Laval overpass demolition will proceed with care

Pierre Marc Johnson, the manleading the inquiry into the Laval overpass collapse, launched the investigation with a tour of the site Thursday, even as questions about his suitability for the job dog him.

Johnson, a former Quebec premier who was appointedto head the inquiry the day after the Sept. 30 incident, took a walkabout of the site Thursday to look at the gaping hole in the overpass, where metal bars are still sticking out from the structure.

He then boarded a helicopter to get an overhead view of the scene where five people were crushed to death and six more were seriously injured when the steel and concrete span over Highway 19 crumbled and crashed on the road below.

But before Johnsoncould describe how the inquiry would unfold, he had to field questions about what some say is a potential conflict involving his 27-year-old daughter, who works for a Quebec Liberal cabinet minister.

"She was selected by the chief of staff, which is normal in the case of political attachs.She was hired on the basis of her talent," said Johnson, adding that his appointment by Premier Jean Charest had nothing to do with his daughter.

The perception of the critics is that the former premier's longstanding position as a member of a political elite could hinder the tough questions that need to be asked of previous governments. They believe he is not the right choice.

Inquiry gets down to business

The commission set up to handle the inquiry will draft a demolition plan that won't compromise crucial evidence, Johnson said.

The rubblemust be taken awayas soon as possible in order for the heavily travelled highway to re-open, but the inquiry needs to proceed with caution and gather as much evidence as possible, Johnson said.

"What we want is to use a demolition plan which allows us to conserve some of what we believe to be extraordinary important evidence for our inquiry."

The inquiry will reconstruct events that led up to the collapse, determine its cause, review the overpass design, construction, maintenance, and inspection before making recommendations to prevent any future collapses.

The goal is not to place blame, Johnson said.

"The mandate is not to establish criminal or civil liability. The mandate is to find the facts, interpret the facts and make recommendations," he explained.

"That doesn't preclude the attorney general from taking the facts and using them in a criminal case," he said.

During the 90-minute tour, Johnson was accompanied by the two engineers appointed as co-commissioners to the investigation. They brought photos and diagrams of the structure to help their initial observations.

He said it was sobering to stand on the site of the collapse.

"I thought of the people involved. Those who died and those who were injured," Johnson told reporters.

Funerals for those who died will be held on Friday.

Among those who survived the incident, five of the six people injured remain in hospital in stable but serious condition.

The inquiry will hold public hearings in January 2007, before a final report is drafted and submitted to the Quebec government by the end of March.

Johnson will receive about $250 an hour for his work on the inquiry up to $2,000 per daybut he won't estimate the overall cost of the investigation.