Aurora Geosciences plans to 'vigorously defend' itself against territorial occupational health and safety charges, say company officials.

Making his first appearance in territorial court on the charges this morning, Aurora's lawyer, Keith Parkkari, was granted a two-week adjournment to June 26 to get the full set of documents the territory plans to present in the case.

The charges were laid last month after one of the company's employees, Jean-Francois PagÈ was killed by a grizzly bear on April 28, 2006 while he was working in the bush in the Ross River region.

Aurora is charged with:

failing to ensure that equipment and processes under the employer's control were safe and without risks to health;

failing to ensure that work procedures were adopted and used that will prevent or reduce the risk of occupational illness or injury;

failing to ensure that workers were given necessary instruction and training and were adequately supervised, taking into account the nature of the work;

failing to ensure that workers were made aware of hazards in the work; and

the supervisor failed to ensure that the worker uses or wears the equipment, protective devices required under the relevant act, or by the nature of the work.

Outside the courthouse, Aurora's president, Gary Vivian, said he was disappointed charges were laid so long after the death.

Vice-president Mike Power said he was taken by surprise and was also a bit angry when he learned of the charges.

'I don't believe we did anything wrong,' Vivian said.

It was a tragic death, Power noted.

The company provides extensive training to its employees and assesses all the hazards before workers are sent out in the field, he added.

'This is the bush,' Power said.

Because of the case before the courts, they would not say exactly what is done to train employees. They said they look forward to information coming out in open court when the case is heard.

While they continued to state they would defend the case, Parkkari noted outside the courtroom that all the evidence should be provided before a plea is formally entered.

'We plan on defending the charges,' Vivian said.

The case could possibly be precedent-setting and have ramifications for any organization working in the bush from eco-tourism to trapping, Power said.

The June 26 court date was set for Aurora to enter a plea.