A former Jasperite and Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce board member was the victim of a vicious assault outside an Edson bar last week and has since succumbed to his injuries.
Around 8 p.m. on Nov. 11, Edson RCMP responded to a report of an assault at the Moose Creek Hotel. When the officers arrived, first responders were already on the scene, treating 42-year-old Preston Goulet, who sustained serious injuries and was transported to the hospital. He passed away in an Edmonton hospital Nov. 15.
Goulet, who is described by friends as a fun-loving, helpful guy with a lust for life and an outrageous sense of humour, managed ATB Jasper until 2013, when he relocated to Edson to manage the branch there. During his time in Jasper, he was also a member of the chamber board, a volunteer with the Robson House Historical Society and an early supporter of the Jasper Pride Festival.
The RCMP received a number of phone calls from concerned friends questioning whether the assault was a hate crime, as Goulet was a prominent member of Edson’s LGBT community, but at this time there is no evidence to support such a charge.
“I can’t say whether or not it had a role to play, I’m not sure,” said Cpl. Hal Turnbull of the RCMP’s K Division, “but as far as qualifying for a hate crime—no.
“There is no evidence at this point to support a charge of hate crime.”
Following Goulet’s assault, which was reported to the Edson RCMP by a bystander, 37-year-old Christopher Ronald Edward Harrison was arrested and charged with aggravated assault.
Pending the results of an autopsy, Turnbull said there is a possibility that those charges will be increased.
“Investigators are looking at it, as to whether or not additional charges should be laid,” he said.
“Right now the investigation is ongoing. The [medical examiner] has yet to give us a date when an autopsy will be done, but of course the outcome of that autopsy will have great weight, as far as evidence is concerned, about which direction it will go.”
Harrison, who is also a resident of Edson, will make his first appearance in Edson Provincial Court on Dec. 15.
The results of the RCMP investigation and the legal proceedings are of great interest to a number of Jasperites who are mourning the loss of their friend.
“It’s tragic,” said Soula Jackson, the current branch manager for ATB in Jasper and Goulet’s close friend. “The way he died was so tragic because he’s not a violent man.”
She said the only solace in his untimely death is that he saved four lives by donating his organs.
Jackson described Goulet, who she spoke with numerous times a day, as larger than life.
“His sense of humour was out of this world. He left that with a lot of us. Even in his death we’re still laughing, remembering his outrageous stories.”
Jackson recalled one day, when Goulet came into work with a botched hair dye job and presented hats to each of the bank’s employees, transforming his misfortune into a fun dress-up opportunity for the entire staff.
“He turned a crazy bad hair day into an outrageous hat day,” she said with a laugh. “He made the workplace extremely fun.”
Jackson said she’ll miss her daily phone calls, but, most of all, she’ll miss Goulet’s humour, which could turn any day around.
“His gift was to make people laugh. It didn’t matter what kind of day it was; during the course of the day, from the time I walked in the door until I went home, he’d make me laugh at least a dozen times.”
Ken Kuzminski, who served on the chamber board with Goulet, remembers him the same way, describing him as someone with a lust for life.
“He was one of those guys that was just so full of life and whatever you needed, whatever you asked for, he would be there to support you,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to the completion of the RCMP investigation and the outcome of the investigation to shed a light on such a cruel and horrific act.”
Chamber manager Pattie Pavlov echoed Kuzminski’s sentiments and described Goulet as the kind of person you couldn’t help but love.
“Preston was one of the most wonderful, life-loving individuals that I have ever known. He was always upbeat, always willing to lend a hand.
“I don’t know many 30-somethings—as he was at that time—that would step up and say, I want to sit on the Robson House Historical Society, but he did.
“He was just an engaging individual. He was always laughing, always smiling. You just wanted to be around him because he was fun-loving and happy.”
Goulet’s funeral is Friday, Nov. 20 at the Edson Legion. It will begin at 1 p.m. and everyone is encouraged to wear red—Goulet’s favourite colour—or a blazer—one of his signature style statements.
Nicole Veerman
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