Sombre memorial service marks anniversary of Come By Chance refinery explosion
CBC
A procession of men and women made their way up the road leading to the Come By Chance refinery Friday morning to mark one year since the deadly flash fire that injured eight of their own — and ultimately killed one man.
The sole fatality was Shawn Peddle, 47, of Clarenville. He was married with two children. He died six weeks after being injured in the Sept. 2, 2022, explosion.
The groups of mourners gathered in the shadow of the refinery, on the other side of a chain-link fence on a patch of green grass where a memorial stone had been erected.
Michael Ackerman was among the sombre crowd, carrying a wreath. He said he was there because of "memories, love and devotion."
He's confident the refinery is a safe place to work today, he said, "but too much tragedy happened to get it like this."
Sources have confirmed to CBC News that the explosion was caused by an improper release of butane, a highly flammable gas. The gas was ignited by workers engaged in what's called hot work.
The refinery is owned by Braya Renewable Fuels, who would not speak to CBC News. In a statement, the company said it planned to send employees home early on Friday so they could spend more time with their familes on Labour Day weekend.
In July the RCMP announced it had launched a criminal investigation into possible charges of criminal negligence, causing death and criminal negligence causing bodily harm.
The province's Occupational Health and Safety Division is also continuing its inquiry into the incident.
The refinery in Newfoundland's Placentia Bay is a busy place, as the aging building is being converted into a producer of renewable fuels.
Braya has partnered with ABO Wind to develop green hydrogen at the refinery. ABO was one of four successful bidders for Crown lands to develop wind energy projects, announced earlier this week.
Get the news you need without restrictions. Download our free CBC News app.
Aggressive patients and lack of security are making nurses feel unsafe in a rural Western Manitoba emergency union, says the Manitoba Nurses Union.
Saskatoon resident Delynne Bortis knew her commute to work Tuesday morning would be particularly difficult.
WARNING: This story contains details of abuse and intimate partner violence:
The amount of money it takes for people to earn a living wage has increased across the province, according to a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
The new owner of Ontario steelmaker Stelco says his company "will not disappoint the people of Hamilton and Nanticoke," where the business's major facilities are based.
A Winnipegger is warning others about an intricate scam she says she almost fell for.
Fort William First Nation is opposing a planned redevelopment of the Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) 117 year old Kakabeka Falls Generating Station, which is located in their traditional territory.
A building that sits at the corner of Sussex Street and Brunswick Avenue has had many lives over the last century — being a church, a school and offices. Now it's set to become housing, at a time when the city sorely needs it.
A Waterloo, Ont., elementary school principal will be sentenced in the new year after pleading guilty to child sexual exploitation charges following a joint investigation that involved the London, Toronto and Waterloo police services.
Students at UPEI have let their student union know what they want from the province this fiscal year, and those priorities are reflected in a 2024-2025 advocacy document brought to the legislature on Wednesday.
Larger communities in the N.W.T. will soon see a boost in their territorial funding to maintain infrastructure and deliver services — like water and waste management — but the increase still falls short of what communities need.