Collapsed mall owner chose not to fix roof, inquiry hears

The Elliot Lake public inquiry has learned the owner of the collapsed mall, Retirement Living, had the money to install a waterproof barrier in the roof of the building — but chose not to.

The general manager of Retirement Living, which bought the mall in 1999, said the company never intended to waterproof the mall's roof.

"We chose a [maintenance] plan with the deck and we stuck with it," Richard Kennealy said of the mall, which collapsed in June of 2012, killing two people and injuring dozens of others.

• Watch: Animated video reveals how Elliot Lake mall collapsed

For nearly six years, Retirement Living chased leaks and cracks across the parking deck, filling them with caulking.

Kennealy admitted during testimony at the inquiry Thursday that Retirement Living didn't invest in any major capital project on the roof, even though engineering firm Halsall advised a waterproofing membrane system be installed — a recommendation that carried a price tag of $775,000.

Halsall told the company the investment would provide up to 25 years of protection.

Retirement Living did not take the advice, even though the company had the money to do so.

Financial records submitted to the inquiry showed that, while Retirement Living owned the mall, it spent $1.5 million on its golf course.

Kennealy insisted Retirement Living did everything it could to fix the leaks at the mall.

"We also worked on the assumption that we felt that we had a viable method for maintaining the physical structure," he said.

Previous evidence shows daily maintenance to the roof wasn't done properly.