Ex-engineer saw 'nothing out of the ordinary' during mall inspection

Former engineer Robert Wood is expected to face more questioning today in connection to the deadly 2012 Elliot Lake mall collapse that killed two women and injured more than a dozen others.

Wood took the stand on Tuesday in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., as defence lawyer Rob MacRae started his case.

The trial is happening a two and a half hour car ride west of Elliot Lake, Ont., at Wood's request.

The first part of Wood's testimony focused on his background. It revealed that hewas born in London, England and moved to Canada in the 1970's. He settled in Sault Ste. Marie, married and had four children.

Wood told the court he became a professional engineer in 1974. He spent most of his career working for the firm M.R. Wright & Associates, which he said he still partially owns.

• Discredited engineer to inspect Elliot Lake mall before collapse, pleads 'not guilty' at trial

The second part of Wood's testimony narrowed in on two inspections he conducted of Elliot Lake's Algo Centre Mall in 2009 and 2012 just weeks before a portion of the building's rooftop parking deck caved in and killed Lucie Aylwin, 37,and Doloris Perizzolo, 74.

'Pristine condition'

Wood told the court he used a ladder to examine and remove ceiling tiles at the shopping centre in his 2009 inspection.

"I saw absolutely nothing out of the ordinary," Wood said about viewing the overhead structure, adding that fireproofing was in "pristine condition" at the time.

MacRae showed Wood a number of photographs that the discredited engineer took during his evaluations and asked if the reason Wood took the images was because he had concerns. "None," Wood replied.

Wood asked to observe deflection on mall's parking deck

Wood also testified that the mall's owner, Bob Nazarian, took himto a "concerning" part of the parking deck during one of his inspections to observe a deflection, and they spent time watching cars drive over it.

Wood signed off on a report in 2012, declaring the building "structurally sound" just weeks before it collapsed.

Five years later, Wood remains the only person criminally charged in connection to the mall collapse.

He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of criminal negligence causing death and one count of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

If convicted, Wood could face a maximum life sentence.

The Crown closed its case on Dec. 19, 2016, arguing that Wood demonstrated a "wanton and reckless disregard for the lives and safety of others."

Defence to call 5 witnesses

During the first four months of the trial, the Crown called on a long list of witnesses, including people who were at the mall when it collapsed, people who responded to the disaster, and people who tried to do something about the Algo Centre Mall's leaky roof before it rusted and gave way.

The defence is expected to call up to five witnesses, who are mostly engineers, building inspectors andpeople who were familiar with themall's structure.

It is unclear how long much longer Wood will be on the stand. If he gets cross examined, itis anticipated that Wood will face tougher questions from prosecutors.