The Ontario Provincial Police said it is accepting, and in some cases, has already enacted, recommendations included in the final report of the Elliot Lake Mall Inquiry.
"Our sympathies go out to the families of the two victims who lost their lives on June 23, 2012 and those who were injured.” said OPP Commissioner J.V.N. Hawkes. “This tragic incident has had a lasting impact on the entire community, including the men and women of the OPP East Algoma Detachment who continue to provide dedicated, professional, community safety services.”
The OPP regularly evaluates its operational procedures and training initiatives, he said.
“We accept Commissioner Bélanger's recommendation and have already acted to improve our response to this type of occurrence,” he said.
The OPP Field Support Bureau has expanded the availability and training of major critical incident commanders (MCICs) and critical incident commanders (CICs) who are strategically deployed throughout Ontario, he said. They now receive mandatory annual training which includes working with special response units like the OPP Urban Search and Rescue, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive Response Team (UCRT).
“We are also taking steps to ensure local detachment commanders and frontline members are better supported during these extraordinary events,” Hawkes said. “Each response is as unique as the emergency itself. The OPP learns and adapts from each to develop and enhance our training and our relationships on a path of continuous improvement. I am proud of the way our members mobilized and responded that day, and for those bearing responsibility for supporting the Inquiry and the ongoing criminal investigation."
Attorney General Madeleine Meilleur extended condolences to the families of Doloris Perizzolo and Lucie Aylwin, the two victims of the mall collapse, and to the entire community of Elliot Lake.
The collapse of the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake was a tragedy made all the more heartbreaking because it was so preventable -- as the Commissioner makes clear,” Meilleur said in a news release. “Failing to learn from this event would be a further tragedy. We will not allow that to happen.”
The province established this inquiry two years ago to determine just how such an event could have occurred, she said. After months of public hearings, policy discussions and intense research, Commissioner Bélanger has produced a “thorough and thought-provoking report.”
“While an independent public inquiry was the best way to ensure an impartial exploration of the issues at the heart of the tragedy, many lessons were immediately clear. That's why we moved quickly to act on them, such as through additional training and information for occupational health and safety inspectors and engineers.
“But that was just the start. Commissioner Bélanger's report now leads us from this point forward.
Some recommendations can be implemented fairly quickly — others will require consultation and collaboration between ministries and co-operation with our municipal, industry, agency partners and professional groups.”
Effective immediately, the province will:
-establish an advisory panel and begin consulting with stakeholders, including municipal partners on how to move forward with the recommendations.
-develop guidelines and work with first responders to clarify the role and responsibilities of Ministry of Labour inspectors and engineers at the scene of an ongoing rescue or recovery effort.
-review the Incident Management System doctrine that guides first responders when multiple agencies are involved in the response, and outlines how command is structured.
“I am confident that we can all learn from this report. The advice contained within it will help to guide our decision-making as we move forward in creating a safer Ontario."
Yasir Naqvi, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, said the sorrow and grief of that day will always be felt, but so will the resiliency and determination to ensure this community moves forward.
“I want to thank Commissioner Paul Bélanger for his thoughtful recommendations that underscore the need for all levels of government, community partners and individuals to work together. Our government will begin the work of thoughtfully reviewing the commission's recommendations immediately.
“Since the collapse of the Algo Centre Mall, our government has been working to ensure Ontario is better prepared and able to respond to any emergency. The Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management and the Ontario Provincial Police are working to review and strengthen our management of major critical incidents. The province has also modernized its emergency communications and is working to increase its capacity to support municipalities during public safety crises.
“I am confident that by working together with our municipal, first responder and other partners, we can improve our capabilities and help ensure that a tragedy like this never happens again. We owe this to the Perizzolo and Aylwin families, to the people of Elliot Lake and all Ontarians.”
