Loved ones of man who died at Banff’s Johnston Canyon asking to reopen the search

The girlfriend of the man who drowned at Johnston Canyon in Banff National Park last week wants to spare someone else the trauma of finding his body.

The girlfriend of a man who died after jumping into dangerous waters on a popular Banff National Park trail says he is remembered as an extroverted outdoor enthusiast who sparked joy in the lives of those around him.

“He brought light and laughter to everyone around him,” Nicolette Babbe said through tears of 25-year-old Pavlo Shemchuk.

“He was the most outdoorsy guy that I’ve ever met in my life. He spent every minute he could just working out, going on bike rides, boxing, camping.”

Shemchuk was living out that outdoorsy lifestyle last week in Alberta when, on a trip with his cousin and best friend, he jumped off the cliffs at Johnston Canyon and into the lower falls.

Parks Canada and the RCMP closed the trail and began recovery efforts when he did not resurface.

Those efforts were called off on Monday after the Mounties declared Shemchuk had died and conditions were too dangerous to let divers into the water.

The trail reopened later that day.

One week later, Babbe is speaking out, asking for resources to reopen the search to find Shemchuk’s body.

“We are hoping to prevent any trauma from somebody finding him,” Babbe said, adding it’s been hard for Shemchuk’s loved ones to sit around and wait for the next steps.

She said while she understands the conditions are too dangerous to allow divers to go into the water, she and Shemchuk’s loved ones are hoping someone can offer drone assistance or resources to do water recovery.

Originally from Ukraine, Shemchuk moved to Pennsylvania about a decade ago and lived there for a few years before moving to Arizona, Babbe said.

A GoFundMe has raised over $17,000 for recovery and funeral expenses.