The inquest into the Lakeland Mills sawmill explosion was nearing the finish line when it was adjourned last week after coroner's counsel came across new evidence.
Just one witness was left to be heard - WorkSafeBC investigations director Jeff Dolan - but that list may be lengthened somewhat once the proceedings resume.
Coroners counsel John Orr has already served notice he will be summoning former WorkSafeBC president David Anderson who held the position at the time of the blasts that leveled Lakeland Mills sawmill on April 23, 2012 and Babine Forest Products on Jan. 20, 2012.
Whether former vice-president in charge of investigations Donna Wilson will be called to testify remains to be seen. Like Anderson, she was holding down that job when the explosions occurred, in both cases killing two men and injuring at least 20 others.
"This is all still a bit unclear...the final list won't be determined until inquest counsel has had a chance to review the new information," B.C. Coroners Service spokeswoman Barb McClintock said.
Prior to the inquest beginning, the United Steelworkers wanted both Anderson and Wilson on the witness list. That request was rejected and the USW has since withdrawn from the inquest while continuing to call for a public inquiry into the two incidents.
By the time proceedings were adjourned on Wednesday, the inquest had heard from 48 witnesses representing a long list of organizations - WorkSafeBC, Lakeland Mills, Prince George Fire Rescue, B.C. Ambulance Service, Prince George RCMP and the Ministry of Forests among them - as well as two expert witnesses on dust-related explosions.
The inquest had also heard from the widows of Glenn Roche and Al Little, the two men who died from injuries suffered in the blast, as well as from a handful of employees who lived to tell their stories.
The tone has often been confrontational, leading Lakeland to issue a statement protesting Orr's "prosecutorial stance" in particular.
In granting the adjournment on Wednesday, chief coroner Lisa Lapointe, who has been the inquest's presiding coroner, said an inquest is not an adversarial process but is meant to find out what happened, why it happened and how to prevent similar events from occurring again.
She said anything witnesses do say during an inquest cannot be used against them in any other legal process. "That's a pretty big protection because the important thing is to get the truth out," Lapointe said.
The adjournment was granted after Orr discovered the law firm representing Lakeland Mills had hired a forensic engineer to look into what may have caused the explosion. He wants time to review the material that was subsequently generated.
Orr also learned the material had been offered to WorkSafeBC to aid its own investigation but the offer was turned down. Consequently, he wants Anderson put on the witness stand to answer why that happened.
Orr said he hopes the inquest, being heard before a five-man jury, will resume by the end of April, "but this will depend on court space, the availability of jury members."
