N.L. NDP leader slams 'out of sight, out of mind' strategy for storing unclaimed bodies

The leader of the Newfoundland and Labrador NDP says he's appalled by the Liberal government's handling of unclaimed bodies at the province's largest hospital.

In a statement Tuesday, Jim Dinn, said he's long heard concerns from families who can't afford to bury their loved ones, who then lie unclaimed in freezer units.

"This problem has existed for years, and it didn't come about as a result of a lack of storage; it developed because of this government's typical inaction that allowed the problem to grow to crisis proportions," Dinn said in a statement.

"The motto of this Liberal government should be 'out of sight, out of mind.'"

In March, CBC News reported 28 bodies were being stored in freezer units outside the Health Sciences Centre in St. John's due to a lack of space in the morgue, which doubles as the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

On Tuesday, CBC News reported the units were removed from the alleyway on June 25 and are now being stored a few minutes away, in the hospital's underground parking garage. A newly constructed wall blocks off the area, where there are now four freezer units housing an undisclosed number of bodies.

He said the government agreed to address the problem in the recent sitting of the House of Assembly but all that's happened is the storage units have been moved and are now taking up accessible parking spots.

Dinn called on the government to address the root problem by increasing financial assistance and making it easier for families to apply solutions he said he raised during the legislature's spring sitting.

A dignified solution would ensure that bodies receive proper burial, families are able to mourn their loved ones and funeral homesare compensated for services, he said.

Situation 'outrageous'

Conception Bay South PC MHA Barry Petten, the party's health critic, took issue with how resources were being diverted away from solving a cost of living problem, calling the situation "outrageous."

"Simply moving the issue out of sight in a parking garage will not solve the problem," Petten said in a statement,

"We need strong leadership in government to stop spending more money treating the problem; let's provide the necessary resources to fix the problem!"

More space coming

WATCH | The CBC's Elizabeth Whitten reports on the changes of how the largest hospital in N.L. stores dead bodies:

St. Johns hospital has more freezer units to store unclaimed bodies but theyre still not inside the building

4 months ago

Duration 1:59

Three new freezer units are set up within an underground parking lot at the Health Sciences Centre to help with the morgues overflow of corpses. They were previously located in an alleyway, outside of the building, visible from the parking lot and nearby trail. As the CBCs Beth Whitten reports, there have been other changes, and many of them were put in motion one day after CBC News first reported on the story.

In a recent interview with CBC News, Ron Johnson, chief operating officer of N.L. Health Services' Eastern Urban zone, said the freezer unitswere relocated to provide a more dignified and respectful place for the storage of bodies. Having the units inside is a better setup than the previous arrangement, he said.

"We have them now inside the building and what that does, it gives us an ability to be able to work more effectively than outside of the elements," Johnson said.

More storage is in the works, Johnson said with the underground parking lot set to become the site for a new and expanded morgue that can handle long-term storage for more unclaimed bodies.

He said it's on schedule to be completed in October but wouldn't say how many corpses the new facility will be able to hold, just that it will give them increased capacity. He also said he wouldn't disclose the current number of unclaimed bodies out of respect for the families.

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