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Sudbury·ELLIOT LAKE

Crown will not appeal Robert Wood's acquittal

CBC News has learned the Crown will not appeal former engineer Robert Wood's acquittal in connection with the deadly 2012 Algo Centre Mall collapse in Elliot Lake.

Former engineer was the only person facing criminal charges in connection to 2012 disaster

Olivia Stefanovich · CBC News ·
Robert Wood walks to Superior Court in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., on June 1 for his trial's ruling, in which he was cleared on three charges of criminal negligence in connection to the deadly 2012 Algo Centre Mall collapse in Elliot Lake, Ont. (Olivia Stefanovich/CBC)

The Crown will not appeal former engineer Robert Wood's acquittal in connection with the deadly 2012 Algo Centre Mall collapse in Elliot Lake, Ont., CBC News has learned. 

"After a thorough review of the judge's decision and the legal aspects of this case, the Crown has decided not to appeal the decision," a spokesperson for the Office of the Attorney General wrote in an email. 

Wood was cleared of two counts of criminal negligence causing death and one count of criminal negligence causing bodily harm on June 1 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Superior Court. 

The ruling sparked outrage in Elliot Lake and calls for stricter engineering regulations.

Called mall 'structurally sound' before collapse

Wood signed off on the health of the shopping centre by declaring it "structurally sound" two months before a portion of its rooftop parking deck caved in, killing Lucie Aylwin, 37, and Doloris Perizzolo, 74, and injuring more than a dozen others. 

Wood was the only person facing criminal charges in connection with the catastrophe. 

During the delivery of his decision, Justice Edward Gareau told the court that it is conceivable that Wood did not believe the mall's conditions were unsafe, and that this assessment would be made out of "poor judgment" not malice.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Olivia Stefanovich

Senior reporter

Olivia Stefanovich is a senior reporter for CBC's Parliamentary Bureau based in Ottawa. She previously worked in Toronto, Saskatchewan and northern Ontario. Connect with her on Twitter at @CBCOlivia. Story tips welcome: olivia.stefanovich@cbc.ca.

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