Politicians now have a blanket to wrap themselves in when they think of what it may be like to be stranded while waiting for Search and Rescue crews.
Marylyn and Ross Hynes travelled to St. John's from their home in Goose Bay to present to government a hand-made blanket covered in signatures.
The symbolic gesture was an effort to highlight the need for a continued focus on search and rescue in the province following the death of Burton Winters.
Liberal Leader Dwight Ball accepted the blanket and said he would present it to government at a later date.
The Hynes were hoping to make their presentation to Premier Kathy Dunderdale, but she is currently in Halifax at a meeting of provincial premiers.
The couple decided to have a blanket made and to get Labrador residents to sign it after making plans to visit the island, said Marylyn Hynes.
"We decided to put it together and try to get as many signatures as possible asking for improvements in the overall search and rescue service in the province," she said.
The blanket resembles the Labrador flag, but that's only because the woman who made it is from Labrador, said Hynes.
Months after the death of Burton Winters, emotions still run close to the surface in Labrador. Asked how people feel about the tragedy, Hynes's voice cracked and her eyes welled up with tears.
"People are not happy. Not happy," she said.
She said both the provincial and federal governments failed the people of Labrador.
Dwight Ball, in accepting the blanket, called it a reminder of the need to keep working on search and rescue issues.
"When people call for an emergency we would expect there would be assets available to respond in an appropriate fashion and the comfort blanket, of course, in many instances is symbolic of that response."
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