deputy Grand Chief for Nishnawbe Aski Nation, which represents 49 First Nations across Northern Ontario.

“Don’t you think that we have an obligation to look after anybody who steps foot in the country?” he asked.

Before Mr. Skjottelvik died, he was working on a documentary about Canada and his love of Canadians, said Christian Dyresen, a family spokesperson. Mr. Skjottelvik’s family is now working on retrieving some of the footage that he had captured and plan to continue his storytelling.

Mr. Skjottelvik was “a guy who couldn’t be stopped,” Mr. Dyresen said.

“He followed his dream at any cost, which also made him and his parents talk about the risk,” said Mr. Dyresen. “They talked about death, and they had an open and frank conversation about what if he didn’t make it.”