Charges stayed in fatal stage collapse at Big Valley Jamboree

EDMONTON – Charges against three companies in a fatal stage collapse at a popular Alberta country music festival have been stayed.

The Crown says there was no reasonable chance of conviction against Panhandle Productions, Global Production Co. and a numbered Alberta company.

The companies faced almost three dozen charges after a powerful windstorm caused the main stage to collapse at the Big Valley Jamboree near Camrose in 2009.

One woman was killed and more than a dozen people were injured.

The Crown says it consulted with occupational health and safety investigators before making the decision.

Staying a charge means that it can be reactivated if significant new evidence becomes available within one year.