Coast Guard Radio in St. John's and St. Anthony to close

[Newfoundland DXer]

from "http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2012/05/17/nl-dfo-cuts-517.html

"CBC News has also learned that there are plans to reduce the number of marine traffic centres in Newfoundland. Those centres monitor thousands of vessels offshore and provide vital communication to anyone in distress.

Sources tell CBC News that the traffic centres in St. John's and St. Anthony will be cut over the next three years"

Both stations broadcast marine weather and navigational warnings for the north-east coast on 2598 kHz and provide the only source of emergency communications through a series of remote radio staions along the north-east coast.  Most fishing vessels do not have satelite receivers, and will be without any emergency communications during the daytime hours.

The emergency rescue center in St. John's has already been closed and, for the first while, medical distress calls were routed to a free service in Rome (designed to provide ships from third-world countries with medical advice.)  A public outcry forced the government to backtrack on this.

This is how our neo-facist Harper government punishes Newfoundland for shutting them out in the last election.  He leaves fishermen on the entire north-east coast without emergency communications (the west and south coast appear to have been spared, no doubt because of commercial and oil interests).

[cmradio]

Harpo shut Coast Guard stations on the west coast too, even in Conservative ridings. The insanely busy Georgia Strait now has to rely on USCG or CFB Esquimalt for rescue.... or hope a ferry is nearby (BC Ferries has had to respond to capsized boats before, due to manpower shortages at the CG)

He just has that little care for life and more love for saving his dollar

Peace!