Monday, March 11, 2019 ~ VANCOUVER ISLAND.
~ West Shore Voice News
Micah Messent — a young Indigenous man who was raised in the Comox Valley and was excited to be taking part in environmental leadership in BC — was among 18 Canadians and 139 other people killed when Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302 crashed minutes after taking off from Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, on Sunday March 10.
Messent was one of several people on board with ties to this province. He had recently been selected to join a delegation attending the fourth United Nations Assembly of the Environment in Nairobi, Kenya.
On his Facebook page, Messent wrote the day before the crash: “I’m headed to Kenya tomorrow, where I’ll have the chance to meet with other passionate youth and leaders from around the world and explore how we can tackle the biggest challenges that are facing our generation.” And on Instagram, he wrote: “I’m so grateful for this opportunity and want to thank all of the people in my life who have helped me get this far. Wish me luck!”
Messent was an Indigenous relations analyst with BC Parks. This evening, Premier John Horgan issued a statement: “I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of BC Parks employee and recent Indigenous Youth Intern Micah Messent, who was on the plane that crashed in Ethiopia that claimed the lives of 157 people, including 18 Canadians. Micah was travelling to Kenya as he was selected to participate in the fourth United Nations Assembly of the Environment, as a delegate of the United Nations Association in Canada, to meet with youth and leaders from around the world. Micah was committed to tackling the challenges he saw around him in the world, both in his work to protect the environment and to advance reconciliation. On behalf of all British Columbians, we offer our thoughts and our prayers to his family and friends.”
Messent had graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Vancouver Island University’s Indigenous studies program. He planned to return to school to pursue a law degree, according to the First Nations Leadership Council who said he was a member of the Red River Métis Nation in Manitoba and the youngest of five siblings.