Maureen Luggi has been through a lot in the past couple of years since the explosion at the Babine Forest Products sawmill.
Luggi lost her husband, Robert Luggi Jr. in the explosion and subsequent fire on Jan. 20, 2012, and since then has dealt with every agonizing step in the investigative process, as her and the rest of the community has tried to heal.
Now comes the next step in the process, as the B.C. Coroners Service has announced that it will hold a single public inquest into the deaths of the Luggi Jr. and Carl Charlie, the two workers who died in the Babine Forest Products explosion and the deaths of two workers that died in the explosion at the Lakeland sawmill in Prince George just under three months later.
The inquest will begin on Mar. 2, 2015 at the provincial courthouse in Prince George at 9:30 a.m.
The coroners service determined that the most effective way to examine all the questions regarding the explosions at Babine and Lakeland was to hold a single inquest.
But Luggi, feels otherwise.
“Robert lived in this community for 22 years and Carl was born and raised here and to have this inquest taken right out of the community is very insensitive,” Luggi said, “I feel that whatever is learned out of this and whatever healing that comes out of this result positive or negative it needs to come out in public in Burns Lake.”
Luggi appreciates the fact that the chief coroner, Lisa Lapointe will be presiding over the hearing herself, but still feels that the government has missed the point all together.
The point of the public inquest, Luggi says is to provide healing, and that thought is something that has been reiterated to her by coroners representatives.
Luggi doesn’t believe much healing can be done if the only chance that most Burns Lake residence will have to watch the live feed of the inquest in Burns Lake.
“I don’t really think that they’ve considered our families very much, Carl Charlie’s parents, for example, are elderly and not well and that it would be better if this inquest was held in Burns Lake,” Luggi said, “Carl has a huge family and a huge community with Lake Babine Nation and Robert and I raised our children in Burns Lake for 22 years and many of the community members knew Robert. They died in Burns Lake, not in Prince George or near Prince George, they died in this community and that’s where the inquest needs to be held.”
Luggi believes that Burns Lake is being marginalized as a community, noting that there are accommodations here, as well as facilities that could be looked at as a proper venue for the inquest.
Luggi says she will be writing a letter to the chief coroner asking her to move the inquest to Burns Lake in March.
As well, Mayor Strimbold announced at village council meeting Aug. 12 that he and the chief of Lake Babine Nation, Wilf Adam and the chief of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation, Karen Ogen will be writing a letter requesting that the inquest be moved to Burns Lake.
Luggi said the idea that she presented to Nechako Lakes MLA and minister of aboriginal relations and reconciliation, John Rustad, was to have the inquest into the explosion at the Babine mill held in Burns Lake.
That inquest, Luggi notes, could be wrapped up by Friday afternoon, then the chief coroner, the jury and all the officials presiding over the inquest could drive the two and a half hours to Prince George where the inquest into the explosion at the Lakeland mill could begin on the following Monday or Tuesday.
It would allow the coroners service to maintain the same jury and experts, which they feel is necessary, according to Luggi.
Luggi says that after disappointment after disappointment when it comes to the entire Babine investigation that the community of Burns Lake deserves to hear the inquest in their own community.
“To find out the WorkSafe is giving a fine to Hampton and Babine and that they’re going to appeal it is just a disgrace,” Luggi said, “Our families are being left on the sideline while this government and their agencies fail us one by one, so I just feel that the general public in Burns Lake deserves to hear this inquest in their own community.”
Many families involved with the explosion are still dealing with post traumatic stress, and Luggi says an incident like this isn’t something that can be overcome in just one year.
She is still pushing the government for a full public inquiry into the explosions at Babine and Lakeland, as well as pushing for the enforcement of Bill C-45, which allows criminal charges to be brought against employers who are found negligent in worker accidents.
“If Bill C-45 was enforced perhaps none of us would be having this conversation and we would be moving a lot quicker in healing than we are now,” Luggi said.
WorkSafeBC fined Hampton Affiliates $1,011,639.62 in April in regards to the Babine explosion, a fine that has since been appealed by Hampton.
