Winnipeg couple loses deposit after wedding caterer shuts down
Wedding season is a few months away and some Winnipeg couples could be out of a caterer and their deposit.
Caitlin Turcotte and Mark Ribeiro are one of those couples.
“It’s obviously stressful, it’s frustrating,” said Ribeiro.
Their big day is in May – and while Turcotte says she is 'jumping for joy' in anticipation, her joy has been tempered by the fact their wedding is fast approaching and they no longer have a caterer and they’re out their $1,000 deposit.
Turcotte said they hired Modern Plate Catering in November. Two months later, she said she received an email from the business informing the couple they have shut down because of financial hardships caused by the pandemic.
The company apologized along with a list of other catering referrals.
“It’s understandable that a business could close during the pandemic, a lot of things are closing and a lot of things are happening,” said Turcotte, adding she asked for a refund.
Another email from the businesses indicated there is no money to give back because of the severe effects of the pandemic.
"There are no funds available to return deposits as the company is insolvent,” the email reads.
“It really does suck a lot, we’re pretty stressed out now. We still have to put another deposit down for another caterer and our wedding is about four months away,” said Turcotte.
If the catering company is insolvent, it could be tough for the couple and others to get their money back.
Rick Schwartz, from the law firm Tapper Cuddy, said in typical insolvency cases involving a business, there are several creditors, such as banks and government agencies, who would be paid first, leaving customers empty-handed.
“All sorts of other creditors that really have a much higher priority over somebody who has no security, and that’s what a customer of any business would typically be, is an unsecured creditor,” said Schwartz.
Turcotte said they have found another caterer and are hoping to finalize details, but they’re not as confident about getting their $1,000 down payment back.
“We’re going to try,” said Turcotte.
CTV News was unable to reach someone from Modern Plate Catering.
An email response to CTV News said it has closed its doors and appreciates all the love and support it received over the years.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.