Algo Centre Mall
A former shopping mall and hotel complex in Elliot Lake, Ontario, whose role as a community hub ended after a fatal 2012 roof-deck collapse.
Last updated October 14, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Algo Centre Mall was a shopping mall and hotel complex in Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada. Built near Highway 108, it became the largest commercial complex in the community and combined retail space with an 80-room hotel, retirement accommodation, public services, offices and community facilities. Although the property was legally renamed Eastwood Mall in 2005, residents, businesses and public institutions continued to use the Algo Centre Mall name almost universally. The project was commissioned by Algocen Realty Holdings Ltd., the real-estate arm associated with Algoma Central Railway. Ontario's Municipal Board approved the development in 1978, construction began in 1979, and the complex opened in 1980 with approximately 35 units. Its initial tenants included Woolco, Dominion and Shoppers Drug Mart. A notable design feature was rooftop parking, integrated into the structure above the mall. The mall's commercial prospects weakened substantially after Elliot Lake's uranium mines closed or contracted during the 1990s. The resulting economic shock reduced local spending and led the Algoma Central Company to write off more than $5 million in property value, even though occupancy was reportedly very high at the time. The complex gradually became less of a conventional destination mall and more of a multipurpose civic and social centre. It accommodated the Elliot Lake Public Library, constituency offices, public-health functions, service organizations and many of the community's remaining clothing, grocery and general-retail businesses. At its peak, it supported more than 250 local jobs and represented a significant share of the community's retail space and wages. The property had persistent maintenance and structural problems. Leaks and water damage were reported from the early years of operation and became a recurring issue for tenants, the library and restaurants. Several roof-repair programs were attempted, including work costing more than $1 million, but the problems were not permanently resolved. Tenants reported buckets, damaged merchandise, mould concerns and falling building materials. The mall also faced building-code issues involving fire alarms and sprinklers and pleaded guilty in provincial court in 2012, later spending money on upgrades. Eastwood Incorporated purchased the property in August 2005 for $6.2 million. The company considered redevelopment and sought new specialty and larger-format retailers, but the mall's economic environment and physical condition remained difficult. Some tenants moved to external locations, including Shoppers Drug Mart, while other stores closed. Despite this decline, the mall continued to host community events such as car shows, charity fundraisers, antique appraisals and public promotions. On June 23, 2012, a roughly 12-by-24-metre section of the rooftop parking deck collapsed through the upper level and into the area around the lottery kiosk, food court and escalators. Two people died and more than 20 were injured. Heavy Urban Search and Rescue teams from Toronto worked in extremely hazardous conditions, temporarily suspending operations before resuming with more aggressive methods. The victims were lottery kiosk employee Lucie Aylwin and customer Doloris Perizzolo. The collapse led to public inquiries, engineering investigations, an inquest, litigation and extensive scrutiny of the mall's construction, maintenance and inspection history. Investigators examined long-running water intrusion, corrosion and failures involving an expansion joint above the escalators. The building was ultimately demolished. In 2019, the City of Elliot Lake purchased the vacant site as part of a plan for new residential and commercial development, with a portion intended for a municipal community hub. Algo Centre Mall therefore remains significant not as an operating retail brand, but as a former regional shopping centre and a major case in Ontario's public discussion of building safety, maintenance responsibility and regulatory oversight.
History
Algo Centre Mall originated as a major commercial-development project for Elliot Lake, a northern Ontario community whose economy was closely tied to uranium mining. Algocen Realty Holdings Ltd., associated with Algoma Central Railway, commissioned the project. The Ontario Municipal Board approved it in 1978, construction started the following year, and the complex opened in 1980. It contained a shopping mall, rooftop parking and the Algo Inn, an 80-room hotel and retirement-residence component. Woolco, Dominion and Shoppers Drug Mart were among the opening tenants, and the centre initially contained about 35 retail units. The mall was designed as a substantial enclosed complex in the town centre. Its scale made it an important commercial landmark, but later civic assessments criticized its inward-facing architecture, remote entrances and limited relationship to surrounding streets. The building's physical performance was also problematic. Reports of roof leaks and water damage appeared from the early 1980s, and later evidence examined failures in expansion joints and the effects of repeated water penetration. Repairs were carried out on several occasions, including major roof work, but tenants continued to report leaks, damaged interiors, mould concerns and falling materials. The economic base supporting the mall deteriorated after uranium mine closures and related contractions in the 1990s. The owner associated with the Algoma Central Company wrote off more than $5 million in property value. Even as conventional retail weakened, the mall retained unusually broad civic importance. The public library operated there, constituency offices and public-health services used space in the complex, and the centre housed many of the community's principal clothing, grocery and service businesses. It was also used for charitable and promotional events, making it a regular meeting place for residents. Eastwood Incorporated acquired the property in August 2005 for $6.2 million. The legal name became Eastwood Mall, but the Algo Centre designation persisted in ordinary use. Eastwood and its representatives explored redevelopment involving specialty retailers, possible big-box tenants and exterior commercial pads. The property was later marketed for sale at a higher asking price, while tenant turnover continued. SAAN closed in 2008, Shoppers Drug Mart opened a substantially larger store outside the mall in 2010, and other businesses either closed or relocated. Nevertheless, the centre still employed hundreds of local residents and remained socially important. Safety concerns became increasingly visible. A restaurant tenant reported concrete falling through a ceiling in 2011. The mall also faced fire-alarm and sprinkler compliance issues and pleaded guilty in provincial court in March 2012, subsequently undertaking upgrades. In the year before the collapse, management reported spending approximately $120,000 on repairs, while earlier roof-repair efforts had cost more than $1 million. A structural assessment commissioned before the collapse reportedly described corrosion as not structurally significant, a conclusion that later became part of public scrutiny. At approximately 2:20 p.m. on June 23, 2012, a 12-by-24-metre section of the rooftop parking deck collapsed. Concrete and metal fell through the upper level into the lottery-kiosk and food-court area and toward the escalators and ground floor. Lucie Aylwin, who worked at the lottery kiosk, and customer Doloris Perizzolo were killed; more than 20 people were injured. Heavy Urban Search and Rescue personnel from Toronto arrived after travelling to Elliot Lake and initially suspended the search because the remaining structure was unstable. Operations resumed after further planning and the use of heavy equipment, and the two bodies were recovered on June 27. The disaster prompted investigations, an inquest, lawsuits and questions about the responsibilities of owners, engineers, inspectors and public authorities. Testimony addressed defects dating to the original construction, repeated repairs to the expansion joint above the escalators, water damage, maintenance decisions and regulatory inspections. The mall was later demolished. In 2019, Elliot Lake bought the vacant property for redevelopment, intending to combine new residential and commercial uses with a municipal community hub. The former mall's legacy consequently combines regional retail history with a lasting public-safety controversy.
- 2019
Municipal acquisition of the site
[1]The City of Elliot Lake purchased the demolished mall site for future residential, commercial and community-hub redevelopment.
- 2013
Inquest examines the collapse
[1]An inquest heard evidence about construction defects, water intrusion, corrosion and repeated expansion-joint repairs.
- 2012
Roof-deck collapse
[1]A section of the rooftop parking deck collapsed, killing two people and injuring more than 20.
- 2010
External retail competition increases
[1]A much larger Shoppers Drug Mart opened outside the mall, while the mall was offered for sale.
- 2005
Eastwood Incorporated acquires the property
[1]Eastwood Incorporated purchased the complex for $6.2 million and the legal name became Eastwood Mall.
- 1990
Mining-sector contraction damages prospects
[1]Uranium-mine closures sharply reduced the mall's revenue prospects and contributed to a major property-value write-down.
- 1980
Mall opens
[1]The complex opened with approximately 35 units, including Woolco, Dominion and Shoppers Drug Mart.
- 1979
Construction begins
[1]Construction started on the mall and integrated hotel project in Elliot Lake.
- 1978
Municipal approval
[1]The Ontario Municipal Board approved the proposed Algo Centre Mall project, estimated at approximately $10 million.
Products and positioning
A regional shopping and community-services centre serving Elliot Lake and surrounding northern Ontario residents. Over time, its role shifted from a conventional enclosed mall toward a multipurpose civic hub as the local mining economy contracted.
Shopping mall retail · 1980
Retail units
The mall provided enclosed retail accommodation for clothing stores, a major grocery store, pharmacy services, department-store merchandise, food outlets and other local businesses. Its tenant mix changed as Elliot Lake's mining economy weakened and retailers increasingly moved to external sites.
Hotel and retirement residence · 1980
Algo Inn
The integrated Algo Inn contained approximately 80 rooms and served both as the town's largest hotel and as retirement accommodation. It formed part of the original mall development rather than an independent consumer-goods brand.
Civic and service facilities
Community and public services
Over time, the complex hosted the Elliot Lake Public Library, constituency offices, public-health functions and other services. These uses helped preserve the building's importance after traditional retail traffic and tenant numbers declined.
Controversies
2013
Public inquiry into building safety
The collapse inquest examined evidence of long-running leaks, corrosion and recurring expansion-joint failures dating back to the early life of the building.
2012
Fatal structural collapse
A rooftop parking-deck section failed and fell through two levels of the mall, killing two people and injuring more than 20. Subsequent investigations and litigation scrutinized the building's maintenance, engineering assessments, construction history and regulatory oversight.
Marketing campaigns
- Community events and charity programming
Elliot Lake · Ontario
The mall hosted car shows, charity head shavings, antique appraisals, community-event promotions and an annual rocking-chair marathon. It also hosted the Heart and Stroke Foundation's Big Bike ride in 2011 and 2012.
Outcome. These activities reinforced the mall's role as a social and civic gathering place despite its commercial decline.
Brand decisions
2019
Municipal redevelopment of the former siteStrategyBackground
After demolition, the vacant property required a new use consistent with Elliot Lake's community needs.
Action taken
The City of Elliot Lake purchased the site and planned a mixture of residential and commercial redevelopment, retaining part for a community hub.
Aftermath
The shopping mall ceased to exist as an operating commercial property, while the land entered a municipal redevelopment process.
2012
Emergency closure and search operationStrategyBackground
The roof-deck collapse left parts of the complex unstable and created a risk of additional falling concrete and metal.
Action taken
Authorities closed the affected structure and deployed Heavy Urban Search and Rescue teams, later using heavy equipment to reach the debris.
Aftermath
Two victims were recovered, investigations followed, and the mall was eventually demolished.
2005
Eastwood Incorporated purchases the mallM&ABackground
The property changed ownership during a period of weakening local economic conditions and continuing maintenance concerns.
Action taken
Eastwood Incorporated acquired the complex and legally renamed it Eastwood Mall.
Aftermath
The historical Algo Centre Mall name remained the one most commonly used, while redevelopment and tenant-repositioning efforts did not prevent later decline.
Purchase price. $6.2 million (August 2005)
Recent events
- 2019
City of Elliot Lake purchases former mall site[1]
Other
The municipality acquired the vacant site for redevelopment involving residential and commercial uses and a planned community-hub component.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/algo-centre-mall · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled