The province needs a primary Search and Rescue site in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
That comes from Minister of Labrador Affairs, Lisa Dempster, whose department had a busy 2022, especially with the continued call for Search and Rescue Services in the region.
In December 2021, the final report from the Inquiry into Ground Search and Rescue was released with 17 recommendations from the provincial and federal governments.
The minister said a lot of work is underway on the provincially, with many advocating to the federal government to step up and meet the needs of the province.
Dempster said the province earmarked $2 million for ground search and rescue in the spring budget. She said that has lead to further training and resources for local rescue teams.
Currently, SAR teams are set up in Southern Labrador with training beginning this month. And soon her and other representatives from the province will bring the conversation to Ottawa.
Dempster will be joined by Justice and Public Safety Minister, John Hogan, Indigenous leaders, and the parents of Marc Russell, who was lost and was never found after leaving Mary’s Harbor on a fishing trip last year.
Courtesy VOCM.