The follow statement was read in the House of Assembly today by the Honourable John Hogan, KC, Minister of Justice and Public Safety and Attorney General:

Speaker, I am proud to announce that on June 1, 2024, public safety radio will be in effect province-wide.

This system improves response times in crucial moments, and enables all four Atlantic Provinces to communicate immediately during an emergency.

Speaker, our government committed to this project four years ago. We recognized how this could bolster public safety in all regions and committed $181 million over 12 years to implement this and the associated communications infrastructure.

I commend officials for working together to ensure all facets of the emergency response system are ready to go live on June 1. This endeavor to implement a new system incorporates thousands of radio users, from police, to firefighters, to paramedics. This also includes radios for ground search and rescue teams, as well as volunteer fire departments across the province.

Speaker, as we sit on the eve of emergency preparedness week, I would be remiss not to acknowledge our first responders, whose compassion and selflessness to help others deserves our recognition and gratitude.

This is a significant day for public safety in Newfoundland and Labrador. Thank you.