Yellowknife (Feb 20/04) - Well-known lawyer and Northerner John Bayly died, Tuesday, while doing one of the things he loved best: running his dogs over Great Slave Lake.

John Bayly

Bayly, 58, was found about two kilometres south of Dettah.

Both the Yellowknife RCMP and fire department responded to a report of an individual who had died while dog sledding on Great Slave Lake.

Bayly was brought to Stanton Territorial Hospital where he was officially pronounced dead.

"We had a sudden death investigation," said Insp. Paul Richards of the Yellowknife RCMP. "No foul play is suspected."

Bayly had been dog sledding with a number of people and, at some point, was found in the snow.

The cause of death has not yet been released by the coroner's office.

Bayly was a high-profile lawyer in Yellowknife who returned to active legal practice after several years as principal secretary to former premier Stephen Kakfwi.

Bayly came to the North 30 years ago as the lawyer representing Inuvialuit interests in the early stages of the Berger inquiry into land claims over the Mackenzie Valley pipeline.

In 2002 Bayly began a partnership with the international law firm Fasken Martineau.

A public visitation will be held tonight (Friday) at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 7-9 p.m.

A memorial service to celebrate Bayly's life will be held tomorrow (Saturday, Feb. 21) in the Sir John Franklin high school gym, beginning at 1 p.m.