Hydro worker killed

SARNIA, Ont.—A hydro worker was killed yesterday in southwestern Ontario while working on a power line damaged by Superstorm Sandy.
The worker, whose name has not been released, was electrocuted while tending to a downed power line in Sarnia, said the Ontario Labour Ministry, which is investigating the man’s death.

It’s the second fatality attributable to Sandy in Ontario—a Toronto woman died Monday night when she was hit by a sign blown down as the storm hit.
The lineman was using a bucket truck to repair fallen power lines when the incident occurred around 10 a.m., said Janice McMichael-Dennis, CEO of Bluewater Power.
McMichael-Dennis called the death an “unspeakable tragedy,” adding the utility has never had a worker die on the job before.
“Our ultimate goal is to be able to support our lineman’s family and . . . be able to see if we can work through this day of mourning,” she said.
“It’s a day you never want anybody to have to go through.”
The Electrical Safety Authority and Sarnia police also are looking into the man’s death, McMichael-Dennis said.
Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley said the city’s tight-knit community is struggling with the loss.
“It is devastating because the community was so proud of the fact that there had not been anyone injured during the storm and that we’d come through it as a family,” he noted.
Ontario Energy minister Chris Bentley took to Twitter to extend his condolences to the worker’s family.
“Thoughts and prayers with family of Hydro worker killed in Sarnia,” Bentley wrote.