Search equipment needed says man's family

The grieving parents of a 19-year-old have become resigned to the fact that their son's final resting place is at the bottom of the Bulkley River, but they are deeply upset that search equipment that might have located his body was unavailable for more than two months.

Ernie John was last seen in the early morning on June 25 in his truck plunging into the river in the Morricetown Canyon. Immediate and ensuing efforts to locate him were fruitless, mostly because the community doesn't have access to the high-tech equipment needed to find him.

"It's disheartening to know that this equipment was out there, but it's not readily available," said John's mother, Debbie Pierre. "We spoke to a lot of government agencies and nobody would step up."

It was only in September that the needed equipment, a side scan sonar machine, was brought in by RCMP, but nothing was found. Searchers say so much gravel and rock has come down the river with the warm weathe that they believe John and his vehicle could be buried under as much as 50 feet of debris.

Pierre said the local RCMP didn't volunteer the equipment, because, apparently, didn't know of its existence. Pierre said they were only able to find a side scan sonar after Terrace Search and Rescue informed them that the Vancouver RCMP had one. It was only then that it was requested and brought forward.

"We held a family meeting and we have accepted that the river is Ernie's final resting place," said Pierre, "but we're concerned about the lack of proper equipment for water searches, especially since most First Nations communities are located near rivers or lakes."

Besides government agencies, Pierre said the family also contacted prominent Aboriginal organizations, including the First Nations Summit and the Assembly of First Nations, but got little response.

The side scan sonar is capable of getting images of objects as far away as 200 feet. It acts much like an ultrasound. The sonar costs as much as $50,000, but Pierre believes it would be a good investment to be shared in a region, particularly northern B.C., with its numerous rivers, lakes and ocean.

"There was another accident that same day about 45 kilometres away in Telkwa where a couple went into the river," she pointed out. "They were able to recover their bodies, though."

Pierre made a point of saying that the efforts of the area rescue teams from Telkwa, Smithers and Terrace were tremendous, as they did all they could, including using underwater cameras lowered in makeshift cages.

Terrace Search and Rescue is now considering teaming up with the other northern units to fundraise towards purchasing a side scan sonar to be shared in the region.

Although it is possible that the equipment could save lives, its greatest use would be helping to recover bodies, said Pierre, allowing families to bury their loved ones and achieve closure.