‘Tragic accident’ kills worker at central B.C. gold mine

QUESNEL — Activity at a gold mine site in central British Columbia has been temporarily suspended after a worker died.

Osisko Development Corp. says in a statement the contractor working on the surface at the Cariboo Gold project “suffered a fatal injury following an isolated incident” on Thursday.

The company says authorities were notified and an investigation is underway into what is the third B.C. mine death in the last two months.

The Cariboo Gold project, about 75 kilometres from Quesnel, is still in the development phase but was given environmental assessment permits in 2024.

The company calls it a scalable underground operation expected to produce approximately 1.89 million ounces of gold over a 10-year mine life.

Mines Minister Jagrup Brar says in a statement that he was “deeply saddened” to learn of the fatality and his ministry would conduct an investigation into the circumstances that led to the death.

“The safety of all mine workers is of paramount importance to the ministry,” he said, noting the results of the investigation would be made public.

Brar said an inspector of mines is at the Cariboo site and the office of the chief inspector has worked closely with the company during the response effort.

The mining company is required to conduct its own investigation and submit a report to the ministry’s chief inspector, he said.

The death comes after a pair of fatal incidents at B.C. mines in late November — an accident at Taseko Mines’ Gibraltar operation near Williams Lake, and a miner found dead at an Elk Valley Resources site near Sparwood close to the Alberta boundary.

“We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident and extend our heartfelt condolences and support to our colleague’s family, friends and coworkers during this difficult time,” Osisko CEO Sean Roosen said in the company’s statement.

“The health, safety and wellbeing of all employees and contractors working at the project is our highest priority.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2026