EDMONTON—A third Edmontonian has been identified as one of the victims of Sunday’s Ethiopian Airlines plane crash, which killed all 157 people on board, including 18 Canadians.

Darcy Belanger, a 46-year-old from Edmonton, was on his way to the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, and was aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 when it crashed shortly after leaving Addis Ababa.

Belanger posted excitedly about his upcoming trip from a layover in Washington, D.C., saying in a video that he was looking forward to discussing the Marine Arctic Peace Sanctuary (MAPS) initiative — a treaty that aims to declare the Arctic Ocean an international peace park — for which he was a fierce advocate.

He was attending the UN assembly as part of his volunteer work with Parvati.org, a non-profit organization dedicated to the environmental and social welfare of the planet. He was a founding member of the organization in 2014, and served as its director of strategic initiatives.

Parvati Devi, the founder of the organization, said Belanger was “extraordinary,” and had a “hugely generous heart.” She said he volunteered his time on top of working full-time at PCL Construction as director of professional development, first in Edmonton, before transferring two years ago to Denver.

Devi said Belanger’s work has always been integral to the non-profit. “We called him our quarterback,” she said.

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“He led our group of volunteers with such tremendous courage and heart,” Devi said. “He inspired us constantly to give more, to be more, to do more.”

In a statement released by Parvati.org, Belanger was hailed as a hero who personally brought the MAPS treaty to four different UN climate change conferences, starting in 2015 in Paris, and who fiercely promoted its role in preserving the planet’s resources.

“He once said to me a few years back that he was willing to give his life for MAPS, and he literally did,” Devi said.

“We leave now with the passion that he very much inspired in us for the greater good of the world.”

An Edmonton mother and her daughter were also identified as being among the 18 Canadian victims of the crash. Amina Ibrahim Odowa, 33, and her 5-year-old daughter Safiya Faisal Abdulkadir Egal were on their way to visit relatives in Kenya.

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A Calgary accountant, Derick Lwugi, was among the victims as well. He was on his way to Kenya to visit both his and his wife’s parents, who live in the west of the country. He leaves behind three children, aged 17, 19 and 20, all of whom live at home. The family has lived in Calgary for 12 years.

The 157 dead included passengers and crew from 35 countries, including Canada, China, the United States, and Kenya.

With files from Brennan Doherty

Nadine Yousif is a reporter/photographer for Star Edmonton. Follow her on twitter: @nadineyousif_

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