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Safety on the South Coast
New Coast Guard Station Commissioned in Burgeo
Burgeo, NL – The Honourable Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, today commissioned a new Coast Guard Station in Burgeo, Newfoundland and Labrador.
“I want to ensure that the people who work so hard to keep us safe have what they need to do their job with excellence,” said Minister Hearn. “This station, plus our government’s recent investment of $45 million per year into the Coast Guard are meant to do just that.”
Minister Hearn was referencing a recent decision of Canada’s new government to add $45 million to the Canadian Coast Guard’s (CCG) annual budget. This money will help the CCG pay for increased gas costs, conduct necessary maintenance and repairs, and strengthen daily operations.
The new station provides the necessary space for Coast Guard to conduct day-to-day business as well as the operational capability to support a major emergency or program. It has four bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, offices, a communications room, exercise room, lounge, wharf and a garage. The facility has sufficient inside storage as well as outside areas for berthage and the storage of program equipment or small craft such as the department’s conservation and protection patrol boat.
The original station in Burgeo opened in the early 1970s with a 44-foot lifeboat, the CCGC Burgeo. In the spring of the following year, a small building with office space, washroom and a workshop was constructed to replace the existing facility. Then, in 1986, the existing facility was replaced with a 20- x 30-foot building with office space, kitchenette, washroom, workshop, along with a wharf expansion. In 1996, the CCGC Burgeo was replaced by the CCGC W. G. George.
The CCGC W.G. George is a 52-foot Arun Class multi-task high endurance lifeboat with self-righting capabilities. It is a state-of-the-art search and rescue vessel that operates on a 30-minute state-of-readiness with 24-hours-per-day, seven-days-per-week coverage. It is capable of responding 100 nm offshore.
Since 1962 the Canadian Coast Guard has provided such vital services to Canadians like search and rescue, icebreaking, helping fight against overfishing on the high seas, and enhancing national security. It is a special operating agency of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
For more information, contact:
Jackey Locke
Communications Officer
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Newfoundland and Labrador Region
(709) 772-7630
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