The parents of a young man who died as a result of a workplace injury at a ski resort in Banff, Alta., hope to find out exactly what happened as the company goes on trial.

Karl Stunt, 25, was hit by a metal bar while doing maintenance work on a chairlift at Sunshine Village in 2004. He spent seven days in a coma before being taken off life support.

Sunshine Village Corp. was to appear in court Thursday to face four charges under the provincial Occupational Health and Safety Act, including failing to ensure the health and safety of workers and failing to ensure workers are trained in the safe operation of equipment.

Each charge carries a maximum fine of $500,000 or six months in jail.

'That balance between people's lives and safety and making money has to be addressed, and I just hope this brings awareness to it.'—Bill Stunt, father

Bill Stunt, who travelled with his wife to Banff for the trial from their Ottawa home, has become a safety advocate, especially for younger workers. He said he believes his son had little to no training for his summer maintenance job.

"Karl was a young person and very new on the job he was doing, and it was obviously a very dangerous job, and that's the story for a good portion of workplace safety accidents and deaths," he told CBC News.

Stunt said he's prepared to sit through every minute of the trial.

"We want to know what happened and why, and if there was a breach of the legislation or something didn't happen that was supposed to happen. If someone was negligent then there should be a sanction," he said.

"I don't assume anyone wanted Karl to get hurt. It's not that so much. It's that balance between people's lives and safety and making money has to be addressed, and I just hope this brings awareness to it."

Sunshine Village spokesman Crosbie Cotton wouldn't comment on the charges or training issues, but he said Karl Stunt was the company's first workplace fatality and his death had an enormous impact on other employees.

Rob Ellis, founder of an advocacy group called Our Youth at Work, said more than 150,000 Canadians between ages 15 and 24 are reported injured on the job every year.

He said most incidents happen in the first 30 days on the job because of a lack of knowledge.