The premier of Ontario will launch an independent public inquiry into the tragic Elliot Lake mall collapse that killed two people.
“I spoke to the families of Doloris Perizzolo and Lucie Aylwin in Elliot Lake on Wednesday and again today by telephone,” Dalton McGuinty said Friday.
“This is a difficult time for these families as they grieve their loved ones.”
The roof of Algo Centre Mall in northeastern Ontario collapsed last Saturday, trapping and killing the two women and injuring more than 20 people.
Elliot Lake residents were outraged after rescue operations stopped Monday, when the building was deemed to dangerous for rescue workers, and have demanded someone be held accountable.
Residents have also complained about problems with the roof going back years to officials during briefings since the incident.
“These families — and other Ontarians — have raised important questions that deserve to be answered,” Mr. McGuinty said.
“We have an obligation to do whatever we can to prevent similar tragedies and respond in the best way possible when they do happen.”
Details of the inquiry will be released at a later time, he said. The OPP has said it will also conduct an investigation into the deaths of the two victims.
Police, a firefighter and an engineer will be sifting through the wreckage of the collapsed mall to collect information to help the coroner and province’s investigations.
They say the Ministry of Labour engineer will try to figure out whether there are other structural problems to determine if the building needs to be torn down.
But a spokesman for the ministry says it isn’t looking at the cause of the roof collapse. They say the province looks at the health and safety of workers, while the city is responsible for enforcing the Ontario building codes.
The opposition leaders are also demanding to know what happened and why.
Progressive Conservative Leader Leader Tim Hudak says there was “some kind of screw up” when efforts to rescue any survivors were suspended on Monday after the building was deemed unsafe.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said she wanted a public inquiry to get to the bottom of what led to the disaster.
The coroner’s office said Friday that it had spoken with the families of the victims about the findings of its post mortem examinations.
Further forensic testing still needs to be completed but the coroner has released the bodies to the families for funeral services.
“The office of the chief coroner is continuing its investigation into these tragic deaths with the assistance of the OPP,” the office said in a statement. “At this time, we offer our most sincere condolences to the Aylwin and Perizzolo Families.”
A reporter who tried to file a Freedom of Information request for documents related to the Algo Centre Mall at Elliot Lake City Hall on Friday was told to leave the building immediately.
When Global News reporter Jennifer Tryon asked why, staff called the police.
“Tried to file [a] Freedom of Information request at #Elliot Lake city hall, was told “leave immediately,” Ms. Tryon wrote on Twitter. “I asked why, they called the OPP.”
City clerks felt “somewhat intimidated by the insistent nature of the request being made,” Ontario Provincial Police Constable Marc Despatie told the National Post.
“They decided to call the police and we’re duty-bound to respond.”
Shortly after the incident, the city of Elliot Lake issued a two-line statement that said any documents related to Algo Centre Mall “are now part of ongoing investigations.”
“The City is providing these documents to investigators,” the statement said.
National Post, with files from The Canadian Press