Two construction companies were fined $15,000 Monday in the death of a three-year-old girl, who was killed after being hit by debris that fell from a worksite in downtown Calgary.

Michelle Krsek was killed instantly when a two-metre section of sheet metal fell from the roof of the under-construction Le Germain Residences on 9th Avenue. She was struck as she walked to dinner with her family on a windy August night in 2009. Her father and six-year-old brother sustained serious injuries.

Germain Residences of Quebec City and subcontractor Flynn Canada were fined $15,000 after pleading guilty to causing or allowing an unsafe condition. The fine is the maximum allowed under the Alberta Safety Codes Act.

An agreed statement of facts revealed that workers failed to properly secure a 250 kilogram bundle of sheet metal to the roof before leaving the site. Only four of seven screws penetrated through the steel and roof deck.

Judge Gerald Meagher determined that if officials had inspected the site they would have noticed the unsecured metal.

While the fine was the highest allowed, Meagher called the penalty provisions "woefully inadequate."

Prosecutor Ola Malik said the city did everything it could to file charges against the companies involved in the incident, but acknowledged that he was limited by the provisions in the Safety Codes Act.

"As the judge made very clear, we are dealing with a fine that seems trivial given what it is that occurred. But that's all that we have," Malik told reporters outside the courthouse.

Both the family and city officials are advocating for stiffer penalties under the Act. However, Kevin Griffiths, the city's chief building official, said such changes are ultimately up to the province.

"We have submissions in to up those fines, and I know that we've received favourable indications from them that they are reviewing those," Griffiths told reporters.

Michelle Krsek's mother, Mariana, released a statement Monday in which she expressed gratitude that the companies accepted responsibility for what happened. But she, too, criticized the fine.

"Fifteen thousand dollars is not enough for those big companies," she said. "I have to suffer the loss of Michelle the rest of my life."

With a report from CTV Calgary's Elissa Carpenter