Search continues for Toronto student missing on school trip to Algonquin Park

The group had portaged into a remote section of the park and Bird said staff reported Tuesday evening that a 15-year-old male student went missing after going swimming with other students.

Provincial police were contacted and began a search and recover mission on Tuesday, he said.

“Our focus right now is not only helping the police in any way we can, but to support the family of the student involved, obviously, and then all the students and staff that are part of this trip,” said Bird.

Shari Schwartz-Maltz, a TDSB spokeswoman, said that there would have been three lifeguards watching the boy and 22 other students who were swimming at the time.

She added that all students on the trip would have had to pass a swimming test.

The students have started to make their way back home, and TDSB is working to have counsellors meet the students when they come out of the park, she said.

“They’re in a relatively isolated part of Algonquin Park, I think it’s about a day portage (to the park’s western gate), so in order to avoid that they’re finding a way to get them out to a reception area,” said Schwartz-Maltz, who mentioned that police were exploring use of bush planes as an option.

Efforts were underway to transport the students and staff from the interior of the park, police said.

The student’s father, Joshua Anderson, has identified the boy as Jeremiah Perry in an interview with a Toronto TV station.

Anderson, whose 17-year-old son also was on the trip, said that he thought the school would have their children’s safety under control.

“That was the least on our minds thinking about the safety because we know the school is supposed to have proper supervision, proper protocol, everything in place,” he told CP24.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Search continues for Toronto student missing on school trip to Algonquin Park

Our Community