Ontario’s Ministry of Labour has rejected all 10 recommendations a coroner’s jury has made in an inquest into the death of a construction worker in a trench collapse eight years ago.

The ministry, which is not required to accept recommendations from a coroner’s jury, says all the concerns raised in the inquest have already been addressed. But some critics say the province’s move is “criminal” and shows it’s unprepared to provide more training and resources to prevent similar workplace accidents. 

“It’s criminal that the ministry does not heed these recommendations,” said Patty Coates, the president of the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL), in a statement to CBC Toronto.

In July of 2014, Michael Picanco, 35, died when a trench collapsed at a construction site in Toronto. Due to the instability of the soil, it was impossible to rescue him until the morning after, according to the coroner’s report. An autopsy showed Picanco suffocated due to the pressure on his chest from the collapsed soil.

The ministry’s rejection of the recommendations comes after two workers died last August in a trench collapse in Ajax, Ont. The three-day inquest into Picanco’s death began on Oct. 25. 

The jury’s recommendations include:

• More unannounced inspections.
• Mandatory trench safety training for workers.
• Stronger penalties for companies with repeated safety violations.
• A requirement for health and safety representatives at smaller work sites.

“What we’re seeing now is long, drawn-out coroner’s inquests that dredge everything up for the families, and then the Ministry of Labour simply says ‘no’ to every recommendation that could save another worker’s life,” Coates said.

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