Office of the Official Opposition 

Furey Liberals Continue Ignoring Bodies Piling Up in Freezers: Petten

 

For Immediate Release

(July 23, 2024, St. John’s, NL) – Today, Barry Petten, PC Shadow Minister for Health (MHA, Conception Bay South), spoke out again about the continued use of freezers in the Health Sciences Center (HSC) parking garage to store unclaimed bodies.

Petten was reacting to a CBC story outlining the anguish of the Strickland family, who cannot afford to bury their daughter. Sarah Strickland was just 31 years old when she passed away on July 11, leaving three children and a devastated family.

“When are the Furey Liberals going to get this fixed?” asked Petten. “Why hasn’t the Minister sat down with the funeral homes association to sort out a plan? Again, we have $171,000 to sponsor a fourth-tier UK soccer team, but we can’t find money to bury people. This is a national disgrace!”

Petten noted that Minister Paul Pike committed to reviewing the level of government assistance, which has stayed the same for decades.  That was back in February, and there has been no update since.

“It is time for the Minister to come out of the witness protection program and speak to this case,” explained Petten. “Rather than spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on additional freezers, perhaps the Minister could try to find a solution.”

Petten noted he has talked to affected families and funeral homes who have not heard anything from the Furey Liberals.

“As I have repeatedly stated, simply moving the issue out of sight in a parking garage will not solve the problem. We need some leadership from the Furey Liberals to stop spending more money treating the problem. Let’s give these individuals a proper burial and stop the pain of the affected families.”

 

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