Bracebridge, Ont. man who lost his life trying to save another honoured posthumously
A Bracebridge man who died trying to save a distressed swimmer nearly four years ago is being recognized posthumously for his extraordinary act of heroism.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
Kevin Schell, 51, jumped into action on August 24, 2020, when a 24-year-old man visiting Muskoka from Toronto started to struggle in 30 feet of water.
Schell told his daughter to call 911 while he raced to reach the swimmer, who had begun to panic in the strong Muskoka River current.
Two more bystanders immediately jumped into the water to help and managed to bring the swimmer to a buoy and get a life jacket on him.
At some point, Schell disappeared under the water.
Divers searched for hours before recovering his body about 30 feet from where he was last seen.
The swimmer survived despite having inhaled water.
Schell's family will receive the Carnegie Hero Fund in the form of a financial grant for his selfless actions that day. He is among 18 others who risked serious injury or death to save others receiving the honour.
A Carnegie Medal is seen in this social media image. (Twitter / Carnegie Hero Fund)
The fund is North America's highest honour for civilian heroism. Since its inception in 1904, it has granted nearly $45 million in one-time grants, scholarship aid, death benefits, and continuing assistance.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6944598.1719577885!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Debate-watchers in the Biden and Trump camps seem to agree on something. Biden had a bad night
'Oh, Joe.' That gasp, from patrons at a Chicago bar when U.S. President Joe Biden first stumbled verbally in his debate with Donald Trump, spoke for a lot of Americans on Thursday night.
BREAKING Ontario MPP removed from PC caucus over 'serious lapses in judgment'
Premier Doug Ford has removed a member of his caucus due to what he’s describing as 'serious lapses in judgment.' In a statement released Friday morning, the premier’s office said MPP Goldie Ghamari had been removed from the Progressive Conservative caucus 'effective immediately.'
Buying a car? Why you may have to pay more at some dealers if you use cash
It used to be cash was king and that you could get a better deal if you paid for a car in full, but now many dealers want you to finance your purchase so they can make more money.
What is going on with immigration in Canada? Here's what the data shows
Canada has welcomed more than 3.9 million new citizens since 2005, with nearly one third coming from India, the Philippines or China, according to a CTVNews.ca analysis.
Pope's top adviser, women who say they were abused by ex-Jesuit artist ask for mosaics to be removed
The scandal over a famous ex-Jesuit artist who is accused of psychologically, spiritually and sexually abusing adult women came to a head Friday after some of his alleged victims and the pope’s own anti-abuse adviser asked for his artworks not to be promoted or displayed.
Economy grew 0.3% in April, Statistics Canada reports
Canadian economic growth rebounded in April, but early indications suggested it failed to maintain the momentum into May.
Liberal caucus staying quiet after major byelection defeat that rattled party
Liberal campaign co-chair Terry Duguid insisted Thursday that his caucus is united behind Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, even as the majority of elected Liberals remain silent on the prime minister's political future.
NEW Car thieves tried accessing Ontario transportation ministry database
One of Canada's largest police forces has knowledge of car thieves attempting to breach Ontario's Ministry of Transportation database, CTV News has learned.
Debate takeaways: Trump confident, even when wrong, Biden halting, even with facts on his side
Thursday’s U.S. presidential debate was a re-run that featured two candidates with a combined age of 159, but it went especially poorly for one of them, President Joe Biden.