Continued closure of Fort Gibraltar causing changes for soon to be married couples
The closure of Fort Gibraltar following the collapse of an elevated walkway that sent 16 students and one teacher to hospital has left some couples scrambling to find a place to get married.
The fort was closed indefinitely after 17 people were injured during a school field trip. Now, the fort's caterer says they've been working around the clock to find new venues for their clients.
Shawn Brandson runs the catering business at the fort, hosting multiple weddings a week. He said what happened last week was traumatic for everyone.
Following the incident, he thought the area of the fort they use for weddings would be back open. That wasn't the case.
"We should be fine because it's not out area, it's the palisade," Brandson originally thought about the closure.
The weddings that were planned for last week were moved with little notice.
"Not knowing when we can re-enter into our space is a little stressful."
With the venue not reopening, Brandson began to scramble, looking for new venues to host weddings for his clients.
He was able to move two weddings to the St. Norbert's Art Centre, with only 24 and 48 hours until the couples walked the aisle.
"Completely bare bones, so we had to actually move our full kitchen, move all our staff, move all the food. Move everything."
For bride Desiree Penner, she said panic set in for a few minutes.
"Our first reaction was concern for the kids. We have a ten-year-old and we're teachers," she said.
Following the shock, she had to plan a wedding for the next day at different venue, across the city.
After dealing with some panic, she was able to call and re-route guests and decorations were put up.
"It was more beautiful then you can imagine. We are so grateful, the work that they did," said Penner.
Brandson said some clients have had to postpone or cancel their plans because of the closure and he has given back retainers which are supposed to be non-refundable.
"If we're closed for much longer, you know, another month or two months, it will probably put us into bankruptcy," said Brandson.
Festival du Voyageur, who leases the fort from the city, said there is no update at this time on when it could reopen.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
BREAKING 14 suspects arrested in grandparent scam targeting seniors across Canada: Ontario police
An interprovincial investigation into an 'emergency grandparents scam' that targeted seniors across Canada has led to the arrest of 14 suspects, Ontario Provincial Police say.
Motion to allow keffiyehs at Ontario legislature fails
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.