A construction company based in Oakville has pleaded guilty to two charges in connection with a 2014 house collapse in Toronto that killed a 19-year-old man, Ontario's Ministry of Labour has confirmed.

Euro Group Ltd. was renovating a home in the city’s Bedford Park neighbourhood when it collapsed Sept. 9, 2014. Firefighters called it a “pancake collapse,” in which the whole house fell directly down in one motion.

house collapse

The collapse killed one man and trapped two others under the rubble. One of those men was able to escape on his own, while the other injured worker was taken to hospital after emergency crews dug a trench through the debris to reach him.

The Ministry of Labour had confirmed a day after the accident the 19-year-old had been assisting the renovation project and was not a construction worker. His exact role in the work was unclear.

In March of last year, the Ministry of Labour laid several charges against the company and its supervisor under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, alleging the company failed to:

  • ensure that every part of a project, including a temporary structure, was adequately braced to prevent any movement that may affect its stability or cause its failure or collapse;
  • ensure that a building, structure, or any part thereof … is capable of supporting any loads that may be applied to it, in accordance with good engineering practice;
  • take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of a worker

Euro Group Ltd. and the site supervisor pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts each. All remaining counts were withdrawn.

Both parties will be sentenced Dec. 9.