Smelter tragedy: Queen's Park holds moment of silence

Prompted by NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, Queen's Park observed a moment of silence today for the Sudbury man who died in an accident at Vale's Copper Cliff smelter on Sunday.

Horwath made the request to Speaker Dave Levac (MPP, Brant) for the moment of silence. It was given unanimous consent by MPPs.

Following the moment of silence, Levac expressed condolences to the man's family on behalf of the legislature.

A 36-year-old man was killed and a 28-year-old man injured at around 6:30 p.m. April 6 while working at the casting/crushing plant at the Copper Cliff smelter.

One of the men was found unconscious and without vital signs and pronounced dead on the scene by medical personnel. The other man was treated in hospital for serious injuries, and is now in stable condition.

The immediate family has been notified; however, the name of the employee is being withheld pending completion of the notification process, a press release from Vale said.