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Police, Ministry of Labour investigating death of contractor at Goderich salt mine

The Goderich, Ont. salt mine as seen in Dec. 2008. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dave Chidley

An investigation is underway by provincial police and Ontario labour ministry officials into the death of a man at the Goderich salt mine on Saturday, Huron OPP said.

Details remain scarce, but Compass Minerals, the owner of the mine, said the man had been working Saturday morning as a contractor.

The unidentified man was taken to hospital but could not be revived, police said, adding an autopsy will be performed on Monday.

“The scene has been secured and the mine cleared of staff underground by the company pending the results of the investigation,” said police in a media release.

According to Compass Minerals’ website, the facility is the world’s largest underground salt mine and has operated since 1959. The mine was acquired by Kansas-based Compass Minerals, parent company of Sifto Canada, in 1990.

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In 2011, a 61-year-old salt mine worker was killed at the facility when an F3-level tornado battered the town. Normand Laberge was working high up on the mine’s boom, a large extendable arm which loads freight onto ships, when the twister struck, pinning him under the rubble, media reports said.

With files from The Canadian Press

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