Alberta’s Ministry of Forestry and Parks is facing six workplace safety charges in connection with the death of a man who was killed fighting a wildfire in Jasper National Park. Twenty-four-year-old Morgan Kitchen was from Calgary and based out of Rocky Mountain House when he was called in to battle the devastating blaze that ravaged Jasper National Park two years ago. Kitchen died after he was struck by a tree and fatally injured on Aug. 3, 2024. Charges laid against the ministry, who employs wildland firefighters, revolve around a string of alleged workplace safety violations under Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Act. Charges laid on July 29 claim the ministry did not ensure the safety of its workers by not adequately training its workers and by failing to adequately assess and control hazards arising from dangerous trees. Other allegations include the ministry’s failure to adequately establish a zone that kept workers from hazardous places, failure to adequately assess a work site before dangerous work began and failure to establish a no-work zone. The charges have not been proven in court. Arthur Green, press secretary for the Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services, said the province is aware charges have been laid. “As this matter is now before the courts, it would be inappropriate to comment on the specifics of the allegations or the legal proceedings,” Green said. “Our thoughts remain with our Alberta Wildfire colleague’s family, friends and co-workers. Safety is our highest priority. We remain committed to providing a safe workplace for our staff.” The 2024 wildfire destroyed a third of the buildings in the Jasper townsite.
