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Accusations fly over state of collapsed mall

Elliot Lake residents demand public inquiry

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 06/29/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

NATHAN DENETTE / THE CANADIAN PRESS A man prepares to lay flowers Thursday at a memorial site, the day after the recovery of two bodies at the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ont. Sign reflects residents� frustration over the mall�s condition. (CP)

ELLIOT LAKE, Ont. -- An array of accusations from local residents, death threats against a mall owner and the prospect of a class-action lawsuit all collided in the aftermath of a deadly roof collapse in this northern Ontario city Thursday, even as the province promised to scrutinize every angle of the tragedy.

Those closest to the victims, however, said their many unanswered questions could wait while they mourned.

"We need to focus on grieving with our loved ones and saying thank you," said an emotional Gary Gendron, whose fiancée Lucie Aylwin was killed in Saturday's collapse at the Algo Centre Mall.

Gendron did add, however, that he hadn't considered his fiancée's place of work a safe one.

"I think myself, that mall should have been closed long time ago," he said, drawing cheers from a group of local residents. "People made a lot of complaints about the mall but nothing changed."

After an arduous five-day rescue mission which ended with the retrieval of two bodies, Premier Dalton McGuinty promised Thursday that his province will "carefully review" how it responded to the collapse.

The regional coroner's office, with the assistance of provincial police, is already probing the deaths of the two women who died when an avalanche of concrete and metal crashed through a part of the mall -- Aylwin and Doloris Perizzolo, 70.

The Ministry of Labour, which visited the shopping centre six times in the last three years, is also investigating.

McGuinty's vow to investigate came as some members of the tight-knit community of Elliot Lake demanded a public inquiry.

Among those pushing for answers to the collapse was Ontario New Democrat MPP Mike Mantha, whose constituency office was in the mall. He said there had been numerous complaints from local residents about the mall's condition in the past.

The Ministry of Labour said officials paid six visits to the mall over the last three years, most of which related to complaints about reported leaky pipes, a leaky roof, mould and an unsafe escalator. But no orders related to those complaints were issued.

A lawyer representing the mall's owner said Thursday the shopping centre was inspected on a regular basis.

Antoine-Réné Fabris said the company had spent more than $1 million on renovations. He said the collapse "will undoubtedly lead to litigation," adding the owners have received notice of a class-action lawsuit, but declined to provide further details.

Fabris' comments drew a vicious verbal assault from one member of the community, who said residents had been placing bets on when the mall would come down.

The visibly irate woman said the community had been hoping any possible cave-in would happen at night so nobody would be hurt.

Fabris also said mall owner Bob Nazarian has received threats. He declined to outline their nature.

Questions have also been swirling about the effectiveness of the rescue missions, and whether anything more could have been done to save lives.

Crews called off the search on Monday saying the structure was too dangerous for anyone to enter. The rescue efforts resumed after community members protested and McGuinty intervened.

Officials insist the suspension was only temporary to ensure the safety of rescue workers

The province is offering financial help to the devastated community to help relocate businesses and social services and offer support to those who've lost their jobs.

-- The Canadian Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 29, 2012 A18

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