Maclean's ebook on Elliot Lake mall collapse scoops public enquiry

As the public inquiry into the collapse of the Algo Centre mall in Elliot Lake gets underway, Maclean's magazine has published one of its "Big Reads", a 14,000 word e-book about the tragedy. Writer Michael Friscolanti, who is also covering the inquiry, has done some significant digging through court documents, property records, inspection reports and done dozens of interviews and reports a number of revelations which may be fleshed out in inquiry testimony, including

• The original architect of the mall tried to convince the developer not to put rooftop parking over the stores but his concerns were rebuffed
• The engineer who oversaw the structural design of the mall botched so many later projects that regulators had to warn previous clients to double-check his work
• The engineering firm that inspected the Algo Centre mall just 10 weeks before the roof caved in—and declared it “structurally sound”—was itself falling apart, disciplined by engineering regulators and preparing to close down.
• The owner of the mall at the time of the collapse has a long history of stiffing contractors, insurance companies, architects and even his own lawyers, with many of his real estate deals winding up in court. There are key contradictions about his claims to have fixed the roof that will likely be central to the public inquiry.

The ebook costs $2.99 and is available at the Apple store, Kobo and Amazon.