Meadowbank mine worker paralyzed after fall

A Quebec man who was injured while working at a Nunavut gold mine last month has been paralyzed from the waist down, according to the company that owns the mine.

Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd. says 27-year-old Franois Alain fell on Jan. 11 while he was conducting routine maintenance in an ore processing facility at the Meadowbank mine, located 110 kilometres north of Baker Lake, Nunavut.

Alain was initially in intensive care at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg. He was later transferred to a Montreal hospital, where he is undergoing rehabilitation.

Agnico-Eagle spokesman Dale Coffin said the company has arranged for a place in Montreal where Alain's family can stay while he undergoes treatment.

"It's just more setting them up so that the way of life for them is a little bit easier and they don't have to worry about accommodations and all the day-to-day stuff, so that they can focus on Franois and getting him strong and back home," Coffin told CBC News on Wednesday.

Alain is from the Abitibi-Temiscamingue region of Quebec.

Despite his injuries, Alain has been talking about going back to work at the Nunavut gold mine, Coffin said.

"Both he and his family are very, very strong people, and they've been sending messages back to his co-workers at Meadowbank and telling them that he's doing well and he's looking forward to getting back to work," Coffin said.

"We're certainly very supportive of that and looking forward to having the opportunity to reintegrate Franois back into the workforce when he's at that stage."

The results of investigations into the accident have not yet been released.