An inquest has been called into the May 2020 death of a New Brunswick mining contractor at the Lac des Iles Mine, northwest of Thunder Bay.
Dr. Kevin Miller, regional supervising coroner of the north region, announced July 22 that an inquest will be held into the death of Edouard Gallant. No date for the hearing was provided in a news release from the Ministry of the Solicitor General.
Gallant, 64, of Dunlop, N.B., died on May 27, 2020, from injuries sustained underground while working at the Impala-owned palladium mine.
According to the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development at the time, the worker was killed in a run of muck. The deceased's employer is SCR Mining and Tunnelling of Sudbury.
Impala Canada was fined a total of $350,000 in 2023 for this fatality and another incident in 2020 that critically injured a worker at the mine.
An inquest into the death is mandatory under the Coroners Act and will examine the circumstances surrounding Gallant’s death. The jury may make recommendations aimed at preventing further deaths.
The ministry said further details regarding the inquest, including the date and venue, will be provided at a later date.
The Lac des Iles mine is set to close in May 2026. Impala is blaming it on lagging palladium prices.
