Circus company suffers millions in losses after Montreal's water main break
CBC
A Montreal-based circus company, Cirque Éloize, lost millions of dollars' worth of equipment, costumes and archives when a city water main broke and flooded its storage facility last month.
The company's theatre director says the city should bear responsibility.
"Financial compensation, because we lost a lot," said Jeannot Painchaud of what the company is seeking.
The circus tour has been suspended for six months due to water damage, which will not be entirely covered by insurance, he said.
"We cannot think about going back on tour. We have to take care of all of this. Find a new warehouse, which we don't have," he said.
Performances will continue in the circus's studio because he said that building was not affected.
The circus company's shows are known around the world, and most of its equipment was stored on Notre-Dame Street. On Aug. 16, the water main break created a massive geyser on René-Lévesque Boulevard, east of de Lorimier Avenue, just before 6 a.m. and flooded nearby streets.
Several businesses and homes were affected, including La Morin mustard company, whose owner Julien Morin said losses could reach $1 million.
Painchaud gave CBC News a tour of the circus company's storage facility, showing how high water reached, destroying electric consoles, lighting, stage sets and more.
For him, the worst part is losing the archives. All of it is gone, he said.
"It's a little bit heartbreaking because it's 32 years of history," he said, noting his team has been in discussions with the city and "so far, we have a great collaboration. I think they will help us. They need to help us. For sure, it's their full responsibility."
Others who share the building with the circus company are dealing with similar consequences.
Eric Jutras owns a marketing company called Groupe Promo-Staff. He said about four feet of water accumulated after the main broke. There was no electricity afterward, and the building was condemned for a time. He said his company is looking for a new location.
Jutras said not only did he lose equipment and promotional materials, but he had to cancel events. Among those events, his company gives away soccer balls to clubs and teams. About 3,000 soccer balls were contaminated with mould and needed to be thrown away, he said.
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