The opposition NDP are calling on the provincial government to invest in more sophisticated sonar technology like the one used by volunteers in Francois Lake in the search for Syd Neville.
During question period in the legislature on Wednesday, NDP MLA David Eby wanted to know if the government was committed to working with the RCMP and the B.C. Coroners Service to find more bodies believed to be at the bottom of the province's many lakes.
"Accurate sonar technology now exists to locate the bodies of loved ones deep in B.C.'s waters -- technology that did not exist before," Eby said in the preamble to his question. "B.C. Coroners Service spokesperson Barb McLintock told the Prince George Citizen that the Coroners Service believes the underwater sonar technology 'would be something the province could really use.' "
After traditional search methods failed in finding Neville's body after he went missing on June 7, family and friends of the Burns Lake man turned to a couple from Idaho who use advanced sonar technology to help families find loved ones. Gene and Sandy Ralston have travelled all over North America and have helped to recover more than 80 bodies.
Although the Ralstons' search failed to find Neville's body, it did locate the body of John Angus Mowat, who drowned in Francois Lake in 1984.
Eby said access to technology like that used by the Ralstons could help find other missing people who are presumed to have drowned and give their families peace of mind.
In her response, Justice Minister Suzanne Anton said she doesn't question police operational decisions and thanked the RCMP for the work they've done so far this summer in five drowning cases, including putting their own lives on the line during investigations.
"The RCMP are always willing to consider extra methods and extra ways that they can improve themselves," Anton said. "Like most of us, I think, they're always self-critical, self-looking, self-wondering what they can do."
Anton also used the question as an opportunity to remind people about water safety and the importance of wearing lifejackets while out on lakes and rivers.
During the back-and-forth, both Eby and Anton accused each other of using a sensitive issue to try to score political points.
