Worker's death after Cantley blast leads to criminal negligence charge

A man responsible for blasting at a western Quebec construction site is now facing criminal charges after the death of a worker in2022.

A 46-year-old man fromL'Ange-Gardienwas pronounced dead at a hospital after the explosion on Sept. 8, 2022. The explosionwasmeant to clear a residential plot of rockon chemin Denis in Cantley, north of Gatineau.

Quebec's employee watchdog CNESST said last year the explosion was neitherproperly planned nor carried out, leaving the unnamed victim, who was working in an excavator, within the blast range.

On Monday, municipal police said they'd arrested the unidentified 30-year-old from Thurso earlier this month.

He'll face charges of criminal negligence causing death and breaching his duty of care around explosives, MRC des Collines-de-l'Outaouaispolice said in the news release.