Canadian volunteer drone mechanic killed on Ukraine front, family mourns in B.C.

Jessy Noel Bourgeois, a 46-year-old Canadian father from British Columbia, traveled to Ukraine to work as an aerial drone crew mechanic for the Ukrainian army, despite having no formal military background. He was killed on Aug. 18 in the Donetsk region under circumstances that remain unclear. After his death, a memorial prayer service was conducted at St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church in Nanaimo, where his mother Valery Simonds, stepmother Dawn Bourgeois, and other parish members gathered to honor him.

One outlet explained that the family is still waiting for the Canadian embassy in Kyiv to provide assistance with repatriation, a process hampered by the embassy’s temporary closure to in-person services. Jessy’s call sign “Skoden,” an Indigenous phrase meaning “let’s go,” reflected his Métis roots, and he had become integrated into the local Ukrainian community, learning the language and participating in church life. He leaves behind two children, Maya, 12, and Elliot, 10, who were in regular contact with him, and his death brings the number of Canadians who have died in Ukraine since the invasion to 28, according to Global Affairs Canada. The Association of Ukrainian Canadian Veterans highlighted his contributions both on the front lines and within the parish.