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Construction firm failed to pay $60K fine for fall that injured worker

The construction firm that pleaded guilty in the death of a 24-year-old surveyor at a Little Italy worksite has failed to pay a fine for a second incident at the same location.

Bellai Brothers Construction Inc. was fined $60,000 last summer after a worker fell three metres at the Claridge Icon condo site in March 2018 and suffered a head injury, according to court documents obtained by Radio-Canada.

The fine was issued after Bellai Brothers pleaded guilty to failing to take appropriate measures that would adequately protect an employee from a fall, an offence under Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety Act.

The decision was issued in June 2019, but was not publicly announced by the province's Ministry of Labour. Two other charges were dropped.

According to court documents, the construction firm, which has offices in both Ottawa and Gatineau, had until Jan. 10 to pay the fine, but failed to do so.

That failure means Bellai Brothers could be on the hook for further punitive measures, including additional fines.

Marc-André Cossette/CBC
Marc-André Cossette/CBC

Charged in death of Olivier Bruneau

No one from the firm was willing to speak to Radio-Canada about the late payment.

One month before receiving the $60,000 fine, Bellai Brothers was fined $325,000 in the death of 24-year-old Olivier Bruneau.

Bruneau, an assistant layout carpenter, was working at the bottom of the nine-storey-deep pit at the condo site in March 2016 when he was crushed by a 56-kilogram chunk of ice.

That fine was paid, according to court documents.