Canadian Government to pay to have Everest Climbers body recovered

[hugh]

from here

Shah-Klorfine’s friend, Shelly Ann Siddoo, said that it could cost $50,000 to hire six Sherpas to carry her body part way down the mountain to Camp 2. From there, a helicopter would have to carry Shah-Klorfine’s remains to Kathmandu, where the body could be placed on a Canada-bound aircraft.

and

The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade is responsible for the recovery and repatriation of Canadians who die abroad.

This is OBVIOUSLY a very sensitive topic, however, I think it needs to be examined.

Personally I think it is wrong for Canadian taxpayers to pay $50,000 and with the helicopter costs perhaps $100,000 to have the body brought back to Canada.

Taxpayers don't pay for Air Ambulances to get sick people back from Florida or other parts of the United States (A common occurrence). Instead travelers are told to buy out-of-country insurance when they travel.

Should the same not be true for Canadians who are going on adventure holidays?

(Please note that if a Canadian dies in the service of their country then I believe the Canadian taxpayer should pay all costs and then some)

[timlocke]

I 100% agree with all points.

[eljay]

Except for the "and then some", I also agree.

[jshel101]

I also agree. She decided to climb Everest, so her estate should be fully responsible for the costs associated with bringing her body back.

[Jake]

We only have media reports but if the authorities can rule out foul play then yes I agree.

I would also cover Canadians who are employed abroad. Not sure if "service of country" meant to include that aspect Hugh.

I imagine she had insurance. Spending a week on a resort in Cuba is one thing but climbing Everest is not.

[jshel101]

I wonder if you could even get insurance, if you told them you where going to climb Everest?

[hugh]

I would also cover Canadians who are employed abroad. Not sure if "service of country" meant to include that aspect Hugh.

Private employers will have insurance for their employees. When I said service of country, I meant people who were employed by the Government of Canada including military personal, civil service people, embassy employees and that kind of thing. For example, If you work for the Canadian Embassy in Nepal and die there then I think the government should definitely pay for getting the body back.

I am really just trying to focus on Canadians who pass while vacationing outside the country.

I wonder if you could even get insurance, if you told them you where going to climb Everest?

You can pretty much get insurance for anything so I would say yes. My guess is the premium is pretty high.

Having said that, if you can afford to take 3 months off of work and spend $100,000 on an adventure trip then you can afford the premium or the cost of recovery.


FWIW, I think the embassy near Everest should assist the family in making arrangements to retrieve the body etc.

Canadian Embassies in foreign countries are a service that taxpayers fund so they should be their to assist Canadians in need, however, I don't think they should pay the cost of retrieving the body, the helicopter costs etc.

[hamstercaster]

Taxpayers should not have to cover the cost of recovering the body. I'm sure that that person knew that there were great chances she could get sick and/or die in her attempt to climb Mount Everest and that she should have done due diligence and purchased out of country insurance the same way most people will purchase insurance for going down south unless they are already covered under their work insurance.