Collapse of the Algo Center: the pain still acute 10 years later

Twenty other people were injured. The municipality declared a state of emergency and Toronto rescue workers were called in to help with the search.

Two cars crashed through the roof to land above the food court, killing 37-year-old Lucie Aylwin and 74-year-old Doloris Perizzolo. In a report released in October 2014, following a lengthy public inquiry into the matter, the responsible commissioner Paul Bélanger concluded that human error was the main cause of the collapse.

Mr. Bélanger has also been critical of successive owners of the Algo Mall and several engineers and building inspectors for their negligence and inaction.

I and many others in the community have lost trust and respect for the people who were in place at that time. I believe we heal together in some way, but until there’s debriefing and resolution, it’s not overtold the municipal councilor Luc Cyr to CBC News.

Because of the tragedy, Mr. Cyr decided to get involved in municipal politics. For more than eight years, he has been trying to build a sports complex on the site where the Algo Center used to be. However, he believes that the project will soon have to be redesigned due to numerous delays.

A decade later, the investigation into the collapse is over as engineer Robert Wood was found not guilty in 2017 of criminal negligence causing the deaths of two people.

The civil suit brought against the former owners of the mall, the municipality and other individuals remains before the courts.

A ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. in Elliot Lake at the monument honoring the victims on the shore of Horne Lake. Mr Cyr says survivors will also gather at the exact time of the collapse, which took place at 2:23 p.m. on June 23, 2012.

With information from CBC