No public inquiry into deadly sawmill blast: Clark
Posted February 13, 2014 2:26 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The province has ruled out a public inquiry into the sawmill explosion two years ago that killed two workers in Burns Lake. Instead, the premier will push for change, in light of a decision against criminal charges.
Christy Clark triggered a review last month after Crown Counsel ruled out charges in the Babine Forest Products blast.
That review, led by the Premier’s Deputy Minister John Dyble, concludes a public inquiry is not appropriate, and criminal charges are unlikely to proceed, since evidence from a WorkSafe BC investigation would be tossed out in court.
Clark accepts all of the report’s recommendations. “I want to make sure that we move on this as quickly as we can, that we have a plan to address the problem and that we get it fixed.”
Recommendations include ways to improve communication between WorkSafe BC and the Criminal Justice Branch as well as communication within WorkSafe BC. The report also calls for more training at WorkSafe BC.
But the NDP’s Harry Bains thinks an independent investigation is needed. “Something is wrong with this whole picture.”
Meantime, a WorkSafe BC review into a Prince George mill explosion has not yet been released.
