Prentice was a former Alberta PC premier and former federal cabinet minister in the Conservative government of Stephen Harper. ( Read more on Prentice's background here) He left federal politics in 2010 and took a job as the senior executive vice-president of CIBC. He later ran for the Alberta PC leadership.

Social media sites were flooded with homages to Prentice, shortly after news of his death was released.

Among those struck by the news was former Kelowna Lake Country MP Ron Cannan, who worked closely with Prentice from 2006 to 2010. They also shared a lot of downtime having to commute back and forth to Ottawa together.

"He always had time for people and was very well respected from all political parties and staff and media," said Cannan, adding that he related to Prentice as a family man above all else, and the two often discussed their daughters in those moments.

"He was a gentleman."

An instance of Prentice's character that stood out to Cannan was when the then industry minister was visiting Kelowna for business, and they'd taken time out to play a game of golf.

One of Cannan's constituents had an idea for a business he wanted to pitch, and Cannan invited him along.

"He rode around on the course with (Prentice) for awhile," said Cannan, noting that the conversation eventually led to a local business being launched successfully. He said Prentice also formed a good relationship with the Westbank First Nation, when he was cabinet as minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development.

Premier Christy Clark offered some insight into Prentice's character in the hours after the crash.

"This is a terrible loss for our country. It's a rare privilege to meet people of Jim's character in any walk of life. He was a man of his word, would keep confidences, and his handshake was worth more than any written agreement," said Clark, in a statement.

"Simply by being himself, Jim Prentice elevated political discourse in this country with his dignity, kindness, and focus. Jim devoted his life to making Canada better - and he succeeded."

While Prentice's political colleagues have confirmed his death through outpourings, the authorities are taking a cautious approach.