Julien Morin, owner of Moutardes La Morin, saw “nearly 90%” of the contents of his mustard-making workshop go underwater when it was flooded during the water main break under the Jacques-Cartier Bridge last Friday. He and the twenty or so other businesses housed in the basement and first floor of the warehouse on Notre-Dame Street complain about the lack of help, support or guidance from the authorities and the City, unlike many citizens.
“I went to the police station next door and they told me they had other priorities,” Morin said. Even though he “understands that there were citizens and other things to deal with,” the situation would have required the intervention of the authorities or emergency services, according to him. Across from the building where “the water flow was so high that it was just making it rise,” there was a generator in a construction site. “The electrician came to tell us that there was a danger of explosion. I mentioned that to the authorities, and no one came,” Morin explained. He has since filed a complaint with the City, but it has been “radio silence from them.”
In an email, the Montreal Police Department (SPVM) indicated that it could not comment on its interventions and that “neighborhood station 22 was closed last Friday due to a power outage. The SPVM was assisting the Montreal Fire Department with street closures and traffic redirection in the area.”
Faced with the absence of the authorities, Julien Morin did not give up: he called on his network of contacts to “get the water out” and save as much stock and machinery as possible. An effort similar to that of his neighbor and business partner Sébastien Jalbert, owner of La Conserverie, which specializes in importing and distributing canned goods.
Even though for La Conserverie “tens of thousands of dollars in orders have gone into the [fleuve] Saint-Laurent”, the stock has been sorted and part of it can be put up for sale or donated.
“We weren’t asking for everyone to come and help us pick up. We just wanted to have someone there to support us and say ‘yes, we’re going to find short-term solutions,’” says Mr. Jalbert. For him, “a simple container” would have been enough.
Uncertain future
By the end of the weekend, the efforts had paid off, as “everything was cleaned” and the walls of their premises had all been redone to prevent mold. However, there was a real risk of losing access to the premises, as not all companies had taken up the task.
If the building is deemed unsafe, it is possible that U-Haul — which owns the warehouse — will decide to change the purpose of the parts of the building that were flooded during the renovations, thereby evicting the businesses that occupy them.
This uncertain future is particularly worrying for Julien Morin, because “the entire production facility is custom-made.” Producing mustard by hand requires specialized facilities, which insurance reimbursement will not necessarily cover. Even with access to the facility, “it’s a challenge that is still quite critical for the survival of the company.”
Even though he says he is “stressed” about the future, Mr. Morin indicates that he will “do everything” to fight for the company to survive. “But right now, we are in a bit of a void. I don’t know what will happen.” On Monday, he was evaluating the possibility of temporarily moving production to a partner.
A similar observation was made by cabinetmaker Joseph Lebel, whose workshop was located right next to La Conserverie’s premises. He was able to save some of his work tools, but he still doesn’t know the state of most of his machinery. For him, his work tools and machines are like a violinist’s violin: he has become attached to them and learned to work with them. Especially since they are “hard to renew”.
The latter found himself “surprised that no one came to see us.” Even if fewer people came to help him than for Moutardes La Morin, he received help to save as much property as possible.
It is precisely this entourage that gives him hope for the future. After 20 years working as a cabinetmaker, Mr. Lebel has been able to develop relationships with his customers and is therefore not afraid of missing out on contracts once he can get his workshop back on its feet.