No criminal charges to be laid in fatal July 2020 rollover on Columbia Icefield: RCMP

No criminal charges will be laid in connection to the rollover of an icefield tour bus in the Rocky Mountains which killed three passengers and injured 14 others. 

RCMP on Friday announced they and crown prosecutors found "no criminal charges are warranted" in the July 2020 crash on Alberta's Athabasca Glacier. 

"They conducted quite a very thorough investigation of that scene, taking witness statements and measurements of the scene itself. Ultimately, the Ice Explorer itself was seized and examined. It was a very involved multifaceted investigation," media officer Cpl. Troy Savinkoff explained in an interview. 

Mounties concluded their investigation earlier in 2022 and have been reviewing evidence since then. 

"Once all that evidence was obtained, the RCMP investigators coordinated with the Alberta crown prosecutors office and went through all the evidence presented with the ultimate question: Is there a criminal offence that has occurred here that we can prosecute? 

"Ultimately, the decision was made that there wasn't enough evidence in order to lay criminal charges."

RCMP attend the scene of a sightseeing bus rollover at the Columbia Icefields near Jasper, Alta., Sunday, July 19, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

OH&S CHARGES

Police investigated separately from Occupational Health and Safety, although the two agencies shared evidence, Savinkoff said. 

In May, the Alberta government announced eight charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act against tour company Brewster Inc. Three of the charges are failing to ensure the health and safety of passengers by not controlling the hazard of the "slope of the lateral moraine." Lateral moraines are piles of rock and debris which form on the sides of glaciers.

Other charges were related to equipment maintenance and failing to mandate seat belt rules amongst employees.

Savinkoff could not comment on what would come of the regulatory charges. 

The company is expected to enter a plea for them on Dec. 22 in Jasper provincial court.

• Brewster Inc. faces 8 provincial charges after fatal Columbia Icefield rollover
• Prosecutors have report on fatal Icefield bus rollover after RCMP complete investigation

PANDEMIC, COMPLEXITY BEHIND DELAY

Savinkoff acknowledged the investigation that took two years was somewhat unusually long.

The pandemic was partially to blame, Savinkoff told CTV News Edmonton, but so was the case's complexity.

"You want to make sure you do it correct [sic] because it's a very important investigation."

Several lawsuits have also been launched in connection to the incident.

• Class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of passengers in fatal Icefield bus crash
• Lawsuit by survivors of fatal Alta. icefield rollover totals $17M
• Lawsuits linked to deadly Columbia Icefield crash name Parks Canada among defendants

Mounties say they shared all of their investigative material with the labour ministry, as required under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. 

Columbia Icefield tours resumed in 2021 with new safety features and protocols. 

• Columbia Icefield tours resume after deadly crash, seatbelts installed in all Ice Explorer vehicles

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Adam Lachacz and CTV News Calgary's Michael Franklin