Fatality reported at Thunder Bay mine

UPDATE: The worker killed at North American Palladium's Lac des Iles Mine in Thunder Bay on July 10 has been identified as Pascal Goulet.

The 38-year-old miner was outside of the loader he was operating when he was struck by a piece of broken ore.

He is survived by his wife and two daughters. Counselling has been made available to the family as well as for all employees and contract workers on site.

"We are profoundly saddened by this tragic accident and we extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Goulet's family, friends and colleagues," said Phil du Toit, NAP’s president and chief executive officer, in a statement. "Safety is an unrelenting focus of the company and we are committed to a full and thorough investigation."

The company said it has complied with all requests from the Ministry of Labour and, following a series of workforce meetings and workplace inspections, operations resumed July 11.

An investigation into the incident continues.

ORIGINAL STORY: One person is dead following an incident at Lac des Iles Mine near Thunder Bay.

In a statement, North American Palladium reported a fatality occurred around 2 p.m. on the afternoon of July 10 at its Lac des Iles property, located approximately 90 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay.

The company said it was investigating the incident alongside the union, the OPP, and the Ontario Ministry of Labour. The deceased has not been identified, and no additional information is being released at this time.

“We would like to extend our condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the deceased at this time and are offering grief-counselling support to our employees,” read the statement.

North American Palladium has been operating its flagship Lac des Iles Mine since 1993 and is one of only two primary palladium producers in the world.