ST. JOHN’S, NL – The Honourable Keith Ashfield Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada today announced that a new Canadian Coast Guard Search and Rescue Lifeboat Station will be built in Burin, Newfoundland and Labrador, to replace the existing facility.
“The safety of mariners is a top priority of the Canadian Coast Guard. As part of our ongoing efforts to upgrade and replace Coast Guard resources across Canada, this new facility will provide critical lifesaving search and rescue service for years to come,” said Minister Ashfield.
“This new lifeboat station demonstrates our Government’s long-term commitment to the Coast Guard’s search and rescue operations in the province,” said the Honourable Peter Penashue, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, President of the Queen's Privy Council and the Regional Minister for Newfoundland and Labrador. “We are dedicated to protecting the safety and well-being of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians at sea, and this investment will assist the Coast Guard in achieving that goal.”
The $6.6 million investment into the new Burin lifeboat station will allow the wharf and operations building at the existing station to be replaced. The existing facility is approximately 50 years old and the new facility will bring significant improvements in service delivery. Construction of the new facility is expected to begin in the spring of 2013 and is scheduled for completion in 2015. Search and rescue operations will remain at the existing site until the new site is constructed.
The Burin Lifeboat Station is home to the Canadian Coast Guard Cutter W. Jackman, a search and rescue vessel providing 24-hour coverage with a crew of four. The new station will include construction of a wharf, operations building with living quarters and a storage facility.
In addition to search and rescue services, the new facility will provide added capacity for the operation of rigid-hulled inflatable boats from the Conservation and Protection Branch of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
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