Vale court case adjourned until Oct. 10

A court case involving Occupational Health and Safety Act charges against Vale and one of its supervisors has been adjourned until Oct. 10.

The decision was made after representatives of Vale and supervisor Keith Birnie appeared in a Sudbury courtroom Sept. 12, according to media reports.

The case involves nine charges against Vale and six against Birnie related to the deaths of Jason Chenier and Jordan Fram at the company's Stobie Mine June 8, 2011.

While the matter was originally to be heard before a justice of the peace, the lawyers on both sides have agreed to have the matter heard by a judge instead.

Dave McCaskill, the Crown attorney representing the Ontario Ministry of Labour, told reporters after the initial court date Aug. 14 that the case will deal with complex legal issues with which a judge would be more familiar.

Judges must be lawyers by training, while that's not necessarily with justices of the peace, he said.

McCaskill said in August this case will also likely take months to work its way through the system.