The Crown is asking for a stiff fine against a Banff ski resort where a summer employee was fatally injured.

Karl Stunt, 25, was hit by a metal bar while working on a chairlift at Sunshine Village in 2004. He spent seven days in a coma with massive head injuries before he died.

'... to try to put a value towards the loss of life, of dollar value, particularly when it's a case of one of your own children. There is no number that makes any sense at all.'—Bill Stunt, father

A provincial court in Banff found the ski resort guilty in January on one of four charges of breaching the province's Occupational Health and Safety Act by.

During sentencing arguments on Thursday, Crown prosecutor Brian Caruk asked that the resort be fined between $325,000 and $350,000 so that the company and the ski industry are made aware of the consequences of not ensuring a safe workplace. He requested that part of the financial penalty be directed to worker safety programs.

Stunt's father, Bill Stunt, said the higher the fine, the more of an impact it will have.

"It's a complicated thing emotionally for us to think about, to try to put a value towards the loss of life, of dollar value, particularly when it's a case of one of your own children. There is no number that makes any sense at all," he said.

Stunt and his wife have travelled to Banff three times from their home in Ottawa for the proceedings and will have to wait longer for a conclusion.

Sentencing arguments adjourned until May

The resort's defence lawyer wasn't ready to go ahead on Thursday, so sentencing arguments were adjourned until next month. However, the defence will be asking for a fine in the range of $100,000 to $200,000.

The maximum fine on the conviction is $500,000.

Stunt said his son's death has changed the lives of the rest of the family.

"Those kinds of happy occasions — formerly happy occasions — generally just remind us now of who's not there," he said. "That's what I find myself kind of obsessed with, who's not in the group, and that of course would be my son and we find that very difficult."

Doug Firby, a spokesman for Sunshine, said the resort has made safety changes.

"We've brought in an independent safety consultant who is still working with Sunshine identifying any issues we can address. We've gone through an independent safety audit, and just a few months ago were recently given a very high grade," he said.