Incompetence, greed and lies: Report into Algo Mall collapse blames owners, engineers, government officials

ELLIOT LAKE, Ont. — The findings of the judicial enquiry into the Algo Centre Mall collapse were released today. In June 2012, the collapse of the rooftop parking level at the shopping centre cost the lives of two people – Doloris Perizzolo, 74, and Lucie Aylwin, 37 – and injured 19 others. (Visit the Ontario government website to download the whole report here.)

In presenting his findings, Commissioner Paul Belanger hammered away at various responsible parties, including engineers who seem to forget the “ethical and moral foundation” of their profession; the mall owner at the time of the disaster, Bob Nazarian, who was found to have repeatedly lied to investigators; the previous owners of the complex who repeatedly failed to act on obvious and clear signs that the structure of the mall was being compromised; and at municipal officials, who acted incompetently or apathetically throughout the long saga of the mall’s degeneration – a process that continued unabated for some 40 years.

“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 wrote. “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.”

The very design of the structure was a disaster waiting to happen. A parking lot was built onto the roof – not unusual – but the type of waterproofing system used to protect the roof deck from the ensuing salt water was wholly inadequate – and untested. The reinforced concrete degraded over time. The water incursion over multiple years was so obvious that some locals took to calling the mall, “Algo Falls.” Yet no one took the threat of structural damage seriously, it seems. There were some 30 visits or inspections from engineers and other building inspectors during the 33-year life of the mall. Not one of them stopped the obvious from eventually happening – structural failure.

Robert (Bob) Wood, an engineer who put his stamp on a safety inspection of the mall mere weeks before it imploded, faces criminal charges. He has 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 says.