A grieving mother who lost her son in a fishing accident off Labrador four years ago says she is no further ahead despite repeated pleas to the federal government to improve search and rescue capabilities in the region.
Marc Russell and Joey Jenkins were aboard the Island Lady in September, 2021 when it sank. Their bodies have never been found.
Jeannette Russell has been on a campaign ever since to have a search and rescue base established in Labrador, but says she is not getting the support of the federal government.
Russell says there is a lack of appetite in Ottawa to spend the money in Labrador. Since 2016, she says Ottawa has increased the number of lifeboat stations in Newfoundland by 42 per cent with nothing for her part of the province.
She says 5-Wing Goose Bay has to be upgraded to a primary search and rescue station, and Ottawa has to put some lifeboat stations in Labrador.
