The employer of two men who drowned while on a fishing trip at Fraser Lake has started a fundraiser for their families.
Brenden Elias of Precision Home and Yard, a home renovation and landscaping company in Prince George, started a GoFundMe for Alberto Calago and Gibrone Cano’s families.
Calago and Cano along with three friends set out to Fraser Lake to go fishing on Monday, Sept. 5 and later that afternoon they were canoeing on the lake when the winds picked up and their canoe capsized.
Searches by friends and search and rescue came up empty and an RCMP aircraft was called in to help locate the men.
On Saturday, Sept. 10 the RCMP’s underwater recovery team located the bodies of Calago and Cano around noon.
Both men were originally from the Philippines.
“Alberto (“Bert”) was our first full-time team member at Precision Home and Yard. Bert was the most dedicated employee a company could ask for. From day one, Bert was excited to join our team, and be a “pioneer” (as he described it) of our company,” wrote Elias in the GoFundMe description.
“Bert was far more than a phenomenal, hardworking employee; he was also a great friend, a supportive husband to his wife Charisma, and a loving father to his young son who had not yet been able to get to Canada. Something we will all take away from Bert is his infectiously positive personality, and his optimistic view on life.”
Elias explained that Cano arrived in Canada in September 2021 and despite being overqualified reached out to Precision Home and Yard eager to start working as soon as possible.
“Although Gibrone held qualifications that far exceeded his role with our company, he put dedication and enthusiasm into every task he performed. Gibrone continued to be a valuable part of our team until he moved on to a position in his qualified field as one of the team members of the landscape architecture group with Ecora,” said Elias.
“Alberto and Gibrone worked hard as the sole providers for their families. April and Charisma are full time students, furthering their education to pursue careers in Human Resources, and Social Work. The loss of Gibrone and Alberto was greatly unexpected and, in the days and weeks to come, April and Charisma will need our help and support as they try and heal from this tragedy.”
As of publication, the GoFundMe has already raised over $20,000 of its $30,000 goal and those who wish to donate can do so online.
