West Coast whale boat tragedy, a year later

Entire communities have been honoured, individuals cited for heroism and boats blessed, but one year after the sinking of a whale-watching vessel off British Columbia that tossed 27 people into the churning Pacific, the wounds have barely started to heal.

Five Britons and one Australian died on Oct. 25, 2015, when the 20-metre Leviathan II capsized in waters near Tofino, about 320 kilometres northwest of Victoria.

The cause of the tragedy remains under investigation. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is expected to release its report next year.

In the days immediately following the sinking, TSB investigators said most passengers and crew were on the top deck of the vessel’s port side, when a wave hit the starboard side. The vessel tilted up, rolled and capsized, said the TSB.

Survivors described being thrown into the ocean without life jackets, grabbing hold of a single life ring that floated in the waves.

Rescuers from the nearby First Nations village of Ahousaht raced to help in boats after seeing a single emergency flare.

Families of those who died say the pain of their loss hasn’t faded.

“I feel just as sad today as I did last year,” said Michele Slater Brown of Milton, Ont., whose father Jack Slater, 76, a British national living in Toronto, died in the sinking. “This has affected me more than any other single event ever in my life.”

Brown said she will not be in Tofino on Tuesday for a ceremony to honour the victims one year after the sinking. Relatives and loved ones of the other victims are expected to attend the ceremony, which includes unveiling a plaque.

David Thomas, 50, and his 18year-old son Stephen, both from Swindon, England; Katie Taylor, a 29-year-old Briton living in Whistler, B.C.; and 63-year-old Nigel Hooker of Southampton, England, also died in the sinking.

Surfers found the body of Australian tourist Raveshan Morgan Pillay, 27, weeks after the boat capsized.

On Monday, a groundbreaking ceremony will take place to build a new skate park, aided by fundraising efforts from Leviathan II survivors, at the village of Ahousaht.

On Tuesday, the District of Tofino is set to unveil a plaque honouring the memory of the Leviathan II victims at the community dock.