Office of the Official Opposition
For Immediate Release

St. John’s, NL (May 29, 2020) –PC Official Opposition Leader and MHA for Windsor Lake, Ches Crosbie, and MHA for Placentia West – Bellevue, Jeff Dwyer, today expressed their frustration over the search for a St. Lawrence man, presumed to have succumbed to the elements, after a boat went down this week near the community of St. Lawrence.

“I believe the search was called off too early and will not bring closure to family and loved ones. The Federal Government, Transport Canada, and the Transportation Safety Board need to start their investigations immediately into what happened. I have spoken with family members and I believe it is incumbent on the Federal Government to bring this family closure and to use the tools at their disposal to find this vessel if there is a chance he can be recovered,” said Crosbie.

The Federal Government recently made the decision to retrieve wreckage of a downed helicopter off of the coast of Greece in almost 10,000 feet of water – a difficult and complicated task. The St. Lawrence boat is generally accepted to have gone down in only 300 to 600 feet of water.

“The Canadian military knows the importance of closure for families and loved ones in the terrible tragedy that occurred off of the coast of Greece recently. We are calling on the Federal Government to help bring the same type of closure to the people of St. Lawrence – especially his mother, his wife, and his children. As someone who was born and raised on the Burin Peninsula, my heart is broken for the families and loved ones of these men,” said Dwyer.

Contacts:

Bradley Russell

Director of Policy and Research

(p) 1.709.729.3668

BradleyRussell@gov.nl.ca

-30-