Christmas Eve scaffolding collapse leads to charges

The Ontario Ministry of Labour has charged two companies in the deaths of four migrant workers who were killed in a workplace accident on Christmas Eve last year.

Five men were making balcony repairs at a Toronto apartment building, when they plummeted 13 storeys to the ground on Dec. 24.

Four of them died, and a fifth man was seriously injured with two fractured legs and a broken spine.

After months of investigation, spokesman Matt Blajer said, the Ministry of Labour laid a total of 61 charges against two companies Friday.

Metron Construction Corp. faces 30 charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. A director of Metron Construction faces an additional 16 charges, and a supervisor faces eight charges.

Swing 'N' Scaff Inc., the company that supplied the platform, faces four charges. A director for the company faces an additional three charges.

Hearings on the case will begin at the Ontario court of justice in Toronto on Sept. 30.