The provincial government announced that the company, which offers tours of the Columbia Icefield, faces eight charges Occupational Health and Safety Act in connection with the fatal rollover in July 2020.
On July 18, 2020, an Ice Explorer off-road tour bus lost control of the road leading to the Athabasca Glacier and rolled down an embankment, killing three passengers and injuring 14 others.
Charges were formally filed Tuesday against Brewster Inc. in connection with the “serious incident,” according to the Alberta OHS, including three counts of failing to ensure the health and safety of passengers by failing to control the hazard of “shouldering the shoulder.” became moraine.”
Other allegations include failing to mandate the use of seatbelts by employees, failure to maintain seatbelts, failure to ensure all equipment is “safe to perform its function” and that all equipment used is “free from apparent defects”.
The matter is scheduled to appear in Jasper Provincial Court on June 23.
The alleged health and safety violations have yet to be proven in court.
Alberta RCMP says the criminal investigation into the incident is complete and that prosecutors are reviewing the footage to determine if the charges are merited.
“The RCMP will provide a further update to the victims and families in an updated media release when more information on the outcome of the criminal investigation can be shared,” police said.
Mounties says the criminal investigation is “separate and parallel” to the OHS investigation.
Two civil lawsuits have been filed on behalf of the 27 people who were on board the tour bus.
Ice Explorer vehicle tours resumed on the Columbia Icefield last summer. The tour operator confirmed to CTV News at the time that seat belts were added to the fleet and changes were made to driver training, road and vehicle maintenance.
Pursuit Collection, the company that operates the ice field tours and Jasper Skywalk, said in a statement to CTV News that it could not comment on the specifics of the case.
“We continue to support a transparent and multi-agency investigation into this tragic accident,” said Tanya Otis, a company spokeswoman.
Located about 100 kilometers south of Jasper, Alta., the Columbia Ice Field is one of the largest non-polar ice fields in the world.
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