The BC Coroners Service is continuing to investigate the deaths of three workers on a mushroom farm in Langley.

Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe will make a decision on whether the circumstances of the deaths are best reviewed at a public inquest once all information has been received and the investigation completed.

Two companies and three individuals have been fined a total of $350,000 after pleading guilty to breaches of provincial health and safety laws.

The Coroners Service, which has been involved in the investigation since the deaths in 2008, is now expecting to receive further information after the conclusion of the other court processes. This information, along with all other data gathered, will be reviewed by the coroner with jurisdiction. The coroner will then make a recommendation to Chief Coroner Lapointe on whether to proceed with a public inquest rather than the more usual coroner's investigation.

Under the Coroners Act, the Chief Coroner may order an inquest in any case in which she has reason to believe either that an inquest is needed to inform the public of the circumstances surrounding the death, or that the death resulted from a dangerous practice or circumstance and an inquest is necessary to make recommendations to prevent future deaths. However, even without an inquest, an investigating coroner can suggest recommendations aimed at preventing future similar deaths. Chief Coroner Lapointe noted that the procedure being carried out in this case is the normal one in all cases where other legal proceedings take place in the context of a death. No decision is normally made about the holding of an inquest until all the information from those other legal proceedings has been obtained and reviewed by the Coroners Service.

Ut Van Tran, aged 35, Chi Wai (Jimmy) Chan, aged 55, and Han Duc Pham, aged 47, all died at the mushroom farm at 23751 16th Avenue, Langley, on Sept. 5, 2008, after being overcome with toxic gases in a small enclosed space. Two other workers survived but suffered irreversible brain damage in the same incident.

Contact:

Barb McLintock, Coroner, Strategic Programs
BC Coroners Service
Phone: 250 213-5020