Charges laid in 2023 death of man, 20, who was electrocuted while trimming hedges in Manotick

April 25, 2024 Canuck

The supervisor of a 20-year-old man who died after he was electrocuted while trimming hedges in Manotick in May 2023 has been charged with criminal negligence causing death.

Ottawa Police charged Steven Deans, 38, a manager with Best Green Hedges, on Wednesday.

“This is the first time in the city of Ottawa, the area close to the city of Ottawa, that a criminal negligence causing death charge has been laid against an employer or a supervisor of the company,” said Sean McKenny, the president of the Ottawa and District Labour Council. “And our hope for sure is that it sends a message to other employers that health and safety is important, that the workers at a workplace deserve to be treated with respect and health and safety and the legislation that exists to protect those workers is applied all of the time. All of the time that they’re at the workplace, no matter what they’re engaged in doing at the workplace.”

Nick Chenier was working for Best Green Hedges at the time of his death. Chenier was electrocuted when he hit an overhead hydro line that was buried within the hedge.

The Ministry of Labour laid five charges against the company, its owner, and Chenier’s supervisor.

Among them, the ministry said the company and supervisor failed to ensure that the tools or other equipment capable of conducting electricity were not used in proximity to live electrical lines.

More details to come…

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