The general contractor and excavating company involved in a natural gas explosion in Canmore two weeks ago is still subject to a stop work order from the provincial government as an investigation into the cause of the blast continues.
Occupational health and safety have turned the worksite at 942 13th Street over to APM Construction Services Inc., the general contractor hired by Alberta Seniors to build an expansion on the Bow River Seniors Lodge, according to public affairs officer Wayne Wood.
However, Wood said a stop work order remains in place for APM and Ground Zero Grading Inc. under section 448 of the occupational health and safety code related to exposing buried facilities. He said both companies will have to demonstrate to OHS that they meet the requirements of that section and ensure workers are knowledgeable about the code’s regulations with respect to excavating.
“OHS is working in cooperation with ATCO Gas and the Town of Canmore fire chief on other elements of the investigation,” Wood said.
Town of Canmore manager of municipal infrastructure Michael Fark told council this week the municipality continues to play a supporting role to the province in the aftermath of the explosion.
“One of the first points I want to make is that although this happened in the town of Canmore, it happened on property owned by the province and managed by Bow Valley Regional Housing,” Fark said.
Unlike the 2013 flood, a state of local emergency was not declared by the municipality and Fark said managing recovery of the homes in the area is in the hands of insurance companies and homeowners. That being said, he added planning and development is working with residents and insurance companies on addressing building code and occupancy requirements so they can regain residency in their homes.
“We know residents have a lot of questions about the incident, what caused it etc.,” Fark said. “We have similar questions, however, it is not within our scope or ability to answer those at this time.”
Cootchie Le Blanc, whose house is across the street from the one that exploded, said she wants to know how the explosion happened and why.
Le Blanc was at home in her kitchen when the blast knocked her over before glass and debris filled her home. She said it is an “absolute miracle” nobody was killed in the explosion or seriously injured, including residents of the seniors’ lodge.
“I went to the living room window and saw the guys working outside,” she said. “I went back to the kitchen to put some groceries away and boom.”
Shortly before, Le Blanc said a construction worker in a safety vest came to her door and asked her to close her windows and doors as they had hit a gas line. She said the smell of gas was in the air for a while before the explosion occurred.
“The more I think about it, I wonder why they didn’t evacuate,” she said. “Even after the explosion there were so many people in the back alley and on the street; why weren’t we evacuated?
“I’m just glad everyone is OK and the seniors in the lodge are OK. This kind of thing certainly should not happen nowadays. Someone is responsible and I know it is not the homeowners.”
The OHS investigation into the explosion may take some time to conclude, as Wood indicated the department has two years to determine what happened, how it happened and what steps should be put in place to ensure such an incident does not happen again.
“If our investigators feel there were violations or variations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the file will be sent to the Crown Prosecutors Office at Alberta Justice and Solicitor General for consideration,” Wood said in an email. “The Crown prosecutor will decide if charges should be laid.”
He added OHS can impose administrative penalties up to $10,000 per violation per day against workers, contractors, suppliers, general contractors and employers. Factors considered when applying penalties include past performance, frequency of orders and whether there is an overall commitment to ensuring proper health and safety systems are in place.
