Four men from Port Alberni will be receiving lifesaving medals for saving two teenagers in a canoeing accident on Sproat Lake last November.
The award is bittersweet for two of the men, Bob Cole and Kelly Lance. While two teenagers were saved, a third drowned and his body was not found until the next day.
READ MORE: Teenager drowns after canoe flips during weekend trip on Sproat Lake
The Lifesaving Society, BC and Yukon Branch, will award Cole, Lance, John Mahaffy and David Murphy with the Silver Medal of Merit at the 112th annual Commonwealth Awards for Honour and Rescue on March 9, 2024 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.