Elliot Lake building official never ordered mall inspection

A former chief building official for Elliot Lake says he knew about the issues at the Algo Center Mall, but says he was kept in the dark about the severity of them.

Roger Pigeau told the commission Monday morning that he knew the mall wasn't watertight and that there were problems with the parking structure. However during his nearly-20 year tenure as Elliot Lakes chief building official, he didn't order a property standard inspection.

He said he trusted the owners had everything under control and didn't know the true condition of the building.

Pigeau said he was aware of the 1991 Trow engineering inspection conducted by the owner of the mall, Algocen Realty. But when he asked to see those reports, the owner refused to share the information. Pigeau added he never followed up on the suspicions that owners were hiding something from him.

Pigeau also said that, despite witnessing repair work being completed on the roof-top parking deck, the owners never applied to the city for the appropriate building permits.

Pigeaus testimony was to continue throughout Monday.

• Watch video animation of mall roof collapse

It's been 9 months since a portion of the mall's roof collapsed, leaving two women dead.

Inquiry hearings in Elliot Lake will continue for several months.