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Miner killed in 2014 wanted out of Lockerby Mine: wife

Court hears victim impact statements from family members of two miners killed in 2014

Normand Bisaillon wanted out of what he had described as "that hellhole" Lockerby Mine, before a May 6, 2014 incident took his life, along with the life of 34-year-old Marc Methe.

The two were killed while working as miners in the Lockerby Mine, which was owned by First Nickel Inc. at the time. The company had more than 70 of its own employees, but also hired contractors such as Taurus Drilling Services, which was the direct employer of both men.

First Nickel was fined $1.3 million on Feb. 20, in connection to the deaths, and those who were in court on Tuesday heard from those impacted, as family members of both Methe and Bisaillon had statements entered into the record.

"Norm had worked in South Africa for about 16 months where there were no real safety guidelines when it came to mining," said Normand's wife, Romeena Kozoriz-Bisaillon.

"Norm worried very little about his safety in South Africa but he sure felt uneasy about working at Lockerby Mine and now I know why."

The couple's son, Justin had also been employed at Lockerby Mine before getting a new job in Marathon, Ont. 

"I remember my last weekend with Norm and him saying 'I'm happy Justin is getting out of that hellhole and going to work in a better environment,' Norm also wanted to get out of Lockerby Mine and had plans to go to the Yukon, but that never happened."

The May 6 incident that took the life of her husband has left Romeena's life in disarray as she says that she is now struggling with PTSD and has had to to step down from her job as a veterinary technician as she no longer trusts herself to make the decisions to do her job to the best of her ability. 

The pain from the day's events were recounted by Romeena before the court, as she fought through tears to explain the aftermath of her husband's death.

"There was a knock on my door at 8 a.m. Aaron Forest from Taurus and Dave Secord from Lockerby Mine had told me that there was an accident at the mine and that Norm and his partner Marc were still unaccounted for," said Kozoriz-Bissaillon.

"My heart sank and I assumed the worst. The two men made it seem not so serious and said that we'd be in touch so we waited and even after numerous calls to the mine we continued to wait. After numerous calls to the mine with no luck we eventually found out on Facebook...the emotional and psychological impact that Norm's death has had on our family has forced us to live a life unfamiliar to us...I'm constantly on guard and very angry, I feel hopeless, I no longer feel joy or look forward to happy times that once existed...our family gatherings will never be the same other than the constant reminder that Norm is no longer by with us to celebrate."

The couple's daughter, Larissa also spoke in court on Feb. 20, echoing her mother's anger over not being kept up to date by Normand's employer.

"We weren't sure if my dad was alive or dead and that has to be one of the worst feelings, not knowing," said Larissa. "All day we were kept in the dark, I tried to remain positive, he's a smart man, he'll be fine, he's going to walk through the door any minute and laugh at us for being worried...the news of two deaths at Lockerby Mine were posted on social media...the whole city was finding out about this at the exact same time as the families of the victims, the media knew before the families. How is that even fair? We weren't respected enough to be told before the media? In what world is that acceptable?"

In her victim impact statement, Larissa lamented the fact that she will no longer be able to make new memories with her father or share laughs with the man that she described as the family's rock.

"I'll never get to hug my dad again or tell him I love him, he won't be walking me down the aisle. I'll never be able to get advice from him on how to fix my vehicle or something around my house. I'll never get to joke around with him, sing with him, or hear his smart mouth remarks," said Larissa.

"We did a lot of things together, if mom said no I knew dad would say yes, which in the end got us both in trouble. The only man a girl can truly depend on is her daddy and I was robbed of that."

Father and mother Cleo and Marianne Methe were also in the courtroom on Feb. 20, and their victim impact statement was read by Dave Stewart, joint health and safety co-chair with Mine Mill 598/Unifor. 

Stewart has been giving support to the couple since the incident claimed the life of their son, Marc. The family, as Stewart described, are "good, salt of the earth people" who have been devastated by the loss.

Marc was the couple's first-born child and older brother to Melanie who is six years his junior, and was also the proud uncle of his niece, Emily, who was born just two weeks before his death.

"We are lucky and appreciative of having spent just his 34 short years on this Earth," said Steward, reading from the couple's statement. 

Marc studied public relations at Cambrian College, he worked in Ottawa and owned a landscaping business in Toronto before homesickness brought him back to Sudbury.

"He wanted to be closer to his family and friends. Anybody that knew Marc knows he was very intelligent and destined for bigger and better things in life. His job at Taurus was a stepping stone for him. He worked a total of four years in mining. His work ethic and ambition was remarkable and he had big plans moving forward in life."

Methe was an avid sports enthusiast who loved to travel and was never shy about lending a helping hand to someone in need.

"A piece of us died along with Marc the day he was killed," said Stewart. "Our wish is for this type of employers' behaviour to stop. Please make an example of the people responsible so others will think twice before putting their employees in danger. We grieve Marc every day...decisions were made by management that not only took two lives, but changed the course of our families for the rest of our lives."


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