‘Tragic accident’ kills worker at central B.C. gold mine

QUESNEL — Activity at a gold mine site in central British Columbia has been temporarily suspended after a worker died.

Osisko Development Corp. says the contractor working on the surface at the Cariboo Gold project “suffered a fatal injury following an isolated incident” on Thursday.

The company says authorities were notified and an investigation is underway into what is the third B.C. mine death in the last two months.

The Cariboo Gold project, about 75 kilometres from Quesnel, is still in the development phase but was given environmental assessment permits in 2024.

The company calls it a scalable underground operation expected to produce approximately 1.89 million ounces of gold over a 10-year mine life.

The latest death comes after a pair of fatal incidents at B.C. mines in late November — an accident at Taseko Mines’ Gibraltar operation near Williams Lake, and a miner found dead at an Elk Valley Resources site near Sparwood close to the Alberta boundary.

Osisko CEO Sean Roosen calls the latest death a “tragic accident.”

“We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident and extend our heartfelt condolences and support to our colleague’s family, friends and coworkers during this difficult time,” he said in the statement.

“The health, safety and wellbeing of all employees and contractors working at the project is our highest priority.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2026

The Canadian Press