Barrie, Ont. police charge company in fatal crash that killed 6 young adults

Barrie, Ont. police have charged a Vaughan-based construction company in connection with the crash that killed six young adults in Barrie this summer.

Police have charged Con-Drain Company (1983) Ltd. with six counts of criminal negligence causing death.

On Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022, around 2 a.m., police found a car on McKay Road, just east of County Road 27.

Police had been looking for the six youths previously reported missing since the day before, all of whom were found deceased.

The deceased were identified as Curtis King, 22; River Wells, 23; Jason Ono-O’Connor, 22; Luke West, 22; Jersey Mitchell; and Haley Marin.

In August, the City of Barrie said that the area is the site of a municipal construction project, and the intersection has been closed since the spring.

“The road has been fully closed and signed accordingly for many months,” chief administrative officer Michael Prowse wrote in an August statement.

The crash had not been reported to police when officers came across the scene, near Barrie’s southwest border, around 2 a.m. on Sunday, police said at the time.

A sign at McKay Road and County Road 27 on the Monday after the crash said the road was closed, except to local traffic.

Police say in early September, investigators determined that the collision occurred shortly after 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27, as the deceased persons were travelling to a nearby casino.

The Barrie Police Service has said in a statement it will not be providing any additional comments regarding this incident or the investigative process.

The company is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Barrie next month on Feb. 13.

2:05 6 people killed in Barrie crash

— with files from The Canadian Press’ Jordan Omstead and Tyler Griffin