Motorcade to honour captain

Members of the public are invited to pay their respects to Capt. Kevin Hagen, one of six Canadian Armed Forces members who died in a CH-148 Cyclone helicopter crash in the Mediterranean Sea in April, by attending a homecoming motorcade procession on Saturday.

The Hagen family will be joined by military and civilian dignitaries in a police-escorted motorcade from Victoria International Airport to the McCall Gardens Funeral Home on Falaise Drive.

People are asked to adhere to COVID-19 restrictions and practise physical distancing, in addition to observing traffic rules.

The departure time is planned for 1:30 p.m. Saturday. The planned motorcade route starts at 443 (Maritime Helicopter) Squadron at 9755 Willingdon Rd. and heads to West Saanich Road, Mills Road, MacDonald Park Road, Beacon Avenue West to the Pat Bay Highway, before turning onto Royal Oak Drive and heading onto Falaise Drive to McCall Gardens at 4665 Falaise Dr.

Organizers caution there might be unforeseen delays or changes to the route.

The remains of four others killed in the crash in April arrived Thursday in Nova Scotia, where two motorcade processions allowed residents to pay their final respects.

The remains of Capt. Brenden MacDonald, Capt. Maxime Miron-Morin and Master Cpl. Matthew Cousins were taken to a funeral home in Dartmouth, following a procession that travelled through the 12 Wing Shearwater military airbase on the east side of Halifax harbour.

Sub-Lt. Matthew Pyke’s remains were to be taken to a funeral home in Truro, his hometown.

A funeral procession for 23-year-old Sub-Lt. Abbigail Cowbrough, originally from Toronto, was held May 11 in the Halifax area. Her remains were found in the Mediterranean Sea shortly after the crash.

The Cyclone was deployed aboard the Halifax-class frigate as part of a NATO mission patrolling the Mediterranean and Black seas.