Steelworkers union calls for criminal charges in death of Olivier Bruneau

An influential labour union is calling on Ottawa police to lay criminal charges in the construction site death of Olivier Bruneau, just days after the Ministry of Labour announced its own charges against two companies.

United Steelworkers (USW) said Bruneau's family won't see justice served until his former employers are held criminally accountable.

• ​Union wants police to 'compel' witnesses in Claridge construction site death

• Ministry of Labour lays charges in Claridge construction site death

"We believe that Mr. Bruneau's death was negligence. Steps should have been taken to ensure the safety of the workers. They were not," said Sylvia Boyce, USW's health and safety coordinator for Ontario and Atlantic Canada.

Olivier Bruneau died when a chunk of ice fell on him in a massive excavation pit at the corner of Preston Street and Carling Avenue in March 2016.

He was working for Bellai Brothers Construction at the Claridge Homes site. The Ministry of Labour has charged both companies, accusing them of failing to ensure the health and safety of workers and failing to employ proper safety measures and procedures.

But the union doesn't believe that goes far enough. "Fines under the occupational health and safety act are not a deterrent at all," said Boyce. 

'This would penetrate their conscience'

"If CEOs and those who are responsible for ensuring the health and safety of workers knew that they could be criminally charged and actually go to jail and have a criminal record versus what they're often given as a fine under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, this would penetrate their conscience, I believe, to put health and safety as a number one priority."

While the province had to decide whether to lay the non-criminal charges within a year of Bruneau's death, police aren't bound by similar time constraints, so the USW is urging them to continue with a criminal investigation that began after Bruneau's death, but has stalled due to a lack of witnesses coming forward.

"I think with the Bruneau family, it would mean that there's been justice served — that it's not okay to put workers' lives at risk and kill a worker and just get a fine and walk away with no consequences," said Boyce. 

"I think that it would give some sort of closure and justice to the family to know that health and safety of workers and their son is a priority."

USW has an ongoing campaign called Stop the Killing, Enforce the Law to push law enforcement to charge companies in cases of workplace injury and death, where necessary.