Catering company sues City of Winnipeg, Festival du Voyageur for walkway collapse
Lawsuit alleges operations, revenue 'significantly impaired' after 2023 incident
A catering company is suing the City of Winnipeg and Festival du Voyageur, alleging a walkway collapse at Fort Gibraltar two years ago "significantly impaired" its ability to carry on business.
Seventeen children and an adult were taken to hospital after they fell about six metres when an elevated walkway collapsed during a St. John's-Ravenscourt School trip on May 31, 2023.
A teacher and the families of two children who were hurt in the walkway collapse have previously filed separate lawsuits associated with the incident.
Gibraltar Dining Corporation is now also suing the city and the festival for negligence and unspecified amounts of damages, claiming it was prevented from accessing or operating at the site, as well as from retrieving its food and equipment, breaching its contract.
The caterer was given exclusive access to parts of the site when it entered into an agreement with the city and the festival in 2011, according to the company's statement of claim.
The claim alleges that the festival failed to maintain the grounds, including the fort, and that the city failed to ensure the fort underwent timely inspections.
The catering company's ability to operate and generate revenue has been "significantly impaired" in light of the walkway collapse, and the company has and continues to suffer losses and damages in light of the walkway collapse, the suit claims.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
CBC News has reached out to the city and Festival du Voyageur for comment.
