Coroner IDS body as Prince George businessman

The body of noted Prince George businessman Kelly Nordin was found in the ocean off Lasqueti Island in the Georgia Strait, the B.C. Coroners Service said Friday.

Two people traveling in a sailboat near the island’s southern tip found his body on Nov. 1, the coroners service said, adding he was last known to be alive on Oct. 24 and believed to have gone into the water in the area of West Vancouver.

The discovery was followed by an investigation that also involved the Oceanside RCMP and the West Vancouver Police Dept.

“Foul play has been ruled out in the case,” the coroners service said.

Nordin, who was 61 years old, owned The Keg restaurant in Prince George and was investor in a number of ventures over the years.

After a $3.5 million renovation that took more than a year to complete, the downtown nightspot was reopened in March.

First opened in February 1976, it was The Keg’s first purpose-built restaurant in its history. Nordin, who had previously worked for the McDonald’s hamburger chain, was brought in to manage the restaurant and in 1979 he bought it and had owned it ever since. Nordin was also noted as a booster of the city. “This town is worth the investment. I wouldn’t have put all this time and bank all this money if I didn’t truly believe that,” he had said. “We have a lot of confidence in the future of Prince George and the downtown.”

Word of Nordin’s death had gotten out earlier this month although details had not been made public.