Electric utility pleads not guilty in case of the death of power-line technician Colin Hume
N.B. Power will have over a year more to prepare for trial for the death of one of its workers way back in 2023.
That’s because Crown prosecutor Maurice Blanchard set the three-week trial to commence on March 16, 2026.
On Monday, Clarence Bennett, a lawyer representing the utility, pleaded not guilty to the five charges in Moncton provincial court, according to a CBC report.
Crown prosecutor Maurice Blanchard asked for a 10-day trial, but Bennett said he expected it would require three weeks, according to the report.
The incident happened on Jan. 17, 2023, in Fundy Albert, when two NB Power workers fell from a pole while working in a wooded area near Albert Mines Road. Colin Hume, 47, of Ritchie, died in the incident, and another worker was injured.
The two were conducting power restoration efforts following a period of freezing rain and snow that had left thousands of New Brunswickers without electricity.
After an 18-month investigation, WorkSafeNB filed five charges against the utility in late October 2024 under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. NB Power is facing five workplace safety charges, including:
- Failing to provide instruction to provide necessary instruction to ensure employee safety while removing ice from power lines.
- Failing to provide training on the safe removal of ice from power lines.
- Failing to take every reasonable precaution to ensure the health and safety of employees.
- Failing to prepare a written transportation procedure for the transfer of injured or ill employees to the nearest healthcare facility.
- Failing to provide a first-aid kit at the work site.
NB Power "has been working with WorkSafeNB throughout their investigation to ensure a comprehensive understanding of all factors involved and to take every possible step to prevent future incidents," Couture said, as COS previously reported.
