Sudbury inquest probes death of worker buried at Lac des Iles Mine

Inquest told of final moments of worker

An inquest in Sudbury has heard that a New Brunswick miner spent his final moments struggling to breathe after being buried by wet, muddy muck while working underground at the Lac des Iles Mine northwest of Thunder Bay.

Edouard Gallant, 64, of Dunlop, N.B., died on May 27, 2020, while working for Sudbury-based SCR Mining and Tunnelling. He had been contracted by mine owner Impala Canada to assist in repairing ore passes, near-vertical tunnels used to move blasted rock.

On Sept. 22, inquest counsel Jai Dhar outlined the events that led to Gallant’s death. Dhar said workers stood on muck inside the ore passes while spraying the walls with shotcrete, a type of sprayed concrete. After completing each section, the muck was drawn down to expose the next