Coroner's inquest in 2015 mining worker's death begins next month

A coroner's inquest has been scheduled for next month looking into the death of a northern Ontario mine worker at Detour Gold Mine.

Denis Millette died June 3, 2015, of acute cyanide poisoning at the mine in Detour Lake, Ont., located about 300 kilometres northeast of Timmins.

The 52-year-old millwright was fixing a leak in the mine's refinement facility when he was exposed to a lethal dose of the toxin.

Now, seven and half years later, an inquest will examine the circumstances surrounding the death and a jury will make recommendations aimed at preventing future deaths in similar circumstances.

The inquest will start at 10 a.m. Dec. 12 with Dr. David Eden serving as the presiding officer and David Kirk and Caitlin Tolley as inquest counsel. It is expected to last seven days and 15 witnesses are scheduled to testify.

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Detour Gold was ordered to pay $1.4 million in 2017 after admitting negligence in Millette's death. Read more about that here.

The inquest can be viewed online here.