Lac Des Iles mine death investigation report wanted by widow

Superior Morning7:06Lac Des Iles Accident Report

Looking for answers, and hoping for closure. The widow of a man killed in 2014 at the Lac Des Iles palladium mine, north of Thunder Bay, would like a written copy of the report investigating his death.. But the company says it can't release the repoThe widow of a man killed in 2014 at the Lac Des Iles palladium mine, northwest of Thunder Bay, wants to receive a copy of the report about his death.

The United Steelworkers union is also pushing for the document's release.

38-year-old Pascal Goulet was killed after being struck by a piece of ore, while he was outside the loader he was operating underground.

Melanie Goulet said she has been told some of the details around her husband's death, but she wants her own written copy.

"I understand that some questions we'll never have answers for, but the ones that we can, I think we deserve to have," she said.

The document won't be released as the company is facing Occupational Health and Safety Act charges related to the man's death, said the CEO of North American Palladium.

"It's appropriate to defend those charges in the appropriate forum, in the legal forum, and not in the public domain," Jim Gallagher said.

He and company officials have continued to provide information to the family since the incident last year, he said, adding that the union has been involved with the investigation.

Nevertheless, a spokesperson with the United Steelworkers union, said the company should release the written report to the union and the man's family.

"How can they bring closure on such a tragic event if the employer is sitting on the report and refusing to release it? There's nothing in the legislation that we know of that prompts them to do so," Herb Daniher said.

"Everybody seems to be playing their cards close to their chest for their own purposes and they've neglected what's happening to the family," he added.

The family was able to view the report just before it was finalized and ask questions Gallagher said, but due to the charges, was not allowed to take a copy home.

The Ministry of Labour confirmed North American Palladium and the Lac Des Iles mine are facing several charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

They include failing to ensure that written safety precautions were established and followed at the worker's vehicle, as well as failing to provide instruction and supervision to prevent a worker from being endangered by a collapse or shifting movement of rock.

A spokesperson for the ministry said the matter will next be spoken to in court in Thunder Bay at the end of October.