In Sudbury, a judge delivered a guilty verdict today in a trial where two companies were charged under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. This comes in connection with the death of two men at Lockerby Mine in 2014.
It was a verdict nearly four years in the making, and now, the families of the two men killed on the job underground, at least have some closure.
In May of 2014, Marc Methe and Norm Bisaillon, both contractors for Taurus Drilling, died after being crushed by 12 tons of rock following a seismic event at Lockerby Mine.
While Taurus Drilling was found not guilty on the four charges it faced, the judge found First Nickel guilty on six of the eight charges it faced under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Most of those charges stemmed from the company's failure to report unsafe structural conditions to authorities and to workers.
First Nickel, now in receivership, was not represented at the trial and was found guilty in absentia.
During victim impact statements, both families told the court they felt betrayed by both the two companies and the Ministry of Labour, whom they say failed to protect their loved ones.
The judge is now deciding on financial penalties for First Nickel. The crown has recommended a total fine of $1.5- million, but with the company in receivership, the prosecutor admitted collecting that fine may prove impossible.
