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Calgary Herald
03-06-2025
- Health
- Calgary Herald
11 OHS charges filed over fatal trench collapse in northwest Calgary
Two years after the death of an apprentice plumber in northwest Calgary, Occupational Health and Safety charges have been laid against Mr. Mike's Plumbing Ltd., after a worker was fatally injured while working on a City of Calgary sewer line. Article content Article content On June 8, 2023, 27-year-old Liam Johnston was killed while working on a sewer line replacement excavation site in the alley of the 2600 block on 34th Avenue N.W., in the community of Charleswood. Article content Article content 'He was outside and they had opened up a hole in the backyard of the home,' said Emily Gofton, the victim's partner. 'The company, according to the charges, did not have the proper safety equipment on site.' Article content Article content Although there were other employees on site, Johnston was working alone inside of a three- to six-metre hole, where he was trying to identify the pipe that needed to be replaced. Article content 'The retaining wall and the hole collapsed on him,' Gofton said. 'So that buried him alive in there, and the fire and rescue crews weren't able to recover his body for most of the day due to the lack of equipment that was on site.' Article content On May 29, the Ministry of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration charged Mr. Mike's Plumbing Ltd. with 11 counts under the OHS laws, in connection with Johnston's death, a spokesman said in a statement issued to Postmedia. Article content The charges outlined several failures to ensure the health, safety and welfare of a worker, including failure to ensure the protection of an employee from the collapse of an excavation wall, failure to implement safe work procedures in an excavation site and several OHS Code violations. Article content Article content The ministry also said that it is always tragic when a worker dies on the job, and that it is the province's goal to have all workers return home from work both healthy and safe every day. Article content Article content Gofton added that the Calgary Police Service completed its investigation on the incident, with investigators' findings sent to the Crown for review. Article content 'We're really hopeful that they'll be adding criminal charges on top of these occupational health and safety charges as well,' she said. Article content From statements to various forms of evidence, Gofton said she is thankful for the support from community members and former employees who stepped forward during the investigation process. She notes that screenshots from messages that took place from months before the incident played a critical role in the investigation.
Calgary Herald
30-05-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Alberta's goal of $25B from tourism 'very doable' by 2035
Alberta's lofty tourism goals are aiming to chart a path for continued success in the sector. Article content The province's long-term tourism strategy aims to grow Alberta's annual visitor economy from around $10 billion to $25 billion by 2035. Article content Over the period of January to September last year, the province saw tourism revenues climb by 10 per cent over 2023 — from $10.5 billion to $11.5 billion. Article content Article content At a Friday event hosted by the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, Tourism and Sport Minister Andrew Boitchenko and Minister of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration Joseph Schow discussed tourism's future in Alberta. Article content Article content 'It brings business to local communities, and I think that's a big part our (Alberta's) diversification,' said Boitchenko during a fireside chat with Schow hosted by Chamber president and CEO Deborah Yedlin in the Fairmont Palliser's Crystal Ballroom. Article content According to the provincial government, growth in Alberta's tourism sector outpaced every other province, advancing at a rate more than three times the national average for the first three quarters of 2024. Article content 'We need to understand that in the world, tourism is the fastest growing industry — outgrowing other industries by three times or so,' said Boitchenko, who was granted the tourism and sport portfolio two weeks ago. Article content Article content Boitchenko also expressed enthusiasm for rail projects in the province, having been born in Ukraine and seeing how convenient Europe's rail system is. He immigrated to Canada as a teenager. Article content Boitchenko did not provide any update on possible funding for refurbishment at Calgary's Olympic Oval, a new field house or improvements at the aging McMahon Stadium, which is set to host the Grey Cup next year. Article content However, he did note the importance of partnerships with the private sector and other orders of government for larger projects. Article content A 'big part' of what Boitchenko aims to do is advocate for the federal government to help with constructing and maintaining facilities.
Edmonton Journal
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Interim report for Alberta's investigation into AHS procurement delayed four months
Article content The preliminary report of the Alberta government's investigation into procurement and contracting processes at Alberta Health Services (AHS) will be delayed by four months, and the final report by 3 1/2 months, the province announced Friday. In January, former Manitoba chief judge of the provincial court Raymond Wyant was appointed to lead the third-party investigation into Alberta's procurement of pharmaceuticals, and the services offered by chartered surgical facilities. Article content His interim report was to have been due to government on Friday, but will now be pushed back until Sept. 24, a delay of three months and 26 days. Similarly, his final report was to have been due on June 30 but will now be completed by Oct. 15, a delay of three months and 16 days, and less than two weeks before MLAs return for the fall sitting of the legislature and five days before municipal elections are held across the province. Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration Deputy Minister Christopher McPherson selected Wyant to lead the investigation and cited the large number of documents and interviews being reviewed in announcing the delay. 'In consultation with and by the mutual agreement of judge Wyant and the deputy minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, I have extended the term of the investigation,' he stated in a news release. Article content He added that the terms of reference for the investigation remain unchanged. Questions Wyant is considering include if any elected official, government of Alberta or AHS employee acted improperly during the procurement processes. Wyant's is one of several ongoing investigations into allegations of corruption within procurement practices at AHS that were raised in a $1.7-million wrongful dismissal lawsuit filed by the agency's former head, Athana Mentzelopoulos. Her allegations have not been tested in court and the government has denied wrongdoing. Alberta's Office of the Auditor General and the RCMP are also investigating. Critics, including Opposition New Democrats, have claimed Wyant's review is limited in scope and could be subject to political interference. Earlier Friday, NDP leader Naheed Nenshi issued a statement calling on the government to release the interim report and reiterating his call for a public inquiry, something the government has so far resisted citing the adequacy of the existing ongoing investigations. Article content 'Albertans know they can't trust Danielle Smith's government to protect public health care or education, or to stop the rising cost of living caused by her policies,' said Nenshi in a news release. Nenshi added, 'this was a specific promise to Albertans, it must be kept,' noting Justice Minister Mickey Amery had pledged the report would be available online on May 30 'for everybody to read.' Former cabinet minister, and current independent MLA, Peter Guthrie has spoken out against Wyant's investigation, saying it lacks the accountability needed to earn the public's trust. 'This review resembles a classic 'Whitewash Report,' seemingly designed to conceal wrongdoing rather than expose it — an approach that risks triggering serious accusations of a coverup,' he wrote in a letter he posted online in April. mblack@ Latest National Stories
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Interim report for Alberta's investigation into AHS procurement delayed four months
The preliminary report of the Alberta government's investigation into procurement and contracting processes at Alberta Health Services (AHS) will be delayed by four months, and the final report by 3 1/2 months, the province announced Friday. In January, former Manitoba chief judge of the provincial court Raymond Wyant was appointed to lead the third-party investigation into Alberta's procurement of pharmaceuticals, and the services offered by chartered surgical facilities. His interim report was to have been due to government on Friday, but will now be pushed back until Sept. 24, a delay of three months and 26 days. Similarly, his final report was to have been due on June 30 but will now be completed by Oct. 15, a delay of three months and 16 days, and less than two weeks before MLAs return for the fall sitting of the legislature and five days before municipal elections are held across the province. Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration Deputy Minister Christopher McPherson selected Wyant to lead the investigation and cited the large number of documents and interviews being reviewed in announcing the delay. 'In consultation with and by the mutual agreement of judge Wyant and the deputy minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, I have extended the term of the investigation,' he stated in a news release. He added that the terms of reference for the investigation remain unchanged. Questions Wyant is considering include if any elected official, government of Alberta or AHS employee acted improperly during the procurement processes. Wyant's is one of several ongoing investigations into allegations of corruption within procurement practices at AHS that were raised in a $1.7-million wrongful dismissal lawsuit filed by the agency's former head, Athana Mentzelopoulos. Her allegations have not been tested in court and the government has denied wrongdoing. Alberta's Office of the Auditor General and the RCMP are also investigating. Critics, including Opposition New Democrats, have claimed Wyant's review is limited in scope and could be subject to political interference. Earlier Friday, NDP leader Naheed Nenshi issued a statement calling on the government to release the interim report and reiterating his call for a public inquiry, something the government has so far resisted citing the adequacy of the existing ongoing investigations. 'Albertans know they can't trust Danielle Smith's government to protect public health care or education, or to stop the rising cost of living caused by her policies,' said Nenshi in a news release. Nenshi added, 'this was a specific promise to Albertans, it must be kept,' noting Justice Minister Mickey Amery had pledged the report would be available online on May 30 'for everybody to read.' Former cabinet minister, and current independent MLA, Peter Guthrie has spoken out against Wyant's investigation, saying it lacks the accountability needed to earn the public's trust. 'This review resembles a classic 'Whitewash Report,' seemingly designed to conceal wrongdoing rather than expose it — an approach that risks triggering serious accusations of a coverup,' he wrote in a letter he posted online in April. mblack@ Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.
