Мужчину оштрафовали и запретили посещать парк Банф за незаконную аренду каяка, в котором перевернулась американская семья

Man banned from Banff National Park for illegally renting canoe that capsized with American family aboard The family said the scary incident is seared on their memory Article content David Daviau, a man with a lengthy criminal record, was handed a $3,000 fine for illegally renting out a canoe to an American family who then capsized in the borrowed boat on Lake Louise in July 2025. Daviau pleaded guilty Wednesday to operating a business without a licence and violating the Canada National Parks Act. Justice Jayme Williams, in sentencing Daviau, also banned him from visiting Banff National Park for a year. Recommended Videos The incident occurred on the morning of July 3, 2025, when Daviau approached three members of a family waiting in a long line at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Boathouse. He asked if they wanted to rent a kayak privately for $20 less than the rental price of $140 because he had only two life jackets. Daviau had borrowed the kayak from Sports Rent in Calgary two days ago and brought the equipment to Lake Louise that day. He failed to give them any safety instructions, which, according to the statement of facts read out by Crown Counsel Caroline Lirette at a court hearing in Canmore, resulted in their boat capsizing shortly after, just as the adult son tried to take a photo with this parents in the same boat. The pleasant boat ride turned into a nightmare for the family as they held on to the canoe in the freezing glacial water. The man and his parents, who live in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and weren’t present at the court hearing, told Lirette that the trauma of struggling in the frigid lake has been seared into their memory. The son wasn’t wearing a life jacket, which left him choking on water, according to lifeguards at the rental who came to rescue the family shortly after. By the time they arrived, the man’s father, who previously had open-heart surgery, had almost reached a state of hypothermia as he was unable to kick his legs, Lirette told the court. The experience of nearly drowning is something I cannot adequately describe,” Lirette read out the mother’s victim impact statement. “It was terrifying and traumatic. “My husband experienced a serious cardiac event during the incident, as confirmed by his pacemaker’s recorded data. This medical emergency in those conditions only added to our fear and uncertainty.” Along with their phones, the incident cost the family more than $4,500. However, no money had exchanged hands between the family and Daviau, who had verbally agreed to collect the payment after their ride. Daviau called Parks Canada staff that afternoon to claim the boat and he was arrested for failing to show a business license. Daviau’s criminal history stretches back more than two decades. It includes drug trafficking, a manslaughter conviction in 2008, kidnapping and breaking and entering that same year, for which he served a nearly six-year sentence. Later in 2017, he was arrested for a violation of an order not to possess a firearm. His lawyer, George Sirois, requested the court to give him two years to pay the fine, as Daviau now lives in B.C., working as a roofing contractor and is currently in bankruptcy proceedings. Catch up with the day’s headlines, curated by our editors and delivered to your email inbox at lunchtime on every business day. Sign up now for the Calgary Herald Noon News Roundup.