Chief building official didn't follow up with mall repairs

The Elliot Lake public inquiry is again hearing that the city chose not to act, even though it knew the now-collapsed Algo Centre mall wasn't structurally sound.

The former chief building official with Elliot Lake said he didn't force the mall to fix the roof for several years because there wasn't a formal complaint under the property standards bylaw.

"Unless of course there was an obvious unsafe condition," said Syl Allard. "Then I would be compelled to do that."

Syl Allard told the commission the Property Standards bylaw in Elliot Lake is complaint-driven.

Previous evidence brought forth at the inquiry includes several letters written to the city by various people including library employees and mall workers who complained of constant leaking, mold and falling ceiling tiles.

Commission Lawyer Bruce Carr-Harris read several of these letters of concern to Allard.

"I have noticed in the three years that I've been working here, I am always plagued with headaches, respiratory problems, coughs, itchy eyes, throat, etc."

Allard told the inquiry he never saw the letter.

"You just didn't make any inquiries to find out what was behind these emails," Carr Harris said. "Is that correct?"

To which Allard replied:

"I didn't look into it any further, I would agree with that statement yes."

As chief building official, Allard was bound by the bylaw to force commercial owners to fix or demolish buildings that were not watertight or structurally sound.

The inquiry heard Allard finally inspected the mall in 2006, four years after he became the Chief Building official.

He said he ordered the owners to fix the roof, but he never followed up on his request.

The commission has since learned the mall roof was never fixed.

The malls roof partially collapsed in June of 2012, killing two people and injuring dozens more.