Ornge Helicopter crash victims to be remembered

Two funerals will be held in northern Ontario on Saturday to honour two men killed in the fatal Ornge helicopter accident near Moosonee, Ont., last Friday.

Captain Don Filliter, 54, and paramedic Dustin Dagenais, 34, died when the Ornge helicopter they were in crashed.

Ornge said Filliter had been flying with them since March, and also worked with the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Ministry co-worker Al Tithecott worked alongside Filliter.

"Don was really a model of what we’re looking for in a pilot and a management pilot — a person who can lead other people," said Tithecott.

Filliter is survived by his wife and three children.

Dagenais, originally from Kapuskasing, Ont., had been living in Moose Factory with his wife Josee and infant daughter.

Dagenais’ cousin Randy said the paramedic will be remembered as a fun-loving guy and that the support the family has been receiving has been overwhelming.

"Now that we see the impact he had, you know, through saving somebody’s life, or just working with the kids coaching hockey, and you know stuff like that, it really validates why he was there and it’s really helped us move forward in the healing process, said Randy. "Especially Dustin’s parents. They’re proud of what their son did up there."

According to social media pages, Dagenais studied to be a paramedic at Northern College.

Four men died in the crash. Filliter’s funeral will be held in Sudbury and Dagenais’ funeral will be held in Kapuskasing.

Paramedic John Snowball, 33, from Burlington, Ont., and the 43-year-old First Officer Jaques Dupuy from Quebec also died.

Transportation Safety Board officers are investigating the crash and have said mechanical failure does not appear to be the cause.

A memorial service for all four victims will be held in Toronto on June 18.

Ornge, a not-for-profit organization, coordinates air and land ambulance transfers between hospitals in Ontario.