March 29, 2024

Inquest into mushroom farm deaths resumes with labour advocate

A coroner’s inquest into the deaths of three workers at a Langley mushroom farm in 2008 picks up Monday, with testimony from B.C.’s top labour advocate.

Jim Sinclair’s message is pretty simple: Hand out meaningful criminal penalties to employers who violate labour laws.

“When there’s clear negligence – not just an accident, but clear negligence – then they should take criminal activity. Then, I’ll tell you, if a few people spend even a few months in jail, there’ll be some second thoughts about not doing your job as an employer to keep the worksite safe,” Sinclair, president of the B.C. Federation of Labour, says.

The inquest has already heard from the farm’s owners, who say they were unaware the safety violations they were committing would kill people.

Three workers were killed and two others left severely brain damaged from toxic fumes in a composting shed in 2008.

The owners were fined $ 350,000, but were not sent to jail.

CKNW Vancouver News

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