Saskatchewan, Ontario workers killed in Newfoundland transmission tower collapse

The identities of two men who died following the collapse of a transmission tower in Newfoundland and Labrador this week are now known.

Jared Moffat, 34, of Prince Albert, Sask., was working for Edmonton-based Forbes Bros. when a tower collapsed near the Avalon Peninsula community of Come by Chance.

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Tim McLean, 31, of Nipigon, Ont., also died at the scene. 

A statement from Matthew Forbes, senior vice-president of Forbes Bros., said the company's priorities right now are Moffat's and McLean's families, as well as the investigation.

"Some individuals employed by Forbes working on the Bay D'Espoir-western Avalon line have returned home temporarily, as this gives them an opportunity to be with their families. The current stand-down enacted by Forbes is temporary. Work is commencing, with Service NL and NL Hydro, on a back-to-work plan."

Forbes resumed non-related work activities at sites outside Newfoundland and Labrador on Wednesday morning following a moment of silence. 

A GoFundMe account was launched Tuesday to help raise money for Moffat's funeral. More than $17,000 was raised less than 24 hours after the page was created.

'It's just a freak accident'

Very little is known thus far about McLean, but friends are speaking out about the life and death of Moffat.

Moffat leaves behind a young son and formerly worked as a corrections officer in Prince Albert, according to longtime friend Graham Cennon.

According to Cennon, Moffat wasn't happy with his career in corrections, and started working as a lineman.

"He was almost back to the old Jared the last time I saw him," said Cennon.

He had a smile on his face. He was really stoked about life. He was smiling again, ya know, and then this happened.- Graham Cennon, friend of Jared Moffat

"He had a smile on his face. He was really stoked about life. He was smiling again, ya know, and then this happened."

Cennon said Moffat lived just outside of Prince Albert, and would travel to Edmonton each time he returned from Newfoundland to spend time with his son.

He said Moffat was an outdoors enthusiast, planted a large garden every year and loved to hunt large game.

"He really lived off the land," said Cennon, who described Moffat as a careful, intelligent man.

"It's just a freak accident. It doesn't matter how much you prepare for something. Nobody can prepare for a tower fall over. They're not supposed to fall over."

Company halts work in N.L.

Work on a $300-million project to construct a new transmission line from Bay d'Espoir to the Avalon Peninsula has been halted while an investigation is underway.

Dozens of workers with Forbes Bros. were in the Clarenville area Wednesday, where they have been filling rooms in local hotels and private accommodations for many months.

None of the workers would agree to speak with CBC News about the incident, but Corey Papp, Forbes Bros. vice-president of health, safety and environment for the company, told CBC that the company brought workers to Clarenville to give them an update on the investigation and work plans.

"We're continuing to investigate the causes of the incident and working with the authorities, Occupational Health and Safety, to determine what happened and what those causes are," he said.

"Unfortunately, at this stage, I'm unable to provide much details, as the investigation is very active. It's still very early, and it would be premature to provide any further details on actually what happened."

Asked about an electrical workers' unions concerns over failed contract talks due to safety concerns, Papp said, "I have no comment on that."​

Forbes Bros. was hired by Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro to construct the 230-kilovolt line.

"We continue our investigation to gain a comprehensive understanding of the cause of this tragic accident," the company said in its statement.

"We as a company, community and industry need to ensure accidents such as this do not reoccur."