Suncor and contractor plead guilty in 2021 drowning death of oilsands worker
CBC
The death of a 25-year-old man who drowned in a tailings pond after the dangerously thin ice beneath his bulldozer collapsed has resulted in a total of $745,000 in fines against two companies.
Suncor and Christina River Construction pleaded guilty to a single count each under the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act in the death of Patrick Poitras.
Poitras, 25, was operating a John Deere bulldozer on Jan. 13, 2021, at Suncor's base mine, about 30 kilometres north of Fort McMurray, when the ice beneath the machine gave way.
Three days later, his body was pulled from the pond.
Following an appearance in Fort McMurray Provincial Court Friday, Suncor and Christina River Construction — the contractor that employed Poitras — face a total penalty of $745,000.
In November, 28 charges were initially laid against the companies. However, a joint submission for sentencing was accepted by the court Friday after all the other charges were withdrawn.
Poitras' father, Marcel Poitras, says the sentence brings him little comfort. All the charges initially levied against the companies should have been pursued, he said.
"You can't put money on a life, that I know," Poitras said in an interview Monday.
"But those companies, they have to ensure the safety of workers … How many people die every year, for safety?"
Suncor's safety record has been facing increased criticism. At least 12 workers have died at its Alberta oilsands operations since 2014.
Poitras said the increased scrutiny is justified. He hopes his son's legacy will ensure no one else working in the oilsands is exposed to deadly hazards on the job.
"The companies should look at the deaths," Poitras said Monday. "I hope it's going to be the last one but I don't know if that's going to happen ... I don't want them to take another life."
Suncor pleaded guilty to a count that acknowledges that it failed to manage the work in a way that would protect workers from hazards.
According to the agreed statement of facts, the company admits that previous measurements done on the ice had shown it was too thin to bear the weight of the machine.
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