'We need funding': Alberta's lone volunteer underwater search team asks for support to bring closure to families
The volunteer underwater search team that responds to drownings all across Alberta is concerned it won't be able to survive without funding from the provincial government.
The Underwater Search Team responded to 19 calls in 2021 and seven so far this summer, including the death of a 14-year-old Edmonton boy in a Whitecourt, Alta., pond last Sunday.
August is typically its busiest month, and the president of the group is worried they'll be needed again this weekend as the warm weather continues in Alberta.
"The fear is that with the heat and high temperatures, I think a lot of people will be trying to get out to the lakes and I fear that we might be called out again. It would be lovely if we're not," Luke Jevne told CTV News Edmonton in Millet on Wednesday.
"I hope people play it safe, wear life jackets, take precautions and come home. That's the number one job: come home."
The Underwater Search Team has 12 volunteers, and at least four are needed per recovery mission.
They don't get paid and all the equipment is personally funded. Jevne — who hasn't been to his paying job in nearly a month while he's responded to five calls — estimates he's spent $15,000 on gear and another $15,000 on training.
He called it a "very expensive passion," but he does it to bring closure to families who've lost loved ones in drownings.
"I'm happy to do what I've done but it comes at a very big cost," he said.
"I've talked to an MLA and an MP, and again they were shocked that there's no funding for us or that we're not a full-time dive team and that's as far as it's gone."
CTV News reached out to the provincial government for comment but has not heard back.
To donate to the Underwater Search Team, click here.
"Financially and timewise, I don't know how we can make this continue. It's taken a lot of toll, not just on the bank account but the time away from family and work," Jevne said.
"We need funding."
With files from CTV News Edmonton's David Ewasuk
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.