A Labrador man's remains have been in long-term storage since April. Now he's getting a proper send-off
Mario Boucher died in April in Labrador City
Mario Boucher's body was kept in long-term storage under the care of Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services for months.
His remains went unclaimed since his death on April 1 at the Labrador West Health Centre, just shy of his 67th birthday, and was one among dozens of others who found themselves in a similar scenario after their death.
But residents of Labrador City rallied to bring him home for a proper burial.
Julia Hall, who has been organizing the effort, said Boucher's ashes will be interred Wednesday afternoon at a service at the Labrador City Cemetery.
"It took a village to make this happen," Hall told CBC Radio's Labrador Morning.
"We're very lucky that we do have a strong community here that made this all possible."
In March 2024, CBC News first reported 28 bodies were being stored in freezer units outside of the Health Sciences Centre in St. John's due to a lack of space in the morgue, which doubles as the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
The provincial government then amended legislation on Dec. 24, which came into effect on Jan. 1, to allow the health authority to have the power to bury unclaimed bodies after two weeks of searching for next of kin and then five days after the person is posted on a dedicated website.
In late June, eastern-urban zone COO Ron Johnson announced Barrett's Funeral Home had been awarded the contract to carry out the burials.
From sadness to action
Hall said she was saddened when she saw Boucher's name on the health authority's website among the 25 others who had been unclaimed.
"I was kind of heartbroken seeing all of those people that were just there. They haven't been laid to rest and, you know, their families and friends — for whatever reason — were unable to claim them," she said.
Hall then began looking into the process to claim his body.
"Once the health authority was aware that we were going to try this, they said … 'We'll make it happen, just wait,'" she said. "So it was basically a waiting game, and then in the end they came through."
She said residents started the process in June, estimating it took approximately one month.
But, she said, there were some questions along the way, like figuring out if they would have to pay for the cremation or the flight, and that NLHS didn't have the answer.
"The government covered the cost of the cremation, they covered the cost of his flight home, they covered the cost of him getting out there in the first place. So the cost was pretty minimal," said Hall.
She said the group raised money for Boucher's urn, headstone and for the priest to do interment, totaling about $700. The additional $800 raised is being donated to a local long-term care facility in Boucher's memory.
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With files from Labrador Morning