An inquest will be held into the February 2022 death of Remi Desjardins, who died while working at a surface mine site near Matheson, Ont. Dr. Laura Piccinin, Regional Supervising Coroner for the Sudbury Region, Sudbury Office, has announced the inquest will be held into the death, although a date was not released. Desjardins, from Timmins, was 48 years old when he died on the job Feb. 9, 2022. An inquest into his death is mandatory under the Coroners Act. ‘All I heard were good things’ At the time of the tragedy, Denis Larocque, CEO of Moncton-based Major Drilling, told CTV’s Lydia Chubak the victim’s body was found underwater by the Ontario Provincial Police’s underwater search and recovery unit. ‘All I heard were good things over the last day from his colleagues," Larocque said. “How good a teacher he was, good team leader and a person. We offer our condolences to family and friends and coworkers ... Our focus right now is to help the family and the coworkers deal with this by offering support and counselling while we wait to hear exactly what happened.” His obituary said Desjardins worked as a diamond driller for more than 30 years, starting as a helper and eventually being promoted to foreman. “A lover of the outdoors spending time with family enjoying numerous activities in the bush,” his obit said. “Remi loved carpentry, working with his hands, and was in the process of building the camp of his dreams to enjoy with family and friends. Remi was always a man with an extra word, joking and carrying a smile.” He was working in a remote area near Kirkland Lake Gold’s Taylor Mine in the Matheson and Val Gagne area, east of Timmins, at the time of his death. “The inquest will examine the circumstances surrounding Mr. Desjardins’ death,” the province said this week, announcing the inquest. “The jury may make recommendations aimed at preventing further deaths.” For more information about inquests, click here.
