Sentencing set in March
NB Power has changed its plea in connection with the 2023 death of power-line technician Colin Hume, admitting to a workplace safety offence tied to the lack of a written emergency transportation procedure for injured workers.
The Crown corporation entered a guilty plea this week in Moncton provincial court, and a sentencing hearing is now scheduled for 16 March, according to the Telegraph-Journal.
This marks a significant shift from NB Power’s earlier position. Canadian Occupational Safety previously reported that the utility pleaded not guilty in February 2025 to five Occupational Health and Safety Act charges laid after an 18‑month WorkSafeNB investigation, and a three‑week trial had been set to begin on 16 March 2026.
That date will instead be used for sentencing following the new plea, the Telegraph-Journal reports.
Fatal fall during storm restoration
The case stems from a Jan. 17, 2023 incident in Fundy Albert, in a wooded area off Albert Mines Road near Hillsborough. Two NB Power powerline technicians were working on storm restoration after freezing rain and snow had knocked out power to thousands of customers across New Brunswick.
Both workers fell from a pole during the work. Hume, 47, of Ritchie, a small community between Woodstock and Fredericton, died of his injuries, while the second worker was hurt, according to both earlier Canadian Occupational Safety coverage and the Telegraph-Journal.
Following the fatality, WorkSafeNB conducted an 18‑month investigation and, in late October 2024, laid five charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. As outlined in court documents and previously detailed by Canadian Occupational Safety, NB Power was accused of:
- Failing to provide instruction necessary to ensure worker safety while removing ice from power lines.
- Failing to provide training on the safe removal of ice from power lines.
- Failing to take every reasonable precaution to ensure the health and safety of employees.
- Failing to prepare a written transportation procedure describing how injured or ill workers would be taken from the work site to the nearest health-care facility.
- Failing to provide a first-aid kit at the work site.
When the case was before the court in early 2025, Crown prosecutor Maurice Blanchard initially requested a 10‑day trial. Counsel for NB Power, Clarence Bennett, argued the matter would require three weeks, and the court ultimately set a three‑week trial to begin on 16 March 2026, as previously reported by Canadian Occupational Safety.
Guilty plea to transportation procedure charge
The Telegraph-Journal reports that, during a court appearance this week, NB Power pleaded guilty to the count alleging it failed to prepare in writing a transportation procedure for getting injured or ill employees from their place of employment to the nearest health-care facility.
The remaining four charges – relating to instruction and training on ice removal, taking every reasonable precaution, and providing a first-aid kit – are expected to be withdrawn at the March sentencing hearing, according to the Telegraph-Journal.
Earlier, as Canadian Occupational Safety reported, NB Power stated it “has been working with WorkSafeNB throughout their investigation to ensure a comprehensive understanding of all factors involved and to take every possible step to prevent future incidents,” underscoring that the company viewed the case as a catalyst for internal safety improvements.
