Employer allegedly failed to ensure the large pole tent was installed safely
An Alberta event rental company is facing 10 workplace safety charges in connection with a fatal tent collapse at a Buddhist meditation retreat northwest of Edmonton in the summer of 2024, according to a report.
Alberta Special Event Equipment Rentals & Sales Ltd. has been charged under Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Act after a large pole tent failed during a storm at the Westlock Meditation Centre in Busby, Alta., on July 31, 2024, CBC reported.
One person was killed and dozens were injured when the structure came down as hundreds of attendees gathered for dinner during a 10‑day meditation retreat.
The collapse claimed the life of 40‑year‑old Valerie Pham, a participant from Minnesota.
More than 40 people were taken to hospital with injuries linked to the falling structure, and about 20 others were assessed and treated on site by paramedics.
Investigators have reported that between 100 and 200 people were inside the tent when it failed, CBC noted.
Pole installation
The Westlock Meditation Centre is home to the Tây Thiên Buddhist monastery, operated by the Edmonton Buddhist Research Institute, which has organized the annual 10‑day retreat for more than two decades.
About 400 people had gathered at the site in 2024, taking part in an intensive monastic programme that allows them to live “as monks and nuns,” immersed in prayer and study from morning until night, according to CBC.
Workplace safety investigators allege Alberta Special Event Equipment Rentals & Sales Ltd. failed to ensure the large pole tent was installed safely and in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, according to the report. The structure was allegedly not properly anchored, staked or pinned down.
Engineering specifications for the size and placement of stakes and pins, as well as the location and capacity of guy wires needed to brace the tent, were also not followed, investigators say, CBC reported.
The rental company has been charged with 10 counts under the Occupational Health and Safety Act related to the safe erection of the tent and compliance with technical and manufacturer requirements for the structure. None of the allegations has been proven in court.
Officials with Alberta Special Event Equipment Rentals & Sales Ltd. were not available for comment on the charges, CBC reported. Representatives of the Edmonton Buddhist Research Institute and the Westlock Meditation Centre declined to comment on the case.
The company is scheduled to make its first appearance in the Alberta Court of Justice in Westlock on April 22, according to the report.
Alberta RCMP, meanwhile, said that a parallel police investigation into the incident concluded in January 2026 with no criminal charges laid, according to CBC News. The occupational health and safety prosecution remains ongoing.
