The coroner’s inquest into the death of Olivier Bruno has been adjourned

The long-awaited coroner’s inquest into the death of Olivier Bruno, who was crushed by a piece of falling ice at an Ottawa construction site six years ago, will be postponed.

The inquest was scheduled for July 25 and was expected to last five days.

On March 23, 2016, Bruno was working at the bottom of a nine-story construction trench when a slab of ice broke from one of the walls of the trench and crushed him to death. The surveyor from Gatineau, Que., was 24 years old.

In a news release Tuesday, a spokesman for the Office of the Chief Coroner said the investigation was postponed after “discussion with counsel and in the best interest of the investigation.”

The coroner’s office did not provide a new date for the inquest and said more information would follow “as it becomes available.”

According to information obtained by CBC/Radio-Canada, the coroner’s investigation will focus on four points:

1. Safety protocols for the work site, specifically de-icing and mitigating hazards from falling ice.
2. On-site inspection protocols, including any subsequent on-site inspection after safety concerns have been raised.
3. The criteria for reopening a site after it has been closed for security reasons.
4. Creation of exclusion zones.

The latter two points relate to an incident that occurred at the same construction site in February 2016, when another worker was struck by a piece of ice but escaped without serious injury.

Christian Bruno, the father of Olivier Bruno, stands on the shore of Dawes Lake in Ottawa in January 2022. The Claridge Icon Tower in the background is where his son was killed in 2016. (Radio-Canada)

In a January interview with Radio-Canada, Bruneau’s father said the four points reflected his family’s own questions.

“There were inspectors from the Department of Labor, safety boards, very experienced supervisors, but the site was operating in violation of code for many months until the day of the accident,” Christian Bruno said at the time.

“I am very puzzled how this could happen.

Bruno also noted that it took too long to begin the investigation.

“I don’t think it’s fair to hold a family hostage for six years waiting for answers,” he said.