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House Hansard - 206

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 5, 2023 11:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 206 - Jun/5/23
Mr. Gord Johns (Courtenay—Alberni, NDP)
  • Jun/5/23 6:02:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to table a petition on behalf of residents of British Columbia and visitors to the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. The petitioners call on the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to reinstate the surf guard tower and surf guard services, and to extend the duration of the surf guard program to accommodate the growing number of emergencies as well as visitors at Long Beach in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. Emergencies at Long Beach are attended by Parks Canada, in collaboration with the Canadian Coast Guard, Westcoast Inland Search and Rescue, B.C.'s Emergency Response Group and the RCMP. However, rescues initially fall into the hands of surfers, beachgoers and the surf schools that operate in the park. In February 2018, a man died at Lovekin Rock. In May 2018, in the same area, a woman died. In March 2016, four people were saved by the Canadian Coast Guard and Canadian Armed Forces. In August 2021, another man drowned at the same spot. Basically, lifeguards watched over that beach as part of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve surf guard program for 40 years, until the Conservative government cut the program in 2012. The petitioners are calling on the government to reinstate this program so that no more lives are lost.
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