An inquest into the death of a worker at a stage collapse in
June 2012 commenced on March 25, 2019, nearly seven years after the
workplace death.
The Prosecution
In June 2012, just prior to the start of a concert in Toronto,
the performance stage collapsed. A worker was killed and others
were injured. In June 2013, the Ontario Ministry of Labour charged
three defendants with 13 counts under the Occupational Health
and Safety Act.
The investigation had been a lengthy one, involving many witness
interviews and engineering and technical investigations.
There were many factors accounting for the ultimate delay of 60
months, including ongoing disclosure of information by the Crown,
underestimates of necessary trial time and the appointment of the
trial judge to the Superior Court. All of this resulted in a
mistrial and the setting of new trial dates before a different
judge.
