The bankruptcy of a Drummondville company has led to delays and headaches on some of downtown Montreal’s biggest construction sites in recent months, we have learned The Press.
Posted at 1:29 a.m.
Updated at 7:00 a.m.
Beaulieu Reouverture had to supply facade elements for the Maestria (61 floors), the MAA Condominiums (34 floors) and the Auguste et Louis (21 floors), Devimco projects, as well as for the Mansfield (19 floors) of promoter Brivia.
However, the company of 400 employees went bankrupt last fall, with custom-made materials in its warehouses for its clients’ construction projects.
In a court document, Devimco indicated that Beaulieu and its subsidiaries were “critical suppliers” for several of its projects. The promoter adds that it is necessary that the goods “ordered from [de Beaulieu] be delivered and sold to them as quickly as possible.
Beaulieu was such an important supplier to Devimco that the real estate developer made an advance of 3.7 million last summer to try to keep it afloat, according to a court document. The attempt failed.
Delays
Joined by The Press, Devimco confirmed that it had suffered from the setbacks of the Drummondville company.
“The announcement of the bankruptcy last October actually caused delays in the progress of certain projects,” said Justin Meloche, spokesperson for the company. “We were quickly able to identify new suppliers in order to minimize impacts on the delivery of our projects. »
Brivia also said he was hit. Supply problems meant that the Mansfield construction site could give “the impression of being at a standstill” last winter, spokesperson Pierre Tessier explained by email. “We had some supply issues with the company, but that is now resolved,” he added.
Other work was carried out while the site awaited the arrival of the facade panels.
“When a big player like that leaves, it can have a short-term impact on the delivery of projects,” reacted Guillaume Houle, head of public affairs at the Quebec Construction Association. “Generally speaking, there is another who will come and replace him, because the needs are present. »
A bankruptcy of 42 million
Before downtown Montreal and its construction sites, Drummondville was first hit hard by the bankruptcy of the local flagship.
Beaulieu Retemporel (which also operated under the names Signé Hurtubise and Retemporel Louyse, among others) operated two factories and employed 400 workers.
“What led the Beaulieu Reouverture company (Signed Hurtubise) to bankruptcy and its approximately 400 employees to unemployment? The question remains unanswered since the company has been running at full speed for several months, offering very well-paid positions and adding up prestigious and lucrative contracts,” explained the local newspaper, The Expressend of 2023.
In total, the company owes 42 million to its creditors, including several suppliers in the region.
In 2020, Beaulieu Reouverture benefited from more than 5 million in public loans to build a brand new factory in Drummondville. Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon visited it two years later.
The Press was unable to contact Pierre-Olivier Beaulieu, founder of the company that bears his name. The phone numbers and email associated with his position no longer work.
