Kelowna RCMP recommends charges in 2021 crane collapse

The Kelowna RCMP says it has completed its investigation into a crane collapse that left five people dead in 2021, with charges being recommended.

Mounties said Tuesday they had submitted a report to the BC Prosecution Service “for charge assessment for Criminal Negligence Causing Death.”

The RCMP did not say who the charges were being recommended for.

“This investigation included dozens of police officers and countless hours of evidence gathering and analysis,” said Kelowna Superintendent Kara Triance. “The gravity of this incident and the associated work to understand what happened has been tremendous. We will work to support our partners and our community through the next steps.”

On July 12, 2021, a crane at a construction site in the downtown core of Kelowna fell onto an adjacent building. Initially, four people were declared dead, with a fifth person unaccounted for. That person was later identified as a man who was killed when the wreckage crushed part of a neighbouring building where he was working.

The victims who died at the construction site were later identified as Cailen Vilness, Jared Zook, and brothers Patrick and Eric Stemmer. Brad Zawislak was the man killed in the neighbouring building.

The incident prompted the city to declare a state of emergency, with evacuations for surrounding buildings also ordered.

The remains of the toppled crane were removed days later.

Mission Group, the developer of the 28-storey building where the crane fell, previously said the collapse was the result of a “catastrophic failure” that happened during the “dismantling process.”

The Kelowna RCMP says the collapse affected many people. It adds the investigation has been “extremely complex,” adding it “needed to be done methodically and thoroughly in order to protect the integrity” of the probe.

In a statement to CityNews, WorkSafeBC says it will not be releasing its incident report at this time, “to ensure it does not affect the charge assessment process.”

“Although the WorkSafeBC investigation report is not being released, WorkSafeBC has continued to incorporate key learnings about tower crane assembly, disassembly, and repositioning into its ongoing crane safety initiatives,” it added.

Calls grew in the wake of the collapse for more protocols and mandated training for those who are tasked with putting up and taking down tower cranes.

People across B.C. began putting high-visibility vests outside their homes to show their support for the construction industry, as well as the grieving families.

-With files from Cecilia Hua