Proposed class-action lawsuit filed over Calgary water main break
CTV
A proposed class-action lawsuit has been filed against the City of Calgary, claiming businesses needlessly lost significant revenue due to a water main break.
In a statement of claim filed Wednesday, Angel's Cafe, located near the June 5 water main rupture, alleges the city knew the failed pipe was made of lower-grade materials and should have moved to prevent the failure.
"The city knew or ought to have known about the Bearspaw water main’s state of disrepair before the rupture and was required to take reasonable steps to prevent a catastrophic premature failure from arising," the document says.
The break in the pipe, which carries 60 per cent of the city's water, caused major disruptions for the city's 1.6 million residents and those in surrounding communities. It flooded a neighbourhood and forced a boil-water advisory in that part of the city.
All residents were asked to cut their water use by 25 per cent. They were urged to flush toilets less often and take shorter showers. Watering lawns and gardens was forbidden for weeks, unless it was from rain barrels.
The lawsuit has to be certified by the courts to proceed as a class action. Angel's Cafe is currently the only plaintiff named in the claim.
The allegations have not been proven in court.
