Elliot Lake mall owner asked ex engineer to change inspection report

The former engineer who inspected the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake just weeks before its collapse said the mall owner asked him to change specific words in his report and remove pictures of water-filled tarps that hung from a department store's ceiling.

Robert Wood testified in court today that changes to the wording"did not modify the report in any shape or form."

Earlier in the trial, Wood says a prospective buyer of the mall'fabricated' an alleged conversation they had about repairs to the building.

Wood answered questions from his lawyer in a Sault Ste. Marie courttoday about a 2011 conversation he had with Ron McCowan, who wasthinking about buying theAlgoCentre Mall.

The conversation was evidence introduced during the Elliot Lake Public Inquiry in 2013.

Conversation a 'fabrication'

According to McCowan, Wood said the shopping centre's roof would collapse if it wasn't fixed right away. The cost Wood allegedly cited was $1.5 million.

But today, on the stand, Wood testified he didn't know the cost to repair the roof, and had no concerns about the mall. Wood said that, as far as he understood, this was a fabrication from McCowan.

Wood is expected to continue testifying today about two inspections he did of the shopping centre before it collapsed nearly five years ago.

One of those fateful examinations took place just weeks before a portion of the mall's rooftop parking deck caved in killing Lucie Aylwin and Doloris Perizzolo.

• Ex-engineer saw 'nothing out of the ordinary' during mall inspection