Questions linger over missing documents in Elliot Lake mall collapse inquiry

An ongoing inquiry into the fatal collapse of a northern Ontario shopping centre is proceeding according to schedule, but questions linger over various documents yet to be presented by the mall’s owner.

Owner Bob Nazarian has reportedly failed to turn over various emails requested by Commissioner Paul Belanger ahead of the start of the inquiry.

The Canadian Press reports the commission is preparing to take Nazarian to court for failing to turn over thousands of documents.

Nazarain was the owner of the Algo Centre Mall when a rooftop parking lot partially collapsed in June 2012, killing two women. He has rejected responsibility for the fatal collapse and denies that he failed to properly maintain the structure.

[ Related: Commission poised to take action against collapsed mall owner ]

On the outset of the inquiry, Belanger requested Nazarian turn over various materials, some of which has not yet been provided. It is believed that emails to and from Nazarian, his wife and son regarding the Algo Centre Mall have not yet been received by the commission. His lawyer previously said some of those documents were seized by investigating police forces.

As the Elliot Lake Inquiry wound through its third day of testimony on Wednesday, more questions were raised about how sound the building’s roof was built.

CBC News reports that engineer John Kadlec testified that he had raised concerns about putting a parking lot on the mall's roof when it was built in 1978. Despite those concerns, he still approved the project. He also said the roof began leaking almost immediately.

Roger Oatley, a lawyer handling a lawsuit on behalf of the families of the women killed in the collapse, told Yahoo! Canada News this week that information to be released in the inquiry suggests Nazarian may have known his mall was structurally unsound.

[ More Brew: Elliot Lake Inquiry could change scope of family lawsuit ]

Maclean's writer Michael Friscolanti has investigated the mall collapse in detail and has reported several concerning details about the structure, including Nazarian's history of stiffing contractors, lawyers and architects and contradictions in his claim that he had previously fixed the roof.

The Globe and Mail also reported that Nazarian was successfully sued over the mall's leaky roof a year before it collapsed.

All of that is circumstantial until it is addressed as part of the inquiry, but it certainly raises some questions about where Nazarian’s missing documents may have gone, and what is contained within them.