Following the deferral of the start of an inquiry into the Westray mining disaster by the Nova Scotia Supreme Court, four mine managers and Westray owner Curragh (TSE) have been charged with 52 offences under the Nova Scotia Occupational Health and Safety Act.
The charges are related to 15 issues, including the occurrence of high levels of methane gas in the mine and the tampering of a device which monitors methane gas levels.
The inquiry, established to investigate the deaths of 26 miners in an explosion in May at the Plymouth, N.S., coal mine, was set to start Oct. 19. Chief Justice Constance Glube ordered the postponement after a group of Westray managers argued that the inquiry is unconstitutional. They argued that a person’s right to a fair trial would be jeopardized if that person was asked to testify before the inquiry and was charged by the RCMP.
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