ELLIOT LAKE, Ontario (AP) — Rescue teams and dogs searched through the rubble Sunday at a shopping mall in Canada where a roof collapsed through two floors, leaving several people missing and 22 people slightly injured.
Authorities said no casualties have been reported and the names of the missing continue to be crossed off the list as members of the community account for their loved ones. But a number of people remain unaccounted for since the collapse Saturday afternoon at Algo Centre Mall in the northern Ontario city of Elliott Lake.
Stephan Powell of Toronto Fire Services said 40 members of the Heavy Urban Search and Rescue team were removing pieces of the structure in an effort to extricate anyone who might have been trapped.
Kate Matuszewski, a spokeswoman for city, said emergency services were removed at one point Saturday due to safety issues.
Ontario Provincial Police Inspector Percy Jollymore urged anyone worried about missing loved ones to check in at an information center where police are tracking those who are unaccounted for.
A portion of the roof that serves as a parking area crumbled down two floors into an area near the food court, exposing metal and concrete supports.
Emergency officials quickly cleared out the mall and closed surrounding roads after the collapse triggered a gas leak. Mayor Rick Hamilton declared a state of emergency.
Ontario Provincial Police said 22 people were taken to hospital but none were seriously hurt.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said he was in touch with Elliot Lake's mayor and thanked emergency crews in the city for their efforts.
"As we anxiously wait to learn more about anyone thought to be missing in Elliot Lake, our thoughts and prayers are with their families, and also with those who have been injured and indeed with the entire community," McGuinty said in a statement.
Joe Drazil, a Zellers store employee, said several cars appeared to have fallen through the gaping hole near some escalators.
"You can see the roof with the cars hanging inside," he said. "Everybody was cleared from the whole mall. After that, there was numerous police and emergency vehicles coming from all over."
Shopper Jean-Marc Hayward was having coffee when the roof collapsed about 20 feet (6 meters) from him. He said a big hunk of concrete tumbled down through two floors and that it sounded like an explosion. "It was a big loud crash. It didn't just go down one floor it went down two floors," he said.
Hayward said he saw one man with a bloody face. Hayward, a dwarf who has trouble with his legs, said he couldn't run out.
"I was sucking in dust," he said.
Hayward and others have said the mall roof has leaked water for some time. There have long been buckets and tarps around the mall to collect leaking water, Hayward said.
"It's obvious there has been a lot of damage in the structure because of the water," Hayward said. "A couple of years ago they said they fixed all the leaks in the mall, but they didn't. You could tell every time it rained."
Powell could not confirm if rescue officials had been briefed about the water leaking issue.
The two-level mall in this northern Ontario community is approximately 200,000 square feet (18,580 sq. meters). It houses a grocery store, restaurants, a number of retail outlets, a hotel, and the constituency office for a member of the provincial parliament.
Calls to the management office and the Algo Inn hotel attached to the mall were not answered.
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Associated Press writer Rob Gillies contributed from Toronto.
Several missing after roof collapses at Canadian shopping mall - Daily Telegraph
Emergency officials quickly cleared out the mall and closed surrounding roads after the collapse triggered a gas leak. Mayor Rick Hamilton declared a state of emergency.
Ontario Provincial Police said 22 people were taken to hospital but none were seriously hurt.
Joe Drazil, a Zellers store employee, said several cars appeared to have fallen through the gaping hole near some escalators.
"You can see the roof with the cars hanging inside," he said. "Everybody was cleared from the whole mall. After that, there was numerous police and emergency vehicles coming from all over."
Source: AP
Canadians fancy cross-order shopping this summer, survey says - Toronto Star
OTTAWA—Canadians are in a U.S. shopping state of mind this summer thanks to changes in regulations that allow them to buy more without paying duty, a new survey suggests.
The Canadian Press-Harris Decima poll on relaxed cross-border shopping limits that went into effect June 1 found a large majority in favour of the changes — and 54 per cent of those planning a trip stateside said they intended to spend more.
Additionally, four in 10 said they were likely to purchase more duty-free goods.
The telephone survey of 1,000 was conducted between June 14 and 18 and is considered accurate plus or minus 3.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
As outlined in the March budget, the duty-free threshold on stays longer than 24 hours rose to $200 from $50 beginning this month. The limit on stays longer than 48 hours increased to $800 from the current two-tiered levels of $400 and $750, depending on the length of stay.
In the poll, seven in 10 Canadians said they supported the higher duty-free limits, and eight of 10 of vacationers to the U.S. backed the changes.
“The potential number of Canadians travelling to the U.S. this summer is over four million,” said Patricia Thacker, Harris Decima’s vice-president of travel and leisure.
“With 54 per cent likely to purchase more under the new duty-free limits, that’s over two million Canadians spending more in the U.S. this summer alone.”
The changes have been criticized by the Retail Council of Canada as just one more blow to merchants who cope with higher costs and must compete with U.S. competitors that often get a better deal from suppliers.
With the new rules in place for a little more than three weeks, it is still too early to determine if Canadians have stepped up their shopping habits, said Karen Proud of the Retail Council. But she believes there will be an impact on retailers.
“We’ve seen increases in cross-border shopping ever since the loonie gained parity,” she said. “There’s been an increase of Canadians shopping in the U.S. and a decrease in Americans coming across the border to shop here.
“The (higher limits are) just added incentive.”
Proud said Ottawa erred in enacting the duty-free changes, which now match those in the U.S., in isolation of other measures to help Canadian retailers compete, including reducing tariffs and tackling the supply management system that protects dairy and poultry farmers in Canada.
“Those products are some of the most cross-border shopped. Dairy, eggs, milk, we know people are filling up their trunks with groceries and then shopping for everything else they can pick up and basically being waved through the border,” she said.
A comparison study published by the Bank of Montreal in April found that despite the near-parity of the Canadian and U.S. dollars in most months since 2007, consumer items are still on average 14 per cent more expensive in Canada, and that is before the HST tax is added. Some surveys have found a bigger gap.
The report estimated that Canadian store owners lose about $20 billion a year to cross-border shopping, although with many shoppers not reporting purchases, the exact worth of cross-border shopping is difficult to calculate.
BMO economist Doug Porter, who has done the price comparison list for several years, said today’s shoppers would likely realize somewhat fewer savings because the loonie has dropped below parity in recent weeks. On Friday, it was trading below 98 cents U.S.
But Porter said that in general his findings stand, and the latest hit on Canadian retailers likely will be significant.
“Cross-border shopping tends to be downplayed by officials and the impact on the Canadian economy, but I do think it’s quite significant,” he said. The higher limits will just add further juice to what already looked like a “pretty robust cross-border outlook.”
At least 22 hurt when Canada mall's roof collapses - Reuters UK
(Reuters) - Canadian rescue teams on Sunday were preparing to search for anyone trapped when a rooftop parking lot collapsed into a northern Ontario shopping mall, sending at least one car plunging into the retail shops below.
At least 22 people were injured in the collapse Saturday at the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, about 335 miles (540 km) northwest of Toronto, city officials said.
Authorities said they have compiled a list of people who have been reported missing in the area.
The collapse occurred on Saturday afternoon, when the mall is typically crowded with weekend shoppers. It sent concrete and metal raining into the two-story mall below and left a gaping hole in the roof.
"It happened so fast," Elaine Quinte, owner of Hungry Jack's restaurant in the mall, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. "All of a sudden I started getting hit by some of the rubble. I turned around. I saw other people in the food court running out of the doors. ... There was instantly so much dust, first you saw, and then you didn't."
None of the 22 people treated at local hospitals sustained life-threatening injuries, the city said in a statement Sunday.
Emergency teams suspended work Saturday because of unsafe conditions, but resumed in the evening. It was not clear if by Sunday afternoon, crews had stabilized the site sufficiently to enter the mall with search dogs.
One vehicle fell through the roof into the mall, Kate Matuszewski, a spokeswoman for the city near Lake Huron's remote northern shore.
Overhead photos taken soon after the collapse showed several vehicles remained parked on the undamaged part of the rooftop lot. The collapse opened up a large, rectangular space and a clear view of the retail space below.
(Reporting by Frank McGurty; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
Coroner wants shopping trolley survey after death of Irmgard Polklaser - News.com.au
AUDITS of CCTV footage across all shopping centres should be conducted after the South Australian state Coroner found an elderly woman died because her Woolworths trolley had no brakes.
State Coroner Mark Johns today handed down his findings into the August 2010 death of Irmgard Polklaser, 76.
Ms Polklaser died after the almost-full trolley her husband, Walter, was pushing up a travelator at Westfield Tea Tree Plaza failed to lock and subsequently rolled back into them.
As a result, Mr Polklaser was forced backwards and he fell on to his frail wife.
In his findings, Mr Johns said the left-hand braking device of the trolley used by the Polklasers had no padding.
"It appears that the padding had, at some time prior to 6 August 2010, broken away entirely from the metal flange," he said.
"This is not a case of a worn braking pad - there was no worn surface, the pad was missing altogether.
"I conclude that Mrs Polklaser's injuries were sustained as a direct result of the lack of a proper brake pad, or any brake pad, on the left-hand rear wheel of the Polklasers' trolley.
"But for the lack of a proper or any brake pad, the accident would not have happened."
This morning Woolworths issued a statement expressing its condolences to Ms Polklaser's family, saying her death was a "tragedy".
A spokeswoman said they were always looking at ways to improve its customers' shopping experience and the safe operation of its stores.
"As part of our trolley improvement program we have upgraded all the trolleys at Woolworths Tea Tree Plaza and Marion," she said.
During the inquest, Mr Johns also considered further incidents involving trolley and travelators.
Three involved Woolworths trolleys and one from another major supermarket.
"They show that Mrs Polklaser's tragic accident was not an isolated case," Mr Johns said.
"These other incidents have served as a confirmation of my conclusions about what occurred in Mrs Polklaser's account."
Mr Johns recommended warnings be issued to shoppers about the risks involved in travelling with trolleys on travelators and that supermarkets be reminded of the importance of properly maintaining their trolley fleet.
"The evidence in this case of the frequency of events involving trolleys is disturbing," he said.
"It should not happen at all, and certainly not as frequently as the evidence in this case shows at one shopping centre.
"(I recommend) The Minister for Industrial Relations undertake an audit of all available CCTV footage to determine the frequency of this kind of event at all shopping centres in the state to determine if it is necessary to take action by regulation, inspection or other form of government intervention in this area."
Outside court Mr Polklaser said he was glad the inquest explored the incident as it could prevent similar situations occurring.
Although deeply saddened by the loss of his wife, Mr Polklaser said he was now moving on with his life.
"You have to move on whatever comes to you ... life's too short," he said.
Shopping Channel searching for aspiring TV talent - Voxy
New Zealand's newest TV channel is searching for aspiring television talent with star potential.
The Shopping Channel - New Zealand's first, dedicated 24-hour selling channel - will be holding a casting call for presenters keen to be a part of this prestigious prime-time hosting role.
The new, locally-produced channel is launching on Sky Channel 18 and Freeview Channel 18 on 1 October 2012 and is set to bring the internationally successful home shopping format to New Zealand.
"This is an unique retail experience in New Zealand - bringing live television and on-line shopping together - by kiwis for kiwis, supporting local brands coupled with international product - a destination for everyone," says Alistair Duff, CEO of The Shopping Channel.
Duff says presenters will need to have the skills and personality to deliver on the crucial task of bringing merchandise to life through their demonstrations, providing ideas and giving shoppers much more than they bargained for.
If you think you've got what it takes, we're looking for outgoing, open communicators who are comfortable with being in the spotlight. You'll need to love shopping, have authority and be a natural salesperson.
"Being a presenter on The Shopping Channel will undoubtedly launch someone's career. Our hosts play a crucial role in the process of informing and entertaining viewers."
Overseas, hosts can have TV careers that span decades and it's expected the new channel will also make these new, fresh faces famous.
Auditions will begin at 9am on Saturday 30 June at Ogilvy building, 22 Stanley Street, Parnell.
For more information go to www.shoppingchannel.co.nz and follow us on twitter@shopping_nz.
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