The long-awaited forensic investigation into the death of Olivier Bruneau, who was crushed by a piece of ice falling on a construction site in Ottawa six years ago, will be postponed.
The investigation was scheduled for July 25 and was expected to last five days.
On March 23, 2016, Bruneau was working at the bottom of a nine-story-deep construction well when an ice slab fell off one of the walls of the excavation and crushed him to death. Gatineau’s surveyor, Que., Was 24 years old.
In a press release on Tuesday, a spokesman for the Chief Coroner’s Office said the investigation has been postponed after “discussions with the lawyer and in the best interest of the investigation.”
The coroner’s office did not provide a new date for the investigation and said there will be more information “when it becomes available.”
According to information obtained by CBC / Radio-Canada, the forensic investigation will focus on four points:
- Workplace safety protocols, especially ice removal and mitigation of ice fall hazards.
- Protocols for site inspection, including any site monitoring inspections, once security issues have been raised.
- The criteria for reopening the site after it has been closed for security reasons.
- The creation of exclusion zones.
The last two points refer to an incident that happened at the same site in February 2016, when another worker was hit by a piece of ice but escaped without serious injuries.
Christian Bruneau, the father of Olivier Bruneau, is on the shores of Lake Dows in Ottawa in January 2022. The Claridge Icon Tower in the background is where his son was killed in 2016. (Radio-Canada)
In a January interview on Radio-Canada, Bruneau’s father said the four points reflect his family’s questions.
“There were Ministry of Labor inspectors, safety committees, very experienced supervisors, but the site was operated in breach of the code for many months until the day of the accident,” Christian Bruneau said at the time.
“I’m very baffled at how this could happen.”
Bruneau also noted that it has taken too long to begin the investigation.
“I don’t think it’s fair to keep a family like this for six years waiting for answers,” he said.