Drownings of 2 N.W.T. youth an accident: coroner

The drowning deaths of two young men in Great Slave Lake more than a year ago has been ruled an accident by the chief coroner's office in the Northwest Territories.

Michael Luzny-Ouellette, 18, and Randy Leisk Jr., 15, drowned July 5, 2007, while they were out boating on Great Slave Lake, near the community of Behchoko.

RCMP and volunteer searchers found their bodies one week later near the lake's Frank Channel.

The report by N.W.T. deputy chief coroner Cathy Menard, released Friday, determined the youth were likely more than eight kilometres from their camp when their boat ran out of gas and they decided to try to swim back.

Menard ruled out the need for an inquest into the drownings, saying both were accidents.

At the time of the incident, the pair was at the Nats'eju' Dahk'e healing camp, helping organizers set up the camp for its opening at a later date.

Menards' report recommends that the territorial government develop safety standards for all wilderness camps, even if the Nats'eju' Dahk'e camp was not yet operating at the time of the drowning.

"Maybe it could have prevented it if there had been certain standards and policies and safety standards in place. But they're not at the time," Menard told CBC News on Friday.

"This camp was not in operation. This camp was in development and had been for a couple of years, and it was not operational."

As part of her investigation, Menard said she examined claims by Leisk's family that a territorial judge had ordered Leisk to serve community hours at the healing camp.

Menard concluded that in fact, the judge did not order the teen to be at the camp.

The coroner's investigation included toxicology tests on one of the bodies, and found a low level of alcohol likely caused by the body fermenting in water. The only drug detected in that body was nicotine.

The other body was far too decomposed for a toxicology test.