Close X
Thursday, November 28, 2024
ADVT 
National

Greed, incompetence, neglect behind deadly mall collapse, inquiry finds

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 15 Oct, 2014 10:32 AM
  • Greed, incompetence, neglect behind deadly mall collapse, inquiry finds

ELLIOT LAKE, Ont. - Decades of incompetence, neglect, greed and dishonesty by a succession of owners, engineers and municipal officials led to the deadly cave-in of a northern Ontario mall two years ago, a judicial inquiry reported Wednesday.

In a scathing indictment of those who allowed the Algo Centre Mall to rust to the point of collapse, Commissioner Paul Belanger pulls few punches in holding those responsible to account.

"Although it was rust that defeated the structure of the Algo mall, the real story behind the collapse is one of human, not material, failures," Belanger writes.

"Some of these failings were minor, some were not: they ranged from apathy, neglect and indifference through mediocrity, ineptitude and incompetence, to outright greed, obfuscation and duplicity."

It was on a sunny Saturday afternoon in June 2012 that the rooftop parking deck, weakened by decades of rust-causing water and salt penetration, finally crashed down.

Trapped in the rubble were Doloris Perizzolo, 74, and Lucie Aylwin, 37. Nineteen others were injured.

While Perizzolo's death was "mercifully quick," Aylwin might have lived for as long as 39 hours, Belanger concludes. He notes "tantalizing" signs she was alive for some time: responsive tapping, a muffled voice, indications from search dogs.

"There exists a possibility she might have been rescued," he writes. "But we will never know for sure."

What is clear is that the disaster began unfolding in the 1970s. The mall, Belanger concludes, was "doomed to early failure" while still in its planning stages.

Putting parking on the roof was a bad idea. The defective roof design — using an untested combination of materials — made matters much worse.

"The system was a dismal failure from the moment it was installed," the report states.

Ironically, the mall seldom lacked for professional oversight from architects and engineers, with some 30 visits, inspections and reports over its 33-year life.

However, the scrutiny never translated into a proper fix for the leaks that prompted some to dub the centre the "Algo Falls." No one, it seems, appeared to realize how severely the rust would compromise the integrity of the structural steel.

Some of the engineers involved simply forgot the "moral and ethical foundation" of their vocation and, Belanger concludes, were more concerned with pandering to clients than with protecting the public.

"Their inspections were so cursory and incomplete as to be essentially meaningless," he says.

The commissioner was particularly critical of Robert (Bob) Wood, the engineer who signed off on the health of the mall just weeks before it collapsed. His work and conduct, Belanger says, were "markedly inferior."

Wood, who faces criminal charges in connection with the collapse, admitted to falsifying his report to appease the owner.

"His review was similar to that of a mechanic inspecting a car with a cracked engine block who pronounces the vehicle sound because of its good paint job," the report states.

According to the commission, the mall's various owners hid the problems, then tried to sell their way out of them when patchwork fixes didn't work. Profit considerations trumped all other concerns, Belanger says.

The "crafty" and intransigent Bob Nazarian, who owned the mall when the disaster struck, lied about repair work, and resorted to "subterfuge and falsehood to mislead authorities, tenants and the public," the report concludes.

Wilfully blind municipal officials — the mayor, council and building inspectors — were of little use in dealing with the worsening problems.

They ignored public complaints and warnings about the leaks and falling concrete. They illegally shut the public out of meetings. They failed to enforce, or were ignorant of, their own bylaws, according to the report.

Instead, their approach was one of "non-interference" aimed at safeguarding the mall as a social and economic hub that provided significant tax revenues.

At one point, Belanger notes, the municipality was the mall's owner, its tenant, and enforcer of property standards — the "worst possible conflict situation."

"Warning signs went unseen by eyes likely averted for fear of jeopardizing the mall's existence," Belanger says.

"Occasional voices of alarm and warning blew by deaf and callous ears."

The report also notes that officials with the provincial Ministry of Labour, which had offices in the mall, appeared curiously indifferent to the state of disrepair, and unresponsive to complaints.

In all, the report makes 71 recommendations. They include setting minimum maintenance standards for buildings, beefed-up inspections, and an expanded emergency response capability.

Belanger is effusive in his praise for the initial local emergency response. His view of the provincial heavy urban search and rescue team that was called in — despite the good intentions and courage of its members — is far more jaundiced.

The team deployed without sufficient numbers, without a proper plan or command structure, and treated family members and the community poorly, he says.

They also ignored an offer of help from experienced mine rescuers. They called off the search due to the dangerous conditions instead of simply putting the effort on hold while they considered other options.

"Ontario's urban search and rescue system needs a careful re-examination to provide better overall coverage and quality of service," Belanger concludes.

The rescue effort, he says, was not a model that others should strive to emulate.

He does, however, praise then-premier Dalton McGuinty for getting the rescue effort restarted.

MORE National ARTICLES

Attempt to be made Sunday to put out fire at Saskatchewan gas pumping station

Attempt to be made Sunday to put out fire at Saskatchewan gas pumping station
PRUDHOMME, Sask. - An attempt is to be made on Sunday to turn off gas feeding a fire at a remote natural gas pumping station in Saskatchewan that prompted an evacuation.

Attempt to be made Sunday to put out fire at Saskatchewan gas pumping station

Should Canada Allow Contraceptives For Dogs And Cats? Yes, Says One Vet

Should Canada Allow Contraceptives For Dogs And Cats? Yes, Says One Vet
One day, sterilizing your pet could be as simple as taking them to the vet for their annual shots. For Dr. Judith Samson-French — who jokingly calls herself "the queen of contraception" — a less-invasive alternative to putting Felix or Fido under the knife should be an option that any veterinarian in Canada could offer.

Should Canada Allow Contraceptives For Dogs And Cats? Yes, Says One Vet

Pope Francis Says Thanksgiving Mass For 2 Saints Who Spread Faith In Canada

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis held a Mass of thanksgiving alongside Quebec Cardinal Gerald Lacroix on Sunday for the canonization of two 17th-century missionaries who spread Roman Catholicism through what is today Canada.

Pope Francis Says Thanksgiving Mass For 2 Saints Who Spread Faith In Canada

No Plans To Lift Restrictions On Gay Blood Donors: Canadian Blood Services

No Plans To Lift Restrictions On Gay Blood Donors: Canadian Blood Services
MONTREAL - The agency responsible for Canada's blood supply says there are no immediate plans to further relax restrictions on gay and bisexual blood donors despite the fact officials are testing the waters on the idea.

No Plans To Lift Restrictions On Gay Blood Donors: Canadian Blood Services

PM Harper sets November date for federal byelections in Ontario and Alberta

PM Harper sets November date for federal byelections in Ontario and Alberta
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper has set Nov. 17 for two federal byelections in Ontario and Alberta, including the seat occupied by late finance minister Jim Flaherty.

PM Harper sets November date for federal byelections in Ontario and Alberta

Lax climate policy hasn't resulted in 'energy super power' status for Canada

Lax climate policy hasn't resulted in 'energy super power' status for Canada
OTTAWA - When the federal environment commissioner reported this week that Canada would not meet its 2020 international commitment on greenhouse gas emission cuts, no one was surprised.

Lax climate policy hasn't resulted in 'energy super power' status for Canada