Alain Bissonnette died in workplace incident at Ottawa care home
A City of Ottawa worker killed in a workplace incident at a west Ottawa long-term care facility was remembered for "his attention to detail, his amazing sense of humour and the tremendous pride he took in his work," in a memo distributed by the city's public works department.
Alain Bissonnette died on Friday at the Peter D. Clark Long Term Care Facility. He worked as a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning technician. He was 40, according to his obituary.
The Ontario Ministry of Labour said he was found dead at the bottom of a set of stairs. The ministry issued two orders to the City of Ottawa related to its ladder system after investigating the death.
"The first order is to ensure that the fixed access ladder has a railing installed. The second order is to ensure that the fixed extended ladder has a safety cage around the opening installed. And our investigation is currently ongoing," said ministry spokesperson William Lin.
The changes must be made by March 20.
Kevin Wylie, the general manager of public works, sent out a memo to staff via email on Tuesday.
"Friday was a very rough day for everyone involved. I am so proud of the way you all pulled together and how you are continuing to support each other and Alain’s family," he wrote.
"On behalf of the Public Works Department, I would like to extend our sincere sympathies to Alain’s wife, Wendy, his two children Dylan and Astrid, his extended family and his Parks, Buildings and Grounds Services co-workers and friends. Our thoughts are with all of you during this very difficult time and please know we are here to support all of you in any way we can."
Bissonnette started working for the City of Ottawa in April 2012.
