The provincial government has thrown its full support behind an effort to return remnants of the Ocean Ranger disaster to this province from Ottawa.
The premier’s parliamentary assistant, MHA Perry Trimper, made the surprise announcement at last night’s first public meeting of the Ocean Ranger Legacy Foundation at the Marine Institute.
The foundation was formed to see the items—including a porthole, lifejackets, photographs and sections of the ballast room—returned to this province for proper and permanent display and education.
Beyond that, board member Bevin Ledrew, who worked on the Royal Commission report into the disaster, says they’re open to suggestion as to how, and where, that’s best achieved.
“The fundamental question is how can we use the memory of the Ocean Ranger as a continuous reminder of the need to keep safety as a priority; how do we avoid making history repeat itself by forgetting it?”
Meanwhile, Sharon Sheppard, who lost her brother, Rick, in the disaster, says whatever’s left of the Ocean Ranger belongs here, not there.
“It’s something real, I guess. Something you can go and see, and I think it makes it closer, rather than as the years go by, you know, everything changes, everybody goes on with their lives.”
The foundation says officials at Ottawa’s Ingenium Centre, where the archived material is stored, are not opposed to the transfer.
But they note it’s not a simple process, and assurances of long-term care and preservation must be provided.
The Ocean Ranger capsized in a fierce Valentine’s Day storm in 1982, taking the lives of all 84 men aboard, most of them from this province but also other parts of Canada and the United States.
There is a monument on the grounds of Confederation Building, and a service co-ordinated on each anniversary by Gonzaga high school.
The foundation is in the process of establishing a web page but for now is best reached through its Facebook page.