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
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.