Petty Officer 2nd Class Gregory Applin died in hospital as a result of the incident, the Forces said.Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press
Two Royal Canadian Navy members are facing charges related to the 2025 death of a third sailor after a boating accident, the military announced Wednesday.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Gregory Applin died after a rigid hull inflatable boat he was on struck a mooring buoy on Jan. 24, 2025, in Bedford Basin near Halifax.
He and another Navy member were rescued by a nearby vessel and taken to hospital, where PO2 Applin died “as a result of the incident,” the Forces said.
Master Sailor David Terry, who was serving on the frigate HMCS Montréal at the time of the alleged offence, is charged with one count of criminal negligence causing bodily harm under Section 130 of the National Defence Act. He’s also charged with one count of negligent performance of military duties under Section 124 of the same law.
Sailor First Class Alexandre Garrison, who was part of Naval Fleet School (Atlantic) at the time of the alleged offences, is charged with one count of dangerous operation of a conveyance causing death under Section 130 and one count of negligent performance of military duties under Section 124, both under the National Defence Act.
In a statement, Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, Commander of the Navy, and Chief Petty Officer First Class Pascal Harel called the charges “difficult news for all of us” and said they highlight the “challenging reality” of military service.
“We operate in a demanding environment where mistakes and errors can have fatal consequences, and we must be accountable for our actions and our inactions,” the pair said.
They said that “the loss of one of our own weighs heavily on us all” and that there would be a fair and impartial process to determine the outcome of the charges announced.
“We are also extremely mindful that an incident like this almost never results from a single cause or single error, and it is most likely the outcome of a combination of factors,” Vice-Adm. Topshee and CPO1 Harel said.