Interpaving to plead guilty to pedestrian death charges, lawyer says

A Sudbury lawyer says Interpaving will plead guilty on Wednesday, following the death of a pedestrian in 2015.

Both Interpaving and the City of Greater Sudbury have been charged under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

The case was in provincial court on Monday in Sudbury.

The provincial prosecutor representing the Ministry of Labour, Natalie Beausoleil, requested the case be adjourned until Wednesday. She told the court Interpaving is expected to plead guilty. Steve Vaccaro, the vice-president of Interpaving, told Radio-Canada the company isn't commenting at this time.

The 13 day trial involving the city will start on Wednesday.

Both the city and Interpaving had been charged with not providing signallers for the grader operators, not erecting a 1.8 metre fence to separate the public from the construction site and not implementing a traffic protection plan.

The city has also been charged with not ensuring Interpaving was following the health and safety act and not ensuring all workers and employers were following provincial safety laws in general.

Cecile Paquette, 58, was killed after she was run over by a grader.

She was trying to cross Elgin Street in downtown Sudbury, where construction was ongoing.

Interpaving was contracted by the city to do the road work.

Following the death, the city barred Interpaving from bidding on municipal contracts, although the company still works as a subcontractor for other firms on city jobs.

The family of the victim is also suing the city and Interpaving for $2 million.