Inquest postponed into 2015 death of Detour Lake mine worker

An inquest into the 2015 death of millwright Denis Millette at the Detour Gold Mine has been postponed "due to unforeseen circumstances."

A rescheduled date was not provided in the Sept. 2 announcement by the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario. 

Dr. Harry Voogjarv, the regional supervising coroner for the North Region, in the Sudbury office had initially set the inquest date in Timmins for Sept. 7. 

Millette, 52, died on June 3, 2015, while working at the Detour Gold Mine, 185 kilometres by road northeast of Cochrane.

The company, then-known as Detour Lake Gold, was charged by the OPP with criminal negligence in April 2016. The company pleaded guilty in 2017 and was ordered to pay a $1.4-million fine. The open-pit operation is now run by Agnico Eagle Mines.

An inquest into Mr. Millette’s death is mandatory under the Coroners Act. The purpose of the inquest is to examine the circumstances surrounding Millette’s death.

Based on the information provided by the relevant parties and questions asked of witnesses, a jury may make recommendations aimed at preventing future deaths from occurring in similar circumstances.

The inquest was expected to last seven days and hear from approximately15 witnesses.

The Chief Coroner’s Office said further information on a new date will be provided when it becomes available.