Elliot Lake new mall construction set to begin

Morning North6:34Construction of new mall set to begin in Elliot Lake

Steel to build the new Pearson Plaza in Elliot Lake will soon be arriving. The CBC's Kate Rutherford spoke about the construction project with William Elliott, of the Elliot Lake and North Shore Corporation for Business Development.The first delivery of steel for the new mall at Elliot Lake is expected to arrive this week.

The city has been without a shopping centre since the Algo Centre Mall was demolished after its rooftop parking lot collapsed and killed two people in 2012.

After several delays due to issues with site development, construction begins with a new Foodland, said William Elliott, who is with the Elliot Lake and North Shore Corporation for Business Development.

The site was basically a rock covered with bush, he told CBC News.

"We started with less than nothing, to create what is going to be a nice, flat, nine-acre site. It's all going to be enclosed," he said.

"No one is going to have to go outside once they are there to do their shopping. No stairs. No elevators. No escalators."

The grocery store will be finished by March.

"We're going to end up with a Foodland that is the most modern and it's going to be the latest design and have all the latest features and functionalities," Elliott continued.

"So we're going to have gone from a fairly old store and a dated store to ...  cutting edge."

The rest of the mall — to be known as Pearson Plaza — will be finished by June of next year. It will host a Dollarama, a new library, Turner's General Store and a food court.