Charges dropped against construction company in Barrie, Ont. crash that killed 6 young adults
Charges against the company accused of criminal negligence in connection with an August 2022 collision that claimed the lives of six young adults in Barrie have been dropped.
On Monday, the Crown withdrew all charges against Condrain Group, citing there was no reasonable prospect of a conviction.
Condrain Group was charged with six counts of criminal negligence causing death after Barrie police accused the company of failing to properly secure the construction site along McKay Road after a car plunged into a deep concrete pit, killing its occupants - Curtis King, 22; River Wells, 23; Jason Ono-O'Connor, 22; Luke West, 22; Jersey Mitchell, 20; and Haley Marin, 21.
It's believed the group was on their way to a casino in Innisfil, south of Barrie, when the car they travelled in crashed into the massive hole in the centre of the closed road between Veterans Drive and County Road 27.
Police would come across the crash scene nearly 20 hours later.
- Download the CTV News app free to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
In a statement from the company issued by its lawyers, Henein Hutchison Robitaille LLP, Condrain said it "has always had confidence in the justice system and that this matter would conclude as it has today."
It continued, "Our thoughts are with the families of those that lost their lives and the Barrie community. We remain committed to the community and moving forward from this heartbreaking tragedy."
It remains unclear what safety measures were present such as fencing, signage, or barricades in the vicinity of the large hole in the construction zone where the deadly crash occurred.
The City of Barrie has said the area was the site of an infrastructure project with new water mains and sanitary sewers at McKay Road and Veterans Drive.
Condrain, founded by the De Gasperis brothers, is one of the largest construction companies in Ontario.
Shopping Trends
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Monster storm in North Atlantic stretches cloud from Atlantic Canada to Portugal
A large low-pressure system centred about 750 kilometres to the northeast of Newfoundland is causing clouds to stretch all the way to Portugal.
'Trudeau can end it all': Conservative carbon tax filibuster stretches into second day
With no signs either side is ready to retreat, the marathon voting session in the House of Commons has stretched into its second day, after MPs stayed up all night rejecting Conservative attempts to defeat government spending plans over the Liberals' refusal to scrap the carbon tax.
Shohei Ohtani watch kicks into higher gear in Toronto as Blue Jays fans track private plane
Shohei Ohtani watch in Toronto has kicked into another gear.
Canadian alleges discrimination, sues federal government in effort to get grandchildren out of Gaza
A Palestinian-Canadian is suing the federal government in an effort to get his four grandchildren out of Gaza. Mohammed Nofal, 74, is alleging Global Affairs Canada and immigration officials created a discriminatory policy that denied his family help in evacuating a war zone in the days following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
'We're inside the patient, looking directly at the tumour': Gaming experience aids surgery
An Ontario teen is among the first patients in the country to have a rare type of cancer surgically removed by doctors who trained using a virtual reality system that allows them to 'walk' inside a patient's body.
'Pseudoscience': Alberta's health minister under fire for naturopathic medicine meeting
Alberta's health minister is facing pushback after taking a meeting focused on naturopathic medicine's role in the province's primary care.
2 Ontario men charged after allegedly producing recruitment videos for listed terrorist entity
Two men from Ontario have been arrested on charges of terrorism after allegedly producing recruitment videos for a listed terrorist organization and circulating far-right manifestos online, police say.
1 in 9 Canadian adults have had long-term symptoms from COVID infection: StatCan
About one in nine Canadian adults have had long-term symptoms from COVID-19 infection, according to a Statistics Canada report issued Friday.
Pompeii archaeologists uncover bakery that doubled as a prison
An ancient bakery operated by slaves has been discovered in the ruins of Pompeii, the Pompeii Archaeological Park said in a statement released Friday.
Atlantic
-
Monster storm in North Atlantic stretches cloud from Atlantic Canada to Portugal
A large low-pressure system centred about 750 kilometres to the northeast of Newfoundland is causing clouds to stretch all the way to Portugal.
-
2 fatal overdoses suspected in Nova Scotia’s Cumberland County
The Nova Scotia RCMP suspects two people died Friday morning in Cumberland County due to drug overdoses.
-
Maritimes to see heavy rain and strong winds Monday
A strengthening low pressure system will move out of the northeastern U.S., across northern New Brunswick, and over the Gaspe Peninsula of Quebec on Monday.
Montreal
-
BREAKINGBREAKING Man arrested in death of Quebec toddler found injured at daycare
A 34-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the death of a child who was found injured at a daycare northeast of Montreal earlier this week.
-
Public sector strikes: Legault appears ready to wait it out
Unions representing 420,000 Quebec public sector workers are beginning a weeklong strike.
-
Quebec government votes to abolish the office of lieutenant governor
The day after the appointment of the first Indigenous person to occupy the position of lieutenant governor in Quebec, the national assembly voted unanimously for the abolition of this office.
Ottawa
-
Police arrest man on arson charges after fire at Civic Campus ER
Ottawa's largest hospital says a 'Code Red' was called at the Civic Campus on Carling Avenue at approximately 6:30 a.m. following a fire in the emergency department.
-
Ottawa school bus authority general manager departs role
The general manager and chief administrative officer for the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA) Vicky Kyriaco has departed from her role.
-
18-year-old dead in fatal crash near Perth, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police are investigating a two-vehicle crash that killed a young person in a rural part of Lanark County.
Toronto
-
Shohei Ohtani watch kicks into higher gear in Toronto as Blue Jays fans track private plane
Shohei Ohtani watch in Toronto has kicked into another gear.
-
Woman charged with second-degree murder in death of 3-year-old boy in East York
A 22-year-old woman has been charged with murder in connection with the death of a three-year-old boy in East York earlier this week.
-
How an investigation into an auto theft ring led to the arrest of ServiceOntario employees
Car theft investigations are all too common for the officers who work with the Major Crime Unit at the Toronto Police Service’s 53 Division.
Kitchener
-
HWY 7/8 crash closes eastbound lanes near New Hamburg
A collision west of New Hamburg has closed a section of Highway 7/8 in the eastbound lanes.
-
Federal government doubling financial requirement for international students
Another major change is coming for international students in Canada.
-
WRPS recover 45 stolen vehicles set to be shipped overseas
Waterloo regional police have arrested eight people they believe were working together as part of an organized criminal network to steal vehicles in Waterloo Region and Guelph.
London
-
EXCLUSIVEEXCLUSIVE Integrity Commissioner recommends sanctioning Councillor Stevenson for social media post: Read the report here
Coun. Susan Stevenson could face a formal reprimand from her council colleagues following an investigation by London’s Integrity Commissioner.
-
Police investigate fatal crash near Tillsonburg, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are investigating a fatal two-vehicle collision near Tillsonburg.
-
'Wave after wave after wave': Health officials warn high COVID-19 rates could continue
Not enough people are getting vaccinated for COVID-19. That’s according to a Western University professor involved in the Ontario COVID-19 Waste Water Survey Program.
Northern Ontario
-
2 Ontario men charged after allegedly producing recruitment videos for listed terrorist entity
Two men from Ontario have been arrested on charges of terrorism after allegedly producing recruitment videos for a listed terrorist organization and circulating far-right manifestos online, police say.
-
One person found dead in Sault fire, police investigating
Residents in Sault Ste. Marie should expect to see a police presence near a fatal fire in the city Friday.
-
Timmins lawyer being investigated for misconduct
An assistant Crown attorney in Timmins is facing a Law Society Tribunal related to allegations of misconduct.
Windsor
-
Inquest into Tecumseh man’s death turns out six recommendations
The jury that spent the better part of this week pouring through the circumstances around a fatal 2019 police shooting has come up with six recommendations aimed at preventing future such incidents.
-
Recovery from cyberattack continues
Piles of paper that fill a room at Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) show how much work has been done, and what still needs to be scanned into the system as restoration efforts continue at WRH following a cyberattack over month ago.
-
What’s behind all the recent vacant home fires?
Over the past month a number of vacant homes have gone up in flames in Windsor.
Calgary
-
What we know about Calgary's unsolved homicides of 2023
Of the 19 homicides Calgary has recorded so far in 2023, nine of them remain unsolved.
-
WEATHER
WEATHER Snowfall warning re-issued for Calgary and area, with snow expected until late Friday
Southern Alberta was hit with persistent, heavy, wet snow Thursday and early Friday prompting snowfall warnings from Environment and Climate Change Canada that covered the southwest corner of the province, including Calgary.
-
Peita Luti named new executive director of Alberta Theatre Projects
Alberta Theatre Projects took a step towards solidifying its foundation this week, naming Peita Luti as its new executive director.
Saskatoon
-
Saskatoon projects $13M in surpluses, could the money go to taxpayers?
After lengthy budget talks last week, where city councillors spent nearly 30 hours searching for savings, there's a new twist.
-
Warman RCMP say a pedestrian was killed on Highway 12
A pedestrian was killed in a collision on Highway 12 around 12:30 a.m. on Friday, according to police.
-
Sask. Lifelabs patients could be eligible for up to $150 in compensation for cyber attack
Saskatchewan patients who used Lifelabs for medical services could be eligible to receive up to $150 as part of a class-action settlement related to a 2019 cyber attack.
Edmonton
-
Alberta finance minister says he has not 'flip-flopped' on proposed pension change
Finance Minister Nate Horner — after promising any stand-alone Alberta pension plan would not follow the contentious Quebec model, then saying it might, then saying it won't — told reporters Friday that possibility is back on the table.
-
Oilers, Wild on successful runs following coaching changes
Tonight's game at Rogers Place (7 p.m.) features two teams on winning runs soon after a coaching change. Well, mostly.
-
Canada Post worker attacked, robbed by 4 in south Edmonton
A postal worker was taken to hospital Thursday evening after she was attacked and robbed by four people in south Edmonton.
Vancouver
-
1 airlifted after semi truck crash that closed highway in Surrey
One person has been airlifted to hospital after a semi truck rollover on Highway 17 in Surrey Friday.
-
Homicide investigators identify Richmond father who was killed with 13-year-old son
Homicide investigators have identified a father who was killed in his home with his 13-year-old son in Richmond on Nov. 30, and say a photo of a suspect will be released shortly.
-
Here's how many people have accessed free birth control in B.C.
About 188,000 people have received free prescription contraception since British Columbia became the first province to offer it in April.
