Rusty steel beams in Elliot Lake mall seen in 2009

Just three years before the fatal Elliot Lake mall collapse, pictures were taken of rusting structural steel found inside the mall, the public inquiry has learned.

Under questioning at the public inquiry,  Elliot Lake's chief building official, Bruce Ewald, led inquiry lawyers through a series of pictures he took during his inspection of the Algo Centre Mall in 2009.

The pictures show rust and a lack of fire-proofing on a number of steel beams — including the one that ultimately gave way last summer.

When the beam failed in the summer of 2012, concrete slabs crashed through the floors below, killing two women.

Order issued

Ewald testifed he was concerned enough about the condition and structure of the mall in September of 2009 to issue an order to remedy under the property standards act. That order required the owner of the mall to fix the leaking roof and have an engineer assess the structure.

Evidence introduced at the inquiry showed engineer Robert Wood inspected the mall in the months following.

But the documents showed it was a visual inspection —  meaning no drywall or other impediments were removed to see what was going on where steel beams were not visible.

Questions were also raised at the inquiry about the "scope of work" Wood was given for that inspection.

Documents showed he only investigated sections of the mall where serious leaking was known to have occurred, rather than the entire mall, as the order required.

Ewald testified the order to remedy was lifted in February of 2010 because it was felt all conditions had been met.

The inquiry was established in July 2012 by the Ontario government to report on events surrounding the mall roof's collapse, and the deaths of Lucie Aylwin and Doloris Perizzolo, as well as the injuries to others and the emergency management and response.

Hearings began March 4 and are expected to conclude with testimony from former premier Dalton McGuinty on Sept. 12.