FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 8, 2016
ADVISORY: OFL Anticipates Historic Jail Sentence in Metron Construction Tragedy
(Toronto) — The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) is bracing itself for a historic verdict at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, January 11, 2016, when the sentence will be announced for a Metron Construction Project Manager. Vadim Kazenelson is facing four counts of criminal negligence causing death and one count of criminal negligence causing bodily harm after the tragic collapse of a swing stage at a Toronto high-rise on December 24, 2009. His conviction and sentencing is the first of its kind in Ontario.
What: Sentencing Hearing for Metron Construction Project Manager Vadim Kazenelson
Where: Superior Court of Justice, 361 University Ave (Court Room 4-9), Toronto, ON
When: 9:30 a.m. on Monday, January 11, 2016
Who: OFL President Chris Buckley will be on hand for comment after the sentence
The OFL launched its “Kill a Worker, Go to Jail” campaign immediately following the Metron tragedy in 2009 to demand jail time for bosses whose criminal negligence results in a worker’s death. The campaign paid off in 2012 when Metron Construction received Ontario’s first criminal conviction since the Criminal Code of Canada was amended in response to the 1992 Westray Mine Disaster. While the company was fined $750,000 plus a victim surcharge, the company’s sole owner and director, Joel Swartz, escaped criminal conviction altogether. In June 2015, an Ontario Superior Court Judge found the Metron Project Manager, Vadim Kazenelson, guilty on five counts of criminal negligence but sentencing was remanded to January 11, 2016.
“This court has the opportunity to make history by throwing Mr, Kazenelson behind bars, but justice won’t be fully served as long as only supervisors go to jail,” said OFL President Chris Buckley. “The OFL won’t stop campaigning until the employers who put workers lives at risk to earn another buck find themselves doing hard time in jail.”
The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. For information, visit www.OFL.ca and follow @OFLabour on Facebook and Twitter.
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For further information:
Joel Duff, OFL Communications Director: 416-707-0349 (cell) or jduff@ofl-org.flywheelsites.com *ENG/FRENCH*
