Labrador West gets 911 after 8 years of trying

Labrador West will get 911 emergency phone service beginning June 1, a move that Labrador City Mayor Graham Letto said was a daunting task that took eight years of talks and negotiations to come to fruition.

The $100,000 annual cost will be shared by the cities of Labrador City and Wabush; the mining companies in the region, Iron Ore Company of Canada and Wabush Mines; and the provincial government.

But Letto said he still wants to see a provincewide 911 service someday.

"We hope to see the day when there will be a full-fledged service throughout the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and we know that there are already some conversations going on between the government and Aliant looking at that possibility," Letto said.

"But again, knowing what we went through just for Labrador West, I can only imagine what would be involved getting a provincewide 911 system in place."

A public education campaign will start immediately in preparation for the June 1 start.