Leaky roof causes section of ceiling to fall at Fairview mall

No one was hurt in food court incident, manager says

A few shoppers were rattled Saturday when a section of ceiling came crashing to the floor of the food court at Fairview Pointe-Claire.

A piece of wet drywall about a half a metre square, gave way from the ceiling above the food court about 1 p.m., mall authorities confirmed Monday.

No one was injured in the incident.

Christian Vezina, the mall’s general manager, said workers had noticed water pooling beneath the affected ceiling section early in the day and had cordoned off the food-court seating area below.

Melting snow from Friday’s storm had found its way through a leak in the roof and had gathered around a recessed sound speaker, he said.

“My son and I heard a whoosh and then everyone turned around in the direction of the noise,” said Caroline Donati, a shopper at the mall at the time of the incident.

“At first I thought someone had fallen down, then I saw a square hole in the ceiling.”

Donati said the incident was unsettling even though no one was hit by the falling debris.

She said she couldn’t help thinking of the fatal northern Ontario mall collapse in Elliot Lake last August that claimed the lives of two women.

Fairview Pointe-Claire, a two-storey mall with more than 37,150 square metres of roof surface, is owned by Cadillac Fairview.