UPDATE: Criminal negligence charges being considered in fatal Kelowna crane collapse

More than two years after a tower crane collapse in downtown Kelowna killed five worker, RCMP are asking for charges to be laid.

The tragedy happened on July 12, 2021.

“A report has been submitted to the BC Prosecution Service for charge assessment for criminal negligence causing death,” read a Kelowna RCMP news release issued today, Feb. 20.

“This investigation included dozens of police officers and countless hours of evidence gathering and analysis,” said Kelowna RCMP Supt. Kara Triance said in the release.

“The gravity of this incident and the associated work to understand what happened has been tremendous. We will work to support our partners and our community through the next steps.”

The release said it was a complex investigation that had to be done carefully.

RCMP are not releasing any further information at this time.

READ MORE: Three widows suing manufacturer in Kelowna crane collapse

Four construction workers Cailen Vilness, Eric and Patrick Stemmer and Jared Zook died on the construction site while Brad Zawislak was killed while working inside a neighbouring building.

The union representing 13,000 BC workers including commercial crane operators says the recommendation gives workers "some confidence" steps are being taken to answer the questions of what happened in the incident.

Josh Towsley with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 115 says the crane collapse was a "stark reminder" of the dangers faced by workers during crane disassembly and other duties of the occupation in general.

"My initial thoughts, of course, turn to the families of the of the five people that died," Towsley says.

"But our industry in general are one step closer to getting the answers that you know that everybody deserves, on what happened that day and what caused the deaths of five people."

The fatal collapse has spawned a number of lawsuits involving Stemmer Construction, the operator of the crane, and multiple divisions of the Liebherr Corporation that manufactured the heavy equipment.

In one lawsuit filed in July 2023, Stemmer is alleging Liebherr's crane and related manuals may have "contained a dangerous defect, which led to the accident."

None of the allegations have been proven in court.

The crane's fall knocked out power to most of Kelowna’s downtown core and forced an evacuation of the area as the city declared a state of local emergency.

An evacuation order for nearby residents was lifted a week after the collapse.

— With files from The Canadian Press

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