TORONTO, ON (NEWS1130) – Ontario’s governing Liberals have named Justice Paul Belanger to lead the public inquiry into a deadly mall collapse in the northern community of Elliot Lake.

Attorney General John Gerretsen says Belanger will look into and report on events surrounding the collapse. He will also review the emergency management and response to the disaster and, once the inquiry has begun, will report back publicly within a year.

Gerretsen says cabinet still has to establish the public inquiry, which will set out its scope. He says the government is “actively engaged” in finalizing those terms and will make them available to the public.

Gerretsen says Belanger has a long judicial career that began in 1978 and includes serving as a regional senior judge for the Ontario Court of Justice for six years.

He’s currently the court’s representative on the Attorney General’s French language services committee.