Steven Deans acquitted on criminal negligence charge in hedge-trimming electrocution

An Ottawa court has found a supervisor not guilty of criminal negligence causing death following the tragic 2023 workplace fatality of 20-year-old Nick Chenier, a worker with Best Green Hedges. The verdict, delivered in November 2025, has sparked renewed debate about the threshold for criminal prosecution in workplace safety cases and what it means for safety professionals and supervisors across Canada.

Nick Chenier died in May 2023 while trimming a hedge on Jean Park Road in Manotick, Ontario when the tool he was using contacted a 16,000-volt overhead power line. He succumbed to his injuries roughly an hour later. His supervisor, Steven Deans, was subsequently charged with criminal negligence causing de

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