Worker dies after incident at Elkview coal mine
Contractor from Hosmer found dead after maintenance work at Sparwood operation
A contractor has died following a workplace incident at Elkview Operations near Sparwood, with Elk Valley Resources confirming the fatality and multiple agencies now probing what happened.
In a short statement posted on Nov. 21, Elk Valley Resources said the contractor employee died after an incident during maintenance work on Nov. 19 at the steel-making coal operation.
“Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the family, friends, and colleagues of this person. This is an incredibly difficult time for our Elkview Operations workforce, and we are ensuring support services and counselling are available,” said Mike Carrucan, CEO of EVR.
The company said regulatory agencies and authorities have been notified and a full investigation is underway. Elk Valley RCMP, the B.C. Coroners Service and the provincial ministry responsible for mining have all been engaged, and the mine has been temporarily shut while investigators work to determine the circumstances surrounding the death.
RCMP have said the worker, a 39-year-old man from the nearby community of Hosmer, was reported missing at the mine site on the morning of Nov. 20. Mine rescue teams began searching the area, with RCMP assisting. The man was later found dead and his remains recovered at the operation. His name has not been of-ficially released.
Elkview Operations is one of four steelmaking coal mines run by Elk Valley Resources in the Elk Valley of southeastern British Columbia. The open pit mine sits about 3 kilometres east of Sparwood and has produced coal for more than a century as part of a regional complex that includes the Fording River, Greenhills and Line Creek operations. The four mines together are among the world’s largest exporters of steelmaking coal and account for a significant share of Canada’s total production.
Provincial data highlight how important those ope-rations are to the local and provincial economy. A B.C. government overview of Elk Valley mining says coal mines in the valley have operated for more than 120 years and now produce about 85 per cent of Canada’s steelmaking coal. The same analysis estimates the ope-rations support more than 3,000 local jobs and more than 12,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs across the province, contributing billions of dollars to British Columbia and Canada’s gross domestic product.
Elkview alone is described in education and indu-stry profiles as employing roughly 1,000 to more than 1,200 people, many of them residents of Sparwood, Fernie and Crowsnest Pass. The mine has also been recognized for its safety performance in recent years, including a 2023 John T. Ryan safety trophy from the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum.
Despite ongoing efforts to improve safety, the incident comes amid continued concern about workplace fatalities in British Columbia. WorkSafeBC data show 175 work-related death benefit claims accepted in 2023, followed by 146 in 2024, with occupational disease and traumatic injuries both contributing to the toll. Na-tional and provincial safety campaigns have used those numbers to underline the need for strong prevention programs in high-risk industries such as mining, forestry and construction.
Elk Valley Resources said support services and counselling are being offered to workers at Elkview Operations as the investigation continues. RCMP have said criminality is not suspected at this time, but investigators are still examining the facts surrounding the incident.
No further details about the circumstances of the maintenance work or where at the mine the worker was found had been released as of Nov. 24. Provincial reports say investigations into mining fatalities are intended to identify what went wrong and help prevent similar incidents in the future.