Guy Ouellette was easy going. He was simply laid back and had a great sense of humour making him quite funny.
Son, brother, husband, father, and friend; Guy is continually remembered. His personality and sense of humour shines through today in his daughter, Madison, and his looks in his son, Alex, according to Guy's sister, Dianne.
Guy lost his life working on the rigs in 2009 near Kisbey when a service rig fell. Though others at the site attempted to save his life, it was to no avail. He would be pronounced dead in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.
The 39-year-old would leave behind his family and friends, with Dianne, a filmmaker, feeling the need to share her brother's story.
Dianne, the New Media Studio Manager at the University of Regina, has been considering creating a documentary on her brother's life since Guy's passing but only recently began working on it.
"I've been making film since the 90s and the day my brother died was one of the worst days..." Dianne explained. "I think, pretty much from the day he died, in my head, I knew I had to tell his story."
Initially Dianne and her family were concerned questions which would have led her in a very different direction than her current one.
"...we used to you know, who's to blame? Who did this?" Dianne said. "But after a while you realize that's not the important part of the story, the important part of the story is who was Guy, what happened to him, and can we maybe get a message out there to someone else who feels unsafe at work someday and remembers this [the documentary] and goes, 'You know what, my family is more important, I'm going home.'"
Dianne was recently given a grant from the Canada Council of Arts, which propelled her into beginning her project about Guy's life. Though she initially started writing it a few months following Guy's accident, it has taken a number of years for Dianne to complete it.
"I started working at the University in March 2013, so I became very inspired by the creative people on campus," Dianne explained. "So, I decided I could write this grant... and I thought, 'Oh well, if I don't get the grant I'll work on it on my own. It might take me 10 years, but I'll get it done.'"
Though thinking of the project for the past few years, she is now excited to finish it but it is somewhat bittersweet as her mother, Judy Feduk, passed last June.
"...she... called me all the time and, 'You have to make this film,' she would tell me and I'd go, 'Don't worry, I will.'"
Dianne will now dedicate the film to her mother, while it will also be made in loving memory of Guy to help others make the decision to put their safety first. Though Guy's accident is still being investigated, there is speculation that Guy and his coworkers shouldn't have been out in the cold that day.
"This is more of a humanistic approach geared towards screenings in small towns, film festivals, and maybe even safety conferences," Dianne explained.
"Nothing will bring Guy back, but at least I can share his story and he'll be remembered... I think he deserves that, to honour his memory."
Dianne has received much support from family and friends, with Guy's friends volunteering to hold cameras or help with anything they can, which will see one of Guy's best friends, Gary Sagan tell stories about his friend.
The film, which Dianne has began filming and will be out in the area this summer to finish, will be approximately 40 minutes long and is set to be complete by October 2015, with Dianne intending to screen the film in smaller towns throughout Saskatchewan.
"I know there'll be a lot of people who won't have access to it, who will want to see it, who knew Guy or knew my mom, knew me, or even who know Dennis [Feduk] my step-dad..." Dianne said.
Ultimately the documentary is an outlet for Dianne to express herself, but is something many people will be able to relate to.
"Life goes on, it's sad, you never forget them and you hold them close to your heart... with this film, being able to tell Guy's story, it will hopefully impact somebody in the future enough, that if they do feel unsafe, they will walk away," Dianne explained. "Your job isn't your life, and a lot of people forget that."
