Alberta plans state memorial for former premier

Premier Rachel Notley paid tribute to her predecessor in office Tuesday as the government made plans to honour former premier Jim Prentice with a state memorial service.

Prentice, who also served as a federal cabinet minister, was one of four people killed in the crash of a corporate jet near Kelowna last Thursday.

The service will be held Friday, Oct. 28, at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium starting at 11 a.m., and is open to the public.

In her State of the Province address Wednesday, Notley spent several minutes talking about Prentice, who served as premier from Sept. 2014 to May 2015 before the NDP defeated his Tory government.

She noted the glowing tributes to Prentice that flowed out following news of his death.

“From personal experience, I can add the words gracious and statesmanlike, as he provided me with valuable advice during the postelection transition,” said Notley.

“In a life committed to public service, Jim Prentice made a difference,” she added.

Notley noted in particular that as both cabinet minister and premier, Prentice was committed to improving the “strained relations” with First Nations.

He also was key in vastly expanding Canada’s national parks system, she said.

Notley, whose father Grant was Alberta’s NDP leader when he died in a plane crash in 1984, said that “my family knows the pain the Prentice family and the families of the other crash victims are going through.”

Prentice was also remembered with tears and tributes in Parliament on Monday, and an official book of condolences for him was made available for people to sign earlier this week.

Also killed in the Kelowna crash were Ken Gellatly, the father-inlaw of one of Prentice’s daughters, former RCMP officer Jim Kruk, who was piloting the aircraft, and Calgary businessman Sheldon Reid.

The Transportation Safety Board has completed its work at the site where the plane went down, but the overall investigation into the crash is expected to take at least a year.