The Town of Kindersley pleaded guilty in Provincial Court earlier this month to the Occupational Health and Safety violation of failing to take all practicable steps to prevent exposure of a worker to a chemical or biological substance that may be hazardous whether alone or in combination with any other substance present, resulting in the death of a worker.

On August 30th of 2022, 48-year-old Wilmer Gonzalez was responding to a sewer blockage with other Public Works employees and when he entered a manhole, he was overcome by poisonous gas. Despite rescue efforts, he succumbed to his injuries.

The Court imposed a $125,000 fine and a surcharged of $50,000 for a total of $175,000. A statement from Kindersley’s Mayor, Rod Perkins, says while the fine brings an end to the legal proceedings, “It is not intended to put a monetary value on a life, nor is it intended to reflect the pain and suffering endured by family and friends.