Ontario calls public inquiry into mall collapse

The Ontario Government has ordered a public inquiry into the events surrounding the fatal collapse of the roof at the Algo Centre Mall in Elliott Lake on June 24.

Justice Paul Belanger has been appointed to lead the independent inquiry, which will look at the circumstances of why the structure failed and why it took so long for the emergency response team to order a specialized crane to remove wreckage in order to seek for survivors.

Two civil engineers were on the Heavy Urban Search and Rescue Unit that called off the search for survivors due to the precarious and dangerous situation around an escalator in the collapsed structure. Once a giant excavator was brought in, the search resumed and two victims were found in the debris.

According to reports, a local engineering firm inspected the mall just a few months ago in April and found it structurally satisfactory.

The inquiry, which will report back in a year, will involve interviews with potential witnesses and the examination of documents. Besides looking into the structural causes, the commissioner will be investigating whether there was a problem with the way the emergency was handled.