Toronto police say the Ministry of Labour has been notified after a man died at a worksite at Ontario Place on Tuesday morning.
Police said the incident happened just after 9:30 a.m. at Ontario Place, where work is underway to redevelop the site.
The person’s injuries were initially said to be life-threatening but in an update, police said a man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police also said the man was injured by construction equipment, although it’s not clear what equipment was being issued.
Toronto Fire told Global News there was a “mishap of some kind” where they were working with a “lifting device” that fell onto a worker. The worker suffered “crushing injuries,” fire officials said.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated.
The Ministry of Labour said they were notified of a fatal workplace injury and that an inspector has been assigned to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of the worker during this difficult time,” the Ministry of Labour said.
David Piccini, Ontario’s labour minister, said he was still receiving updates and that it would be “inappropriate” to speculate on the incident.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the family of the worker that was tragically killed,” he said at Queen’s Park on Tuesday. “Investigation’s underway, so as you can imagine I’m getting information as you’re getting it.”
Piccini said he was “not aware” of whether the death was related to the ongoing redevelopment of Ontario Place. He said it would be up to investigators to decide if an order needed to be issued to stop work at the site.
The Ford government is in the midst of redeveloping Ontario Place to bring a private spa and revamped music venue to the waterfront, along with expanded parkland.
Barriers around the location have been up for months and some very early work, including removing trees, has taken place.
Ellis Don, a construction company carrying out redevelopment work at Ontario Place, said the incident was not related to the work it’s doing there.
A spokesperson for Therme Group, the company behind the spa project, also told The Canadian Press their on-site work has not yet begun.
— with files from Isaac Callan and The Canadian Press