Ontario Construction News staff writer
Condrain Company (1983) Ltd. has been charged with six counts of criminal negligence causing death in relation to a crash that claimed the lives of six young people at a worksite on McKay Road in south-endย Barrieย last August.
The Barrie Police Serviceโs major crime unit announced the criminal charges on Thursday and the company isย scheduled to appear in a Barrie court Feb. 13.
No additional information will be released, police said in a news release.
The young people who died in the crash โ Curtis King, 22, River Wells, 23, Jason OโConnor, 22, Luke West, 22, Jersey Mitchell and Haley Marin, 21 โ were reportedly on their way to the casino at Georgian Downs early on Saturday, Aug. 27 when the accident occurred. Residents say McKay Road is often used as a shortcut to and from the venue.
They were reported missing that day and found by a police officer around 2 a.m. the next day.ย According to a family member of one of the victims, the vehicle had breached a barrier and fallen into a concrete tunnel access shaft.
The project is the first phase of infrastructure expansion to support development north and south of McKay Road. Water and wastewater service will be extended south from Salem Road along Veterans Drive, then west along McKay Road, the cityโs project website stated.
Work started last spring on a new sanitary sewer along McKay Road and the first of five tunnelling shafts has been built. โMotorists are reminded that there is no access through the road closure or work zone,โ the cityโs website says.
The design-bid-build projectโs team is made up of the City of Barrie, designerย Schaeffers Consulting Engineersย and a builder (Salem Landowners Group with theย DG Group). A spokesperson for Schaeffers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Ministry of Labour inspector issued two requirements and one order to Condrain to produce documents and one additional requirement was issued not to disturb the scene. Officials announced on Sept. 26 that they had completed their investigation.
Founded in 1954 by Alfredo, Angelo, and Antonio De Gasperis, Condrain is based in Concord and focuses on โdeveloping land from its most raw stages,โ the company website states.
โThe company and its divisions now deliver a 360-degree development process. We can do it all. From earthworks to sewers and watermains, to environmental, fabrication, road building and to the installation of fibre, electrical and gas lines, Condrain has become a vertically integrated infrastructure construction company.โ