The official opposition is looking for answers from government over the use of postal codes during 911 calls, something they say is causing delays for people accessing emergency care.

PC MHA Lloyd Parrott first raised the issue in the House of Assembly yesterday.

He says 911 operators are asking callers for postal codes to help determine their location.

The problem, he argues, is that many rural communities share the same postal codes resulting in responders being sent to the wrong areas.

Parrott references an accident that happened recently on the TCH in Terra Nova National Park.

He says the dispatcher repeatedly “demanded” a postal code, even though the accident happened on the highway “in the middle of nowhere.” Parrott says time is being lost in critical situations because “directions and specific landmarks aren’t good enough,” and asks if Justice Minister John Haggie will order a review.

Haggie acknowledges that postal codes and civic addresses “do not work in rural Newfoundland and Labrador,” and they are working on finding a solution.