Residents of Elliot Lake, reeling in the aftermath of a fatal mall roof collapse last month, are receiving more than $2 million from the provincial government to boost the local economy.
Ontario’s Minister of Northern Development and Mines Rick Bartolucci announced the two-year assistance fund and additional financial support at a news conference in Elliot Lake on Wednesday morning.
The “business continuity fund,” created through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, is intended to help businesses re-open in temporary locations and send employees of Algo Centre Mall back to work as soon as possible.
On top of that, Elliot Lake is receiving another $50,000 to invest in projects such as job creation that will help strengthen the local economy.
Two women died and at least 22 others were injured when part of the roof at Algo Centre caved in late last June, leaving a heap of twisted metal and fallen concrete on the floor below.
“As Elliot Lake works to get back on its feet we must now help those who were displaced by this event,” Minister Bartolucci told reporters at the news conference.
The Ontario government has also created a temporary “provincial economic revitalization” office in the community so city officials can work with provincial counterparts and businesses on projects related to Elliot Lake’s economy.
Bartolucci did not elaborate on the types of projects this might involve, but did note late Wednesday morning that the office would be open “within the next couple of hours.”
When part of the Algo Centre roof collapsed, several retail shops were destroyed along with a library, a grocery store, the city’s health unit office, a funeral services office, a gym and several government service offices.
About 250 people are reportedly out of work due to the collapse, and Elliot Lake Mayor Rick Hamilton has stressed that the incident has taken a toll on the community both emotionally and financially.
"The mall was a huge hub of the community," he told the Canadian Press in a June interview.
Rescue teams, including Toronto’s Heavy Urban Search and Rescue Team, were dispatched shortly after the collapse but were not allowed to sift through the debris until the Ministry of Labour assessed the damage. Meanwhile, Ontario Provincial Police maintained a steadily fluctuating list of people suspected to be missing.
Emergency crews suspected early on that at least two people were trapped beneath the rubble, having spotted a hand and a foot and having heard “a couple of taps” inside the wreckage.
Search-and-rescue officials soon drew public criticism when they announced that the structure was too unstable and dangerous to enter. Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty instructed the rescuers to find a way to reach potential victims without endangering their own lives.
Earlier this week, a well-known Ottawa judge was chosen to lead a public inquiry into the collapse at Algo Centre Mall. Justice Paul Belanger will take a year to review the circumstances around the incident and how rescuers responded before sharing his conclusions with the public.
