The provincial government has announced that the company, which offers tours of Colombia’s ice field, faces eight charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act in connection with the fatal rollover in July 2020.
On July 18, 2020, the Ice Explorer off-road tourist bus lost control of the road leading to the Athabasca Glacier and rolled over an embankment, killing three passengers and injuring 14 others.
According to Alberta OHS, charges have been formally filed against Brewster Inc. on Tuesday in connection with the “serious incident”, including three allegations of failing to ensure the health and safety of passengers by failing to control the danger of “the slope of the side moraine.”
Other allegations include failure to oblige employees to wear seat belts, failure to maintain seat belts, failure to ensure that all equipment can “safely perform its function” and that all equipment used is “without obvious defects”.
The case is scheduled for June 23 in the Jasper County Court.
The alleged OHS violations have not yet been proven in court.
The RCMP in Alberta says the criminal investigation into the incident has been completed and that prosecutors are reviewing the material to see if the allegations are justified.
“The RCMP will provide additional updates to victims and families in an updated press release when additional information on the outcome of the criminal investigation can be shared,” police said.
Mounties says the criminal investigation is “separate and parallel” to the OHS investigation.
Two civil cases have been filed on behalf of the 27 people who were on board the tourist bus.
Ice Explorer tours resumed at Columbia Icefield last summer. The tour provider confirmed to CTV News at the time that seat belts had been added to the fleet and that changes had been made to driver training and road and vehicle maintenance.
Pursuit Collection, the company that manages the tours of the ice fields and the sky alley of Jasper, said in a statement to CTV News that he could not comment on the specifics of the case.
“We continue to support a transparent and multi-agency investigation into this tragic incident,” said Tanya Otis, a spokeswoman for the company.
The Columbia Ice Field is located about 100 kilometers south of Jasper, Alta, and is one of the largest non-polar ice fields in the world.
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