CANMORE – The two companies and two individuals charged under workplace safety legislation in connection to a gas explosion in Canmore in 2015 are going to trial.
APM Construction Service, Ground Zero Grading Inc., Jerry Arbeau and Andrew Pacaud have all pleaded not-guilty in Canmore Provincial Court to a total of 13 charges between them. Ground Zero and Arbeau were the last two accused in the case to enter not-guilty pleas on Feb. 27.
Pacaud is set to go to trial in April. APM Construction, Ground Zero Grading Inc. and Arbeau will go to trial January 2020.
The charges stem from a gas explosion that occurred when an ATCO gas line was struck on a Friday afternoon in June three-and-a-half years ago, resulting in the complete demolition of one house and causing significant damage to more than a dozen other houses – and registering 1.1. on the nearest Richter scale in Priddis.
A two-year investigation by Occupational Health and Safety resulted in multiple charges against APM Construction Service and Ground Zero Grading Inc., under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, as well as the OHS code. Arbeau and Pacaud were also charged with failing to protect the health and safety of other workers present while they themselves were working that day.
Pacaud was the first to enter a not-guilty plea within the last year, while APM Construction also pleaded not-guilty last month.
The incident occurred on the construction site for an expansion of the Bow River Senior’s Lodge, which has since been completed with funding from Alberta Seniors.
APM was the general contractor on site that day and Ground Zero Grading was hired to do the excavation work and were digging in the ground when an ATCO gas line was struck on 13th Avenue.
The construction crews then went door-to-door down the street notifying residents, while the gas from the ruptured line flowed through the ground into the basement of a nearby single-family home, found an ignition source and exploded. No one was in the house at the time and no serious injuries were reported as a result of
the explosion.
Some families were displaced for approximately a year while their homes were remediated and a $6.4 million property assessment loss was noted on the 13th Street properties the following year.
None of the allegations against the accused have been proven in court.
